My wife and I got a security system for our home last month. The monthly fee, taken automatically out of our checking account was supposed to be $44. The security firm took out $143, putting our account in the negative. In one day, U. S. Bank had our account to minus $127. We deposited $313 the day we found out the account was over-drawn.

That was last Wednesday. By Friday, they had the account in the minus again, to the amount of $127 again. There had been absolutely no activity on the account from us in those three days. No checks were written, and we did not use the debit card. My wife called the bank and all customer service would tell her was that there were overdraft charges, but they would not tell her what they were for or how we got them. By this Monday, the account was over $300 in a negative balance.

I noticed in another one of these reports that someone said U. S. Bank charges you $8 for every day that your account is in the negative. That is absolutely true, but even better than that, they then charge you a $37.50 fee on the $8 they took out because the $8 came out of a negative balance. So you actually get charged $45.50 for every day the account is the negative.

My wife has talked to the manager of the bank and I have tried to call him a couple of times, but he does not return phone calls, and he is always too busy to talk to anyone, whether by phone or in person.

Any helpful people out there who want to tell me some soothing advice like I should keep more money in the account, or have a budget, spare me. The negative balance was not our fault, and U. S. Bank has used the opportunity to hose us to the amount of $762 so far We had to deposit another $450 that we didn't have today to get the account back into a positive balance. U. S. Bank takes every opportunity to relieve people of their money. If you can't give someone constructive advice on how to fix the problem, don't give advice at all. Some of us actually have to live from pay check to pay check without a safety cushion.