As a result of the Durbin Amendment, which cost banks over $8 billion in the first year alone, consumers have witnessed the disappearance of free-checking accounts, and suffered an onslaught of additional bank fees. Local credit unions and small community banks (supposedly “exempt” from the amendment) have continued to see an alarming rate of foreclosures, and local economies have continued to suffer. Additionally, consumers have yet to see savings at the check-out line – the original intent of the amendment in the first place. Rife with unintended consequences, the Durbin Amendment is a perfect example of public policy gone wrong.