Fact #136: Banks get $.44 with each debit card purchase

These "interchange fees" have long been around, yet nobody knows much about them.

Banks charge the retailer these fees with each debit card swipe. However, that $.44 charge is likely to drop soon, a change which many think will bring a cap to debit card spending to around $50. Banks will lose revenue, so they may force customers to use cash and checks more.

Fact #103: Credit-card interest rates are nearing an all time high, averaging 14.72%

With the recent regulations in the credit industry, companies are upping interest rates in order to make up for for lack of revenue from fees.

Fact #97: The average Virginian has $14K in debt

In a recently published survey, Virginians were the 9th highest debtors in America, oweing a little over $14,000 on average.

Fact #1 : A U.S. Penny costs more to make than it is worth

As of 2009, it costs about 1.62 cents to make a penny which makes its face value less than what it cost to coin it. Also, it takes about 3 cents to make a U.S. one dollar bill - talk about pennies on the dollar.