“Every time a bank crosses the line and must pay a fine, regulators should tack on a surcharge to underwrite financial literacy programs.” said John Pelletier, the director of the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College. Banks that profit by skirting the rules and cheating customers through hidden fees and misleading advice will become attractive target. Many banks view the occasional fine as simply a “cost of doing business” and allow for fines in their annual budget. Pelletier believes that a portion of the fines should be used to set up a National Public Education Foundation for Financial Capability. He wrote that ” The U.S. Government and the Federal Reserve have allocated trillions of dollars TARP bank bailout funds, stimulus spending and quantitative easing, in large part, as a response to the consequences of banks behaving badly. Wouldn’t justice be served if these same financial institutions pay a portion of all federal fines and penalties to fund a nonprofit organization that will educate consumers on how they can protect themselves from financial harm and fraud?”