> They would also argue that it is unfair to lay out complex rules like this in an opaque way because of the asymmetrical information advantage that a bank has. They wouldn't complain that the rule was enforced per se, they would complain that the rule (which is plainly anti-consumer) exists.
Doesn't that justify my point? If we go back to the speeding example, if the rule was that you can't go over the speed limit (within the capabilities of the measuring device), then everyone would drive a little more slowly. The only reason people 5-10 miles above the speed limit is that 5-10 miles over is generally accepted to be "fine". If anything strict enforcement of speed limits reduce the amount of room for abuse by law enforcement (eg. pulling over someone for going 1 mph over).
Also, at the risk of victim blaming, maybe it isn't such a good idea to have your deposits/withdraws lined up on the same day? Deposits can get delayed/withheld, and withdraws can be moved up unexpectedly. Leaving zero days between a deposit and a withdraw is just asking for trouble. I agree that reordering the transactions from largest to smallest is probably greed motivated, but at the same time expecting it to behave differently is optimistic at best and foolish at worst. It's the equivalent of relying on undefined behavior in programming (eg. assuming that reading one byte after the end of an array wouldn't cause a fault).
> Also, at the risk of victim blaming, maybe it isn't such a good idea to have your deposits/withdraws lined up on the same day? Deposits can get delayed/withheld, and withdraws can be moved up unexpectedly. Leaving zero days between a deposit and a withdraw is just asking for trouble.
I'm not sure you understood the example that GP gave; there was no mention of withdrawals. The idea was that you have $20 in your account, you buy something for $10, then later buy something else for $10, and then later buy something for $20, and the bank reverses the order of applying the transaction and says that you made two purchases after your account was empty, so you get charged two overdraft fees.
Doesn't that justify my point? If we go back to the speeding example, if the rule was that you can't go over the speed limit (within the capabilities of the measuring device), then everyone would drive a little more slowly. The only reason people 5-10 miles above the speed limit is that 5-10 miles over is generally accepted to be "fine". If anything strict enforcement of speed limits reduce the amount of room for abuse by law enforcement (eg. pulling over someone for going 1 mph over).
Also, at the risk of victim blaming, maybe it isn't such a good idea to have your deposits/withdraws lined up on the same day? Deposits can get delayed/withheld, and withdraws can be moved up unexpectedly. Leaving zero days between a deposit and a withdraw is just asking for trouble. I agree that reordering the transactions from largest to smallest is probably greed motivated, but at the same time expecting it to behave differently is optimistic at best and foolish at worst. It's the equivalent of relying on undefined behavior in programming (eg. assuming that reading one byte after the end of an array wouldn't cause a fault).