What’s All This Fussing About? has an interesting (if lengthy) diatribe against increasingly pervasive and arbitrary fees from banks and credit cards. A taste:
Examing banks further; the fees we’re paying for accounts have nearly tripled in the past decade. Beyond the familiar maintenance fees and minimum balance fees, a NSF (nonsufficient funds) charge has reached $45, and bounced check fees now average $30. ATM fees can be massive, and can be incurred from your own bank AND the ATM’s host bank. Some ATM arrangements may charge you as much as a $10 fee for using an ATM more than three times a month. Fees for check “stop payment” are typically $25, and returned-deposit fees of up to $10 might accompany the many resulting bounced-check fees. We have seen the institution of fees to talk to bank tellers face-to-face. Cashier’s checks and money orders can now cost $10. Payments by phone and copies of old checks can now incur significant fees. You may also see fees with some banks for the privilege of enjoying online banking services. And while you will probably be able to select a rush payment option for Bill paying, it can come at a price from $5-$15. Paying for retail purchases with a PIN card may incur additional fees. Customers may be charged a $6 monthly fee for not having direct deposit. Wow. Be glad too, because there appears to be no cap for these fees, so maybe we should consider them low.
In addition to your significant overdraft fee (should you accidentally top your balance), you could see a cascade of these charges where you did not expect it. That’s because banks are allowed to change the order in which the checks clear. Read that sentence again, if you didn’t fully absorb it. This could cause you to bounce numerous checks as opposed to one, in certain routine situations.
