I'm mixed on this one. I agree most banks are a bit deceptive with their overdraft practices. They automatically sign you up for the overdraft service that they charge an insane amount for, but make you read the fine fine print to get the details.

Banks should make this service "opt-in" only - people would have to officially agree to it and sign a contract for it. Otherwise, they just decline purchases.

That said however, people should be more careful about knowing how much money they have and spending accordingly. Many banks now even offer balance tracking on a Web-enabled phone, in addition to online, so you should be able to know what you have.

I have a strong feeling - outside of mistakes of bloopers here and there (like the one presented in this article - ridiculous the bank wouldn't post the money into the account) - most people that get hit with these I imagine are getting hit because they're not paying attention to their money.