FEE TRAP: As many as 900 colleges are pushing students into using payment cards that carry hefty costs, sometimes even to get to their financial aid money, according to a report released Wednesday by a public interest group.
WHO WINS: Colleges and banks rake in millions from the fees, often through secretive deals and sometimes in apparent violation of federal law.
WHO LOSES: More than two out of five U.S. higher-education students — more than 9 million people — attend schools that have deals with financial companies, says the report, written by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Higher Education Fund.