Consumers, Bank Fees | featured news

Bank of America has shelved plans for new fees that could have hit at least 10 million customers by the end of this year, skirting a potential replay of a 2011 uproar over consumer-banking charges.

Few seem terribly pleased with Bank of America’s decision to charge its users $5 every month they use their debit cards. BofA blames Congress for passing the Dodd-Frank Act, claiming the law’s new regulations are responsible. The law, which was implemented in June, restricts the fees that banks can charge merchants when customers use debit cards to pay, lowering them from 44 cents to 24 cents.

Banking consumers who try to engage in comparison shopping often simply can't because nearly one in four banks doesn't make fee schedules available before they sign up, according to a study published Tuesday by a consumer group.