Area banks giving furloughed fed workers a break

After nearly four weeks of the government being shuddered, Houston-area businesses are starting to feel the effects. And in some cases, those effects are becoming devastating, particularly to small businesses. Pictured, a closed sign is displayed at The National Archives entrance in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) less After nearly four weeks of the government being shuddered, Houston-area businesses are starting to feel the effects. And in some cases, those effects are becoming devastating, particularly to small businesses. ... more Photo: Jose Luis Magana, FRE / Associated Press Photo: Jose Luis Magana, FRE / Associated Press Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Area banks giving furloughed fed workers a break 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Area banks are lending a hand to furloughed Houston workers to help them avoid fees and late penalties and to protect their credit.

Chase Bank is automatically refunding overdraft and monthly fees for checking and savings accounts for federal government workers with existing accounts.

"We determined that by looking for direct deposits of a federal paycheck in November into the account,' said Greg Hassell, Chase spokesman.

Chase also has a customer care number they are encouraging federal workers to call.

Amegy Bank is offering payment extensions on consumer loans as well as deferrals for home equity loans and mortgage payments on a case-by-case basis.

Furloughed customers of Wells Fargo, the bank will automatically reverse their monthly service and overdraft fees on accounts that had a payroll check direct-deposited into it in November 2018. Wells Fargo is also reversing and waiving late fees on credit accounts, including consumer and small business credit cards, personal lines of credit, and several types of loans, including small business and consumer loans.