A year ago Njoku, a construction worker, had just purchased his first home and qualified for a federal
rebate for first-time home buyers on his tax return.
He says he requested to have the rebate deposited directly into his Chase bank account in Auburn, Wash., but when the IRS rebate arrived, he found out that Chase had closed his account because of overdrawn checks. The bank deducted $600 to cover what he owed and mailed Njoku a cashier's check of $8,463.21 to make up the difference.