ATM Fees Rose 5% Over Past Year

NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Fees for using out-of-network ATMs rose five percent over the past year and are up 23% over the past five years, according to Bankrate.com's (NYSE: RATE) 17^th annual checking survey. The average cost of going outside the network is now $4.35 per transaction, a new high for the eighth consecutive year.

There are two different ATM fees that consumers typically encounter when using an out-of-network ATM: the ATM surcharge assessed by the ATM owner and the fee that one's own bank charges for using an out-of-network ATM (often known as the foreign fee).

The average overdraft fee set a new record high for the 16th consecutive year, at $32.74. "Punitive-type fees, such as ATM fees and overdraft fees, have shown the most consistent increases over time," said Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate.com's chief financial analyst. "While this trend is unlikely to reverse, consumers should recognize that ATM fees and overdraft fees can be avoided completely."

Thirty-eight percent of non-interest checking accounts are completely free, which is unchanged from last year and little changed from 39% in 2012. This halts a four-year streak of declines from the peak of 76% in 2009. If certain requirements are met (such as direct deposit, maintaining a minimum balance, bill pay activity, etc.), 95% of non-interest checking accounts are either free or can become free.

The full survey is available here:

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/checking/checking-account-fees-surge-to-new-highs-1.aspx

*Reflects both ATM fees combined (those charged by the ATM operator and those charged by the consumer's own financial institution)

Non-Interest Checking Accounts
The average minimum balance required to open a non-interest checking account rose nine percent over the past 12 months to $66. The average minimum balance to avoid fees decreased one percent to $661. And the average monthly service fee for a non-interest checking account declined five percent to $5.26.

Interest Checking Accounts
Only four percent of interest checking accounts are free for all customers, but 99% will waive the fee if conditions are met (most commonly if the accountholder meets a minimum balance requirement averaging $6,211, up seven percent from last year). The average monthly service fee nudged up one percent to $14.76. The average yield is just 0.04%, a new record low.

More About ATM Fees
The average ATM surcharge jumped seven percent to $2.77 per transaction, a record high. The average surcharge has increased for 10 consecutive years. The most common fee is $3. Every institution in the survey with ATMs charges non-customers for usage.

The average fee assessed by one's own financial institution for going outside the ATM network increased three percent to $1.58, also a new high. Over the past eight years, the most common fee was $2. The most common fee now, by a wide margin, is $2.50.

Bankrate surveyed a total of 10 banks and thrifts in each of 25 large U.S. markets. This included one interest and one non-interest account at 247 institutions that offer checking accounts. In total, 242 interest and 238 non-interest accounts were surveyed between July 10 and August 6, 2014. Beginning with this year's survey, the monthly fee figures were adjusted for receipt of e-statements.

About Bankrate, Inc.

Bankrate is a leading publisher, aggregator, and distributor of personal finance content on the Internet. Bankrate provides consumers with proprietary, fully researched, comprehensive, independent and objective personal finance editorial content across multiple vertical categories including mortgages, deposits, insurance, credit cards, and other categories, such as retirement, automobile loans, and taxes. The Bankrate network includes Bankrate.com, CreditCards.com and InsuranceQuotes.com, our flagship websites, and other owned and operated personal finance websites, including Caring.com, Interest.com, Bankaholic.com, Mortgage-calc.com, CreditCardGuide.com, Nationwide Card Services, CarInsuranceQuotes.com, InsureMe, CreditCards.ca, and NetQuote.com. Bankrate aggregates rate information from over 4,800 institutions on more than 300 financial products. With coverage of nearly 600 local markets in all 50 U.S. states, Bankrate generates over 172,000 distinct rate tables capturing on average over three million pieces of information daily. Bankrate develops and provides web services to over 80 co-branded websites with online partners, including some of the most trusted and frequently visited personal finance sites on the Internet such as Yahoo!, AOL, CNBC, and Bloomberg. In addition, Bankrate licenses editorial content to over 500 newspapers on a daily basis including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe.

For more information:

Ted RossmanPublic Relations Manager
Bankrate, Inc.
ted.rossman@bankrate.com 
(917) 368-8635

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SOURCE Bankrate, Inc.