Bounced-check fees and ATM surcharges for all checking account types have reached new highs -- again. Meanwhile, fees and balance requirements for interest and noninterest checking accounts continue to move in opposite directions, with those for interest accounts ratcheting higher while noninterest account costs move lower still.There is some good news in the area of online checking accounts. Those are the key findings in the Fall 2007 Bankrate.com Checking Account Pricing Study. Bankrate's Fall 2007 Checking Study findings:
• Bounced check fees hit new high
• ATM surcharges keep going up
• Big difference between interest and noninterest
• Balance requirements on interest accounts up 25 percent
• You can save with noninterest accounts
• Banks keep ATM fees low for own customers
• You can take steps to avoid fees
Bankrate.com surveyed one interest and one noninterest checking account at the largest banks and thrifts in each of 25 large markets to find the latest trends on checking account and ATM fees. The offerings of 249 institutions were surveyed, with 247 interest accounts and 226 noninterest accounts in the survey. Bankrate.com also looked at the checking accounts of 16 Internet banks to see how those offerings stack up against their brick-and-mortar counterparts.
Nod to Greg McBride, CFA • Bankrate.com