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H&R Block and TurboTax Customers Report Issues With Second Stimulus Check Deposit

January 7 2021

• in
• Government Payments
• Income

“Millions of Americans were set to receive a second stimulus check via direct deposit on Monday. But many people who filed their 2019 taxes with H&R Block or TurboTax tell CNBC Make It that they are experiencing issues receiving their payments. The IRS began sending out a second round of economic impact payments — worth […]

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Americans Run Down Checking Accounts as Aid Cutoff Approaches

December 16 2020

• in
• Government Payments

“Americans’ cash cushions have been declining for months, most acutely among low-income households, underscoring the already-precarious financial situation of the millions of people who may soon lose their jobless benefits. The median household checking account balance surged by 65% after the arrival of stimulus checks in April, formally known as Economic Impact Payments, but balances […]

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How Bank of America helped fuel California’s unemployment meltdown

November 24 2020

• in
• Government Payments

“After the Great Recession, California signed an exclusive contract with Bank of America to distribute unemployment benefits through prepaid debit cards. A CalMatters investigation reveals that to this day, no one knows how much the bank has made off the deal. Lawmakers are examining the bank’s role in mass account freezes and untold amounts of […]

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Amazon Lures Food-Stamp Shoppers as Online Buying Surges 50-Fold

November 12 2020

• in
• Government Payments
• Remote Commerce

“Babcock is among one million-plus U.S. households now using government benefits each month to buy groceries online. Their numbers spiked 50-fold this year after the spread of Covid-19 prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make it easier for food-stamp recipients to shop on the web. While the USDA declined to provide an industry breakdown […]

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Instacart, in partnership with ALDI, will support SNAP EBT for online groceries

October 22 2020

• in
• Government Payments

“Instacart is making its grocery delivery and pickup services more accessible to lower-income customers by offering customers the ability to pay for groceries using their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. This is the first time Instacart shoppers have been able to use government assistance programs when paying for groceries, and follows earlier moves by […]

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Pandemic Aid Swelled Savings of the Unemployed, Study Shows. Now They Are Running Low.

October 16 2020

• in
• Government Payments

“Emergency pandemic relief doubled the savings of unemployed Americans over the spring and summer, but most of that cushion was depleted by the end of August, new research shows. In a study released Friday, economists at the University of Chicago and JPMorgan Chase Institute looked at how economic-relief measures enacted this year, including an extra […]

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Fraud Schemes Exploit Weak Spots in Unemployment Claims System

October 2 2020

• in
• Government Payments
• Identity theft

“The for-sale ad appeared last week in an underground internet bazaar that specializes in selling stolen accounts and data. It was for access to a filched unemployment insurance claim in California that had been approved and offered benefits worth $17,550. The black-market sale of jobless benefits is just one sign that the unemployment insurance system […]

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House Democrats Push to Renew Efforts for Second Round of $1,200 Stimulus Checks

September 23 2020

• in
• Government Payments

“The stimulus stalemate has left lawmakers at odds over how to get more relief to millions of Americans who need it. Earlier this month, Senate Republicans attempted to get a smaller bill through Congress as the standoff between both parties continued.   But that relief bill did not include a second round of $1,200 stimulus […]

On The Wires

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Treasury Is Delivering Millions of Economic Impact Payments by Prepaid Debit Card | U.S. Department of the Treasury

January 8 2021

• in
• Government Payments
• Income

“This week, Treasury and the IRS started to send approximately 8 million Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) by prepaid debit card. The distribution of EIP Cards follows the millions of payments already made by direct deposit and the ongoing mailing of paper checks and are part of Treasury’s and is IRS’s plan to deliver Economic Impact […]

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Instacart and ALDI Announce Expansion of EBT SNAP Online Payment Across 23 More States and Washington, D.C.

December 18 2020

• in
• Government Payments

“Instacart, the leading online grocery platform in North America, today announced that it will be expanding its Electronic Benefit Transfer and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (EBT SNAP) integration in partnership with ALDI, one of America’s fastest growing retailers. Starting today, EBT SNAP online payment will now be available at nearly 1,000 more ALDI stores across 23 […]