>>When I charge something against my bank card, debit or credit, my available account balance almost immediately reflects that amount. When I have money tranferred into my bank account, PayPal or a refund on a purchase, I usually will not see anything regarding that transaction from 4 to 10 days. Why is that? It makes me feel that the entire commerce system is evil and only out to screw with my money.
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>Basically, yes.
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>I read the other day that there are some new credit card laws coming. Not until mid-2010 IIRC but they will be significant. One practice that will be outlawed will be the bank dragging its feet posting your payment (even if it's made electronically) and then socking you with a late fee and interest. I got into it a couple of months ago with Citibank. They claimed my electronic payment from Chase took 3 days for them to receive, therefore making it a day late. Yeah, right. Two of the biggest banks in the world, based in the same city, and it takes an electronic payment 3 days to move from one to the other? They reversed the charges "as a courtesy this one time only" but only after I threatened to close the account.

One of the common definitions of a liberal: a person believing that taxes are too low and ATM fees too high.