Fri January 14, 2011  Tax Refund Could Go Straight To A Debit
Card  The U.S. Treasury Department has come up with a way to
expedite tax refunds for people who don't have bank accounts.
The idea is to allow people to reduce the cost of getting their
money.  Nine million U.S. households -- that's 1 out of every 13
-- don't have a bank account.  They often have to wait to get
their tax refund check in the mail, and then pay a fee to a
check casher. Or they might get a loan based on their refund
through a tax preparation service. Either way, it's costly.
Next week, the Treasury Department will offer 600,000 "unbanked"
Americans a debit card that can receive direct deposits.  Chi
Chi Wu, an attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, points
out that even the government's debit card isn't free. Some
people will have to pay $4.95 a month for the card, but she says
that's a lot cheaper than the current options.  The challenge
will be for the government's letter to get through to people.
"It's not just another pie