This doozy of a form requires them to marshal 41 months of phone bills, tally the tax paid each month, group those taxes into 14 chunks, and then calculate interest on their rebate for each of the 14 chunks using a different multiplier.

FORBES: Killer Forms

As a big investor, the fund could demand that the broker handling the short sale rebate to the fund a portion of the interest the broker earned by investing the proceeds of the short sale.

FORBES: M&A for the Little Guy

We've crunched some numbers to illustrate how, for those who carry a balance over each month, even a better-than-average rebate can leave you no better off than a low-interest rate card.

FORBES: Magazine Article

"There are thousands of different card products, some are offered with low interest rates, some are offered with no fees, some are offered with a cash rebate, " said MasterCard lawyer Kevin Arquit.

CNN: Justice Department takes on Visa, MasterCard

Looking ahead, the optimists point to further interest-rate cuts (perhaps another half point during the next few months) and a tax rebate.

ECONOMIST: The economy