Fees for mobile banking to become standard

Slowly but surely, banks are experimenting with ways to build charges into the apps' features—some for simple check deposits, others for instantaneous bill pay. As apps get higher-tech, too, a simple convenience could become costly.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Regions Financial rolled out its mobile banking app this spring with a tiered fee structure, based on when the customer needed access to funds deposited digitally. For immediate availability, which is a risk to the bank because it then doesn't have time to verify the fees, customers must pay $5, or a percentage of the deposit—whichever is higher. For access two days later, once the funds are verified, the fee is 50 cents—the same fee Minneapolis-based US Bank introduced for all mobile deposits in 2010. It was the first bank to initiate such fees.

"This is just the beginning of the creative ways banks will try to compensate in a low-rate, low-growth environment," said Todd Hagerman, senior research analyst at Sterne Agee. "They have to look for alternative ways to improve their fee income stream." Read more >>

Airlines collected record baggage fees in 2012

U.S. airlines collected more than $6 billion in baggage and change-in-reservation fees from passengers last year, the highest amount since the fees became common five years ago.

These fees, along with charges for boarding early or picking prime seats, have helped return the industry to profitability.

Airlines started charging for a first checked suitcase in 2008 and the fees have climbed since. Airlines typically charge $25 each way for the first checked bag, $35 for the second bag and then various extra amounts for overweight or oversize bags.

The nation's 15 largest carriers collected a combined $3.5 billion in bag fees in 2012, up 3.8 percent from 2011, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Reservation change fees totaled $2.6 billion, up 7.3 percent.

The airlines took in $159.5 billion in revenue last year and had expenses of $153.6 billion, according to the government. That 3.7 percent profit margin comes entirely from the baggage and change fees. Read more >>

$31.5 billion in overdraft fees by banks in the past year

The financial crisis was supposed to spur a new era of frugality and fiscal responsibility. It doesn't exactly appear to be working out that way. Americans are once again increasingly overspending what they have in their checking accounts. In all, consumers were hit with $31.5 billion in so-called overdraft fees by banks in the past year, according to a new study from bank research firm Moebs Services. That compares to $30.8 billion in the same period a year before.

That was below the peek of $36.8 billion in the same period in 2008. But this year is still the first time overdraft fees have risen since the financial crisis. From mid-2008 to mid-2011, the number of times consumers were hit by overdraft fees had fallen by roughly a third. Now in the past nine months, the levying of overdraft penalties appears to be on the rise again, up 10% in the past nine months.

The question is whether this a a result of shady bank practices or poor money management. On the margin, it appears that overdraft fees have gotten a little more fair. Banks have shelled out hundreds of millions to settle claims that they re-ordered consumer purchases in order to trigger overdraft penalties as often as possible. And the Card Act made it illegal for banks to automatically enroll customers in overdraft protection, limiting the number of people who get hit with fees they didn't even know about. Read more >>

Bank of America hikes fee on checking accounts

Image via WikipediaIt's getting more expensive to have a checking account. The monthly fee on Bank of America's basic MyAccess checking account rose this week to $12, from the previous $8.95. And more changes are in store for customers of the country's largest bank.

Customers with the MyAccess account can still avoid the monthly fee by setting up a monthly direct deposit of at least $250 or maintaining a balance of $1,500. The bank says customers were notified of the fee hike earlier this year. Another option that skirts the fee increase is the ebanking account, which requires customers to do their banking online and opt for electronic statements. More...

Big banks hit customers with higher fees, and more of them

Image by Johnny Vulkan via FlickrThe nation's biggest banks are increasing many of their fees, adding new ones, eliminating debit card rewards programs and making it harder for customers to avoid paying monthly charges for checking accounts.

On May 24, Bank of America will raise the monthly fee on its most popular checking account from $8.95 to $12. On June 27, it will start charging customers a $35 fee if they overdraw their account by less than $10. And next year, the bank plans to replace its basic checking account with a new "essentials" account that comes with a monthly fee that cannot be avoided.

At Chase Bank, fees have increased for overdraft transfers, outgoing wire transfers and stopped payments. New customers that sign up for a basic checking account face a $12 monthly charge, up from $6. More...

Massive Bank fee ripoffs on reloadable prepaid debit cards

Image via WikipediaLast year, Michael Abukhader's 12-year-old son, Jacob, received a $30 NASCAR prepaid Visa card from an aunt who thought it would provide a convenient way to give him cash for birthdays and other events. But once Abukhader, who lives in Queen Creek, Ariz., reviewed the terms of the card, he closed the account.

The card charged a fee of $6.95 for the first purchase, plus a monthly fee of $5.95. Other fees included $2.50 for a withdrawal from a non-network ATM and $4.95 to replace a lost or stolen card. Abukhader explained to his son that after six months, the $30 card would contain a negative balance.

For Jacob, who was initially excited about having his own credit card, "It was a cold, cruel lesson about credit and fees and 'buyer beware,' " Abukhader says. "It was very sobering." Read more...