A new Treasury Department program to give people without bank accounts faster access to their tax refunds will help some avoid costly short-term loans. But careless consumers could end up racking up fees and padding bank profits.

The pilot program using debit cards is aimed at getting Americans their refunds quickly, and saving the government the cost of printing and mailing checks.

Starting next year, the pilot tax account program will be offered to several hundred thousand Americans. Eventually, the program could be expanded to reach the nine million American households that don't have bank accounts.

Treasury is still negotiating the fees for the tax refund cards. Officials would not name the bank that is close to securing the contract.

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