. >> reporter: joe coleman is president of this chain of 14 stores in the south bronx and harlem.'ll cash your checks, pay your bills, transfer money, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. something like half these customers are "unbanked," meaning they have no bank account. on purpose. jose benitez is a construction contractor. >> ( translated ): every time you go to a bank there's a problem. you lose time. >> reporter: the bank takes too long to cash checks, he says. >> can you sign there for me please? >> reporter: and, says cashier jackie morel: >> the bank don't offer all the services that we do. we have prepaid cards. they pay their bills, pay their rent, it's different things that they can do in one place. >> reporter: but the best alternative is check cashers, payday lenders, pawn shops? maybe you assume what i did, that they prey on the poor. suzanne martindale is with consumers union. >> many of these products really strip away what few assets consumers have. if you're constantly paying a fee to cash a check, you're losing money on the deal, compared to if you simply had an a