But the amount they will pay is greater than might be thought simply because the propagation costs from one sector to another lead to a general increase in prices and the cheque received by consumers will not compensate for this.
Americans increased their consumer spending in May, as stimulus cheques helped households make needed purchases (including petrol).
The new measures to support mortgage lending and consumer loans were attacked as a "blank cheque" by critics this morning, but the chancellor warned that the consequences of inaction would be grim.
Banks have been charging consumers up to £39 for a bounced cheque, standing order or direct debit, although critics say the actual cost could be as little as £2.
Ten years ago, American consumers paid cash or cheques for 71% of their purchases.
Lerner's characters both enjoy their access to obscure consumer goods and resort to living on unemployment cheques.
It aims to resolve the uncertainty over bank penalty charges - in particular, fees for unauthorised overdrafts and bounced cheques - which sparked a huge consumer rebellion last year.
As many as 100,000 bank customers may have complained to the financial ombudsman in the past six months about charges levied for overdrafts, bounced cheques and direct debits as the consumer revolt against bank fees gathers momentum.
"Even a billionaire needs a credit card, he also needs online banking, he needs to be able to write a cheque," says Jonathan Larsen, Citi's head of consumer banking in Asia.Yet the big network banks are also facing new competition from fast-growing domestic banks in emerging markets.
Inevitably, this impacts on consumer confidence and demand when people worry where the next pay cheque will come from, never mind the fact they are earning £1,477 less a year on average than they were in 2010.
