The percentage of free checking accounts offered by U.S. banks continues to fall as other checking fees continue to rise, according to Bankrate.com's 15^th annual checking survey. Only 39% of non-interest checking accounts surveyed are available to all customers free of charge, down from 45% last year and the peak of 76% in 2009.

Seventy-two percent of Americans say they would consider switching checking account providers if their financial institution raised its fees on checking accounts, up from 64% in March 2011. Higher-income households ($75,000 and up) are the most likely to switch, at 82%. This is especially important because these are the customers that are most desired by financial institutions.

"Checking accounts that are free on a standalone basis continue to diminish. But a free checking account is still within reach of the majority of Americans, whether by getting the fee waived through direct deposit or moving to a bank or credit union that still offers free checking," said Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate.com's senior financial analyst. "And consumers that practice good financial habits should rarely – if ever – incur ATM and overdraft fees."

ATM Fees

• The average ATM surcharge (the fee charged by an ATM operator to a non-customer) rose four percent to a new record of$2.50.
• This is the eighth straight year that the average ATM surcharge increased.
• For the first time, 100% of the banks that Bankrate.com surveyed charge non-customers to use their ATMs.
• Many banks also charge their own customers for using another company's ATM; this fee jumped 11% to $1.57.
• For a customer encountering both fees, the average total of $4.07 is a new record and is up nearly seven percent from last year.

Monthly Service Fees

• The average monthly service fee on non-interest checking accounts is a new record of $5.48, up 25% from last year.
• The average balance requirement to avoid the fee is $723 – up 23% from the previous record that was set last year.
• The average monthly service fee on interest checking accounts is a new record of $14.75, up four percent from last year.
• Avoiding the fee requires an average balance of $6,117 – up nine percent from the previous record that was set last year.

More on Fee Waivers

• On top of the 39% of non-interest checking accounts that are free on a standalone basis, an additional 56% will waive the monthly fee if the accountholder meets certain conditions; direct deposit remains the most common fee waiver.
• Ninety-five percent of interest checking accounts are free if the accountholder meets certain conditions; interest checking accounts set the bar much higher than non-interest accounts and predominantly require a specific balance threshold either in the checking account or among other accounts.

Overdraft Fees

• Also known as nonsufficient funds fees, these increased 1.4 percent from last year, in line with the Consumer Price Index, to a new high of $31.26.
• For the fourth straight year, the most common overdraft fee is $35.

Debit Card Fees

• Remain a rarity, with just four percent of checking accounts charging a transaction fee at the point of sale (these are only for PIN debit usage, not signature debit).
• Fewer than one percent of checking accounts charge an annual debit card fee.

Highest Average ATM Surcharges*	Lowest Average ATM Surcharges
1.         Denver                        $2.80	1.      Minneapolis                 $2.20
T2.       New York Metro          $2.70	2.      Cincinnati                    $2.22
T2.       Seattle                         $2.70	3.      Chicago                       $2.25
T4.       San Francisco             $2.69	4.      Milwaukee                   $2.35
T4.       Houston                       $2.69	5.      Tampa                         $2.36
Highest Average Fees to Use Other ATM^	Lowest Average Fees to Use Other ATM
1.         Philadelphia                 $1.96	1.      Chicago                      $1.10
2.         Atlanta                        $1.95	2.      Baltimore                    $1.12
3.         Miami                           $1.90	3.      Los Angeles               $1.20
4.         Denver                        $1.88	4.      Cincinnati                    $1.23
5.         Detroit                         $1.86	5.      Houston                      $1.35
Highest Average Nonsufficient Funds Fees	Lowest Average Nonsufficient Funds Fees
1.           Denver                      $33.60	1.        San Francisco           $28.35
2.           Houston                    $33.53	2.        Cleveland                   $28.74
3.           Atlanta                      $32.70	3.        Los Angeles              $29.05
4.           Miami                         $32.63	4.        Cincinnati                   $29.16
5.           Boston                      $32.47	5.        Chicago                     $30.10

*Charged by the ATM owner to a non-customer that uses the bank's ATM
^Charged by a customer's own bank for using an out-of-network ATM