Like your free checking account? Prepare to say goodbye

By Sandra Block

Free checking is going the way of the free checked bag.

Only 45% of non-interest bank checking accounts are free, down from 65% in 2010 and 76% two years ago, according to a survey released Monday by Bankrate.com. Fees, meanwhile, are rising: The average monthly fee for a non-interest account is $4.37, up 75% from a year ago.

Banks are adding fees to recover from new regulations that could cost billions in lost revenue, says Greg McBride, senior financial analyst for Bankrate. Starting Oct. 1, the maximum fee banks can charge retailers when customers pay with a debit card is 21 cents, down from an average of 44 cents. Last year, the Federal Reserve Board prohibited overdraft fees unless customers sign up for the service.

“When the government intervenes in markets and eliminates a source of income, a bank, like any other business, has to find some way to make up that lost income,” says Nessa Feddis, senior counsel for the American Bankers Association.

The survey found that only 2% of banks and thrifts charge a monthly debit card fee. That may be changing. In November, SunTrust will charge customers in its basic checking account a $5 monthly debit card usage fee. To avoid it, they must either stop using their debit cards for purchases or upgrade to a Solid Choice account, which requires a $5,000 daily balance.