Congress will get another chance to limit checking account overdraft fees that continue to annoy customers and produce billions of dollars in revenue each year for banks and credit unions.

FORBES: Lawmakers Target Unfair Overdraft Charges

To be sure there are bad actors (although very small in numbers), and there are quite a few good-but-not-amazing prepaid products (which still beat out a checking account with overdraft on an average use-case).

FORBES: Bluebird vs Greendot. Prepaid wins.

In July 2010, the Federal Reserve required banks to receive permission from each checking account customer before the bank provided overdraft protection for ATM and debit card transactions.

FORBES: Overdraft Fees Under Scrutiny Once Again

The bill would also ban the practice of posting checking account transactions in a way that maximizes overdraft fees.

FORBES: Lawmakers Target Unfair Overdraft Charges

Banks are marketing either a program where overdraft transactions are covered for a fee or one that allows you to link a checking account to a savings account, line of credit or credit card so if you overdraw funds are transferred in as needed, says Greg McBride, a senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com.

WSJ: Say No to Overdraft Pitches

Checking your account balance before you make a purchase not only protects you from an overdraft situation, but it also gives you time to consider if the purchase is worth making.

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In addition to regularly monitoring your checking account, try to keep a buffer of cash in there to help prevent overdraft charges or even cancel the overdraft feature altogether (although you may run the risk of late fees from billers if you miss a payment due to insufficient funds).

FORBES: Why Traditional Banking Might Go the Way of the Piggy Bank

Overdraft fees are charged by banks when customers try to spend more money than they have in their checking account.

FORBES: Overdraft Fees Under Scrutiny Once Again