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The article discusses rising overdraft fees charged by U.S. banks. Research firm Moebs Services Inc. says the median fee on checking accounts increased from $26 to $30 between 2009 and 2013. Regulations from the Federal Reserve, as well as the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial regulatory-reform law, are said to have created a revenue gap for banks that higher fees are meant to address.

The article discusses a new checking account to be offered in March 2014 by Bank of America Corp. The account will charge a monthly fee of $4.95, permit no overdrafts, and allow no paper checks. Additional information is provided about past efforts by the bank to introduce new fees. It is said the new account is apt to be most attractive to consumers who maintain low account balances.

The article reports that growing numbers of banks in the U.S. no longer offer free checking accounts. Between 2013 and 2014 the percentage of U.S. financial institutions that have abandoned free checking has risen from 33% to 41%. Rising compliance costs for banks along with limits on credit-card fees they may charge have them searching for new sources of revenue.

The article reports that banking company Bank of America Corp. (BoA) is thinking about offering a checking account that does not allow overdrafts. Consulting firm Moebs Services Inc. says most of the $10.3 billion it estimates BoA collected in consumer-banking fees during the first six months of 2013 were overdraft fees.

The article reports that banking company Bank of America Corp. has postponed at least temporarily new checking-account fees that were set to take effect before the end of 2012. The fees would have largely affected low-income customers, many of whose accounts the bank says it loses money on. The decision is part of a review of the bank's retail operations being headed by executive David Darnell.

The article reports that U.S. banks have been raising fees for checking accounts in order to compensate for revenue loss due to federal regulations. Changes have included more stringent minimum-balance rules, higher overdraft fees, and increased monthly fees at banks including SunTrust Banks Inc., Wells Fargo & Co., and Bank of America Corp.

The article reports that Bank of America Corp. is introducing fees for its basic checking accounts that would require account holders to pay a monthly service charge unless the customers purchased more products and services from the bank. The fees are considered as an effort by Bank of America to compensate for a significant decline in revenue from 2009-2011.

The article reports that financial-services firm PNC Financial Services Group Inc. will continue to offer free checking accounts in the U.S. Several of PNC's rivals including Bank of America Corp. are eliminating free checking as they seek to make up for debit-card revenues lost due to new federal restrictions.

The article reports that several large banks in the U.S. including J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. are experimenting with new fees to make up for revenues lost due to forthcoming rules from the U.S. Federal Reserve that will limit interchange fees. In pilot programs in certain markets banks have introduced fees on debit cards and checking accounts.

The article discusses a provision in pending financial regulatory-reform legislation in the U.S. that would allow banks to begin paying interest on corporate checking accounts. Although some banks favor the measure as a way to attract more deposits, others fear that competition among banks for these funds could be costly.

The article reports that Bank of America Corp. (BOA) is among U.S. banks preparing to discontinue offering free checking accounts to consumers. Banks are seeking additional sources of revenue as new regulatory rules impinge on other sources of income including credit cards and overdraft transactions.

The article discusses how parents can help their children begin to build a good credit history. In the author's view parents should avoid co-signing for a child's credit card. Instead, she believes it is importance to develop responsible independence in children by coupling early checking accounts and credit cards with periodic discussions about budgeting and spending. Recent credit-card legislation in the U.S. is also discussed.

The author reports that banks are competing to offer checking accounts that pay higher yields to try to attract more of their customers' deposits. The new accounts may pay rates ranging from 2% to 3% or more for their biggest customers. Small-town banks and Internet banks are also raising rates. A listing of banks and their rates is given and some restrictions on the accounts are mentioned.

The article discusses the growth in bank interest in children and teen customers. Banks are now offering savings accounts geared towards very young children, mutual funds, prepaid cards, and teen checking accounts. Companies, such as Citigroup Inc., Visa USA Inc., and Merrill Lynch & Co., have also developed money management curricula for children. The timing of these new products for kids coincides with an increasing struggle for young adults to manage their own money.

The article reports that banks are offering attractive incentives in hopes of luring reluctant customers. Among these incentives are free checking accounts, free checks, no ATM fees and cash-back offers for new members. Banks need to attract customers as more investors turn to the high-yield stock market instead of traditional banking services. The article warns that some offers are accompanied by increased fees in other areas and investors should be cautious.

The article reports on efforts by banks to create rewards programs for consumers for the use of debit cards, a fast-growing method of payment. Challenges to the efforts include competition, increase in the use of debit cards, and tension between banks and merchants over fees. More than a third of banks in the United States offer rewards programs with their debit cards. The banks are attempting to build customer loyalty. Examples of rewards programs are given. The use of a debit card as opposed to a credit card is explained.

Reports on the strategy of banks in luring customers through the lowering of fees, expansion of service hours and use friendly touches in the U.S. Development of mobile tellers; Decline in the average monthly service charge for interest bearing checking accounts; Increase in the percentage of free checking accounts.

The article discusses the plans of banking company J.P. Morgan Chase of revamping its prepaid debit-card program and its process of assessing checking account consumers under an agreement J.P. Morgan Chase made with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The article presents graphs that present information about the costs on online and traditional checking accounts, volcanoes since 2010 that have ranked high on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, and the average number of steps people take each day of the week.

The article mentions Wells Fargo's chief executive officer (CEO) John Stumpf said on July 12, 2013 that he loves checking accounts and notes the financial services company held $40 billion worth of interest-bearing checking accounts at the end of second-quarter 2013.

The article reports that brokerage firms such as Charles Schwab and mutual-fund companies including Fidelity Investments are increasingly offering services normally associated with banks such as online bill-paying, checking accounts, and savings accounts.

The article offers information on how people can save themselves from paying debit-card fees such as by selecting financial institutions that offer free checking accounts, always carrying cash, and by using cash-rewards credit card.

The article reveals how revenue-related regulations have forced U.S. banks to forgo free-checking offerings and imposing stricter requirements.

The article reports on the modest effect of ending U.S. checkbook accounts used to pay life-insurance beneficiaries on the earnings of life insurance companies based on the study of insurers by Bernstein Research.

The article reports on measures being taken by banks in the U.S. to compensate for profits they expected to lose as regulators proposed changes aimed at controlling their most abusive practices as of 2010. The banks are anticipated to impose maintenance fees on checking accounts and introduce new charges for services like fraud alerts and debit cards in ways that are not obvious to their customers. It notes concern raised by consumer advocates over the new fees. It also explains a better method for getting a better deal on checking fees.

Corrections to articles that were published in previous issues are presented including one on tw Telecom Inc. in the June 18, 2010 issue, another on monthly fees for the checking accounts of TCF Financial Corp. in the June 17, 2010 issue and one on lecturer Scott Horton in the June 16, 2010 issue.

The author discusses Internet-based checking accounts and considers whether the lower fees imposed on these online transactions are competitive against other interest-bearing accounts.

Corrections to several articles that are previously published are presented which include a report on the checking accounts being offered by E*Trade Financial Corp., news on the sale of a majority stake in Phillips de Pury & Co., and a chart about the decline in the Australian currency in October 2008.

The article discusses "reward checking accounts" being offered by banks in the U.S. Such accounts pay yields up to 6% annually. State Bank of Toledo in Iowa and Bank of Fayetteville in Arkansas are among banks offering the accounts, which generally require that customers receive their statements electronically, and that they have a minimum of one direct-deposit into the account per month.

The article reports on an increase in the number of U.S. brokerage firms, including Fidelity Investments, that are offering their customers online checking accounts which pay higher interest rates than traditional banks. A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the accounts, which were developed to increase the amount of cash the firms get from their customers, is presented.

This article reports on the growing number of online financial services firms and banks that are offering checking accounts that pay higher yields, such as the checking account launched by ING Direct.

Reports on the plan of online bank ING Direct to launch a high-yielding checking account dubbed Electric Orange which will have no minimum-balance requirements in 2006.

Reports that Washington Mutual Inc. is launching a free-checking account that eliminates automated-teller machine (ATM) fees for customers who get cash at competitors' ATM, in the U.S. in March 2006

The article discusses retailer banking. Amazon.com Inc., Ahold NV unit Stop&Shop, and Continental Airlines are encouraging customers to pay direct from their checking accounts with e-checks. The example of a New York City online grocer, Fresh Direct LLC, shows how e-check payments save retailers money. Consumers avoid e-checks because they think direct debit is risky and they affect the rewards that can be earned from a credit-card company.

Reports that about half of all married couples in the U.S. keep separate checking accounts. Reasons for the change, which include the high divorce rate and two income families; Mistrust of each gender over money; Self-protective steps of couples who do not use separate accounts; Advice from financial advisers that couple keep three accounts: one joint account for household expenses and two separate ones for personal needs.

Reports on the implications of the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act which takes effect on Thursday, October 28. Ways that technology has changed the way that checks are processed; Ability of banks to process checks electronically; Costs that will be cut by banks; Results of a study conducted by the American Bankers Association.

Discusses the practice of enticing costumers with gifts to open bank accounts. Types of gifts offered to depositors; Use of gifts by small and mid-size banks as a means of distinguishing themselves from competing banks; Efforts of larger banks to encourage depositors; Plan of Citigroup Inc. to give $200 to customers who open checking accounts online; Items giving away by smaller banks such as Flushing Financial Corp and New York Community Bancorp Inc.; Lower interest rates for CDs that are connected with gifts. INSET: Bank Freebies.

Presents a study by Gartner which revealed that nearly 2 million U.S. adults have fallen victim to unauthorized access to their bank checking accounts over the 12 months ended in April 2004.

Reports on plans of Charter One Financial Corp. to relax its rules relating to fees for bounced checks. View that the burden of fees for overdrawn accounts represents a financial hardship; How most bounced checks are accidental; Hope that the new policy for check bouncers will garner a larger customer base.

Reports on the reform of the banks' use of ChexSystems to blacklist customers in the United States. Agreement of Wells Fargo & Co. and other banks to be more lenient in their use of the national database that tracks people who mishandle checking accounts; Percentage of bank branches that used ChexSystems; Comments from Gayle Helm, vice president in Wells Fargo's deposit risk operations.

Reveals that Bank of America Corp. will become less stringent in its use of a national checking-account database that blacklist customers from the banking system. How the policy shift could lead to sweeping changes throughout the banking industry; Information about the database maintained by eFunds unit of Deluxe Corp.; Plans by the bank to become more lenient in its treatment of existing customers who run up overdrafts or mishandle their accounts.

Reports that every metropolitan area in New England is experiencing low interest rates on checking accounts. Value of money that New England's consumers have in those bank accounts; Reasons why rates are low; Implications of the low checking rates.