After enduring significant customer backlash, Bank of America backed off its plan to implement a monthly fee tied to debit card use. While many consumers viewed that as a victory, that’s not the end of banks’ attempts to collect more money through fees. Far from it.
As the New York Times points out, many banks are increasing certain administrative fees that likely aren’t as noticeable as a monthly debit-card fee hike. For instance, wire transfers, mobile-phone deposits and replacement debit cards now come with higher costs for customers of certain banks.
A banking industry analyst determined that banks must collect $15 to $20 per month from each depositor to earn the amount of money they did in the past. There’s an estimated $12 billion a year income shortfall that was created by federal laws that restrict overdraft charges and lower fees collected on debit-card transactions.