1.   Almost every banking consumer knows that basic, longtime fees -- such as the penalty for bouncing a check -- have soared in recent years.

2.   An insurance company might deny an auto policy to someone based on a report from its banking unit that the customer bounced some checks, they say.

3.   And a taxpayer who bounced a check last year would have been well advised not to bounce one this year.

4.   And then there is bouncing a check off the Internal Revenue Service.

5.   As innocuous an offense as bouncing a check can land a businessman in jail and render him ineligible for government assistance.

6.   As Hazen pressed ahead with an overly ambitious merger timetable, computer systems broke down, vaporizing deposits and bouncing checks.

7.   BayBanks says this is a feature to protect customers from bouncing electronic checks.

8.   But Vic is an inept auto mechanic, falling behind in rent payments and starting to bounce checks.

9.   Fees are also rising for cash advances, for exceeding credit limits, and for bouncing a check.

10.   Guys would bounce checks, so now guys get paid in cash.