Bank of America May Revamp Proposed Debit-Card Fees

The Bank of America Corp., after receiving heavy public criticism for a planned $5-per-month debit-card fee, is likely to give customers more ways to avoid the fee, a person familiar with the bank's plans said Friday.

The second-biggest U.S. bank is reworking its plans as rivals Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have decided not to charge monthly fees, ending test programs in certain states.

Bank of America is likely to allow many customers to sidestep the fee by taking measures such as maintaining minimum balances, having paychecks direct deposited, or using Bank of America credit cards, the source said.

Under earlier plans, customers might have needed balances totaling $20,000 across all their Bank of America accounts to skip the fee.

Bank of America set off a firestorm of criticism from customers, consumer advocates, and politicians last month when it disclosed plans to charge customers $5 per month for using their debit cards, starting sometime next year.

The goal was to make up revenue lost to a law that slashes the fees banks charge retailers when consumers swipe their cards.

While some banks have disclosed plans to apply similar fees, many banks and credit unions decided not to institute the charge and have encouraged customers to switch banks.

Based in Charlotte, N.C., Bank of America is not abandoning the fee now and will likely include it in new account types the bank is testing in three states. The bank plans to roll out these packages nationwide next year.

The $5-per-month fee may still remain an option for customers, the person said.

The bank has said the purpose of the new account types is to provide customers with upfront pricing, instead of hitting them with penalties after the fact. Customers can pay monthly fees of between $9 and $20, or avoid the charges by keeping minimum balances, using their credit cards, or having a minimum amount deposited to their account.

Among other banks, Wells Fargo said late Friday that in response to customer feedback it has canceled a five-state pilot program that would have charged customers $3 per month to use their cards.

After testing a $3 per month fee in two states since February, JPMorgan Chase has decided not to charge customers, a person familiar with the situation said Friday. The test will end next month, and it will not be extended or expanded, the person added.

Citigroup Inc. announced an account overhaul in mid-September that did not include a monthly debit-card usage fee. Stephen Troutner, head of banking products for Citi's U.S. consumer bank, said at the time that the New York-based bank found customers were strongly opposed to such monthly maintenance fees.

Richard Davis, CEO of US Bancorp, said during an Oct. 19 conference call with analysts that the Minneapolis-based regional bank is monitoring the results of other banks imposing debit-card fees. Davis did not rule out instituting a fee in the future, but said the bank has no immediate plans to do so.

"We will find out if customers complain and move, or just complain," he said. "We will take all that in time, and we will make our decision."

SunTrust Banks Inc, is charging a $5-per-month fee to everyday checking-account customers who make purchases. A spokesman declined to comment on the bank's strategy.

Norma Garcia, manager of Consumers Union's financial services program, applauded JPMorgan's decision, but said that, without more details, it was unclear if Bank of America's changes would be better for customers.

"Clearly, there is overwhelming public support to drop the fee," she added.

(Reporting by Rick Rothacker and Joe Rauch in Charlotte, North Carolina; editing by Andre Grenon, Gary Hill)