ATM fee -- Penny Pinching Again. . . .

[AzaniaSpeaks]

OneUnited Bank -- Black Owned Internet Banking -- Good Choice

Some banks eliminating ATM fees to gain competitive advantage
STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS - Jay Gustafson, in an unfamiliar town for a job hunt and in need of some fast cash, gritted his teeth and hit the nearest ATM.
"For $20, I paid $25," Gustafson said, bemoaning the fees levied by both the bank that ran the machine and by his own bank for using someone else's machine.

Millions of Americans do the same thing every day, to the tune of an estimated $4.2 billion in ATM fees this year. But at a time when more banks are charging noncustomers more money to use their ATMs, some consumers are getting a break. Many credit unions and smaller banks are joining surcharge-free ATM networks to make up for not having large networks of their own to compete with national banks.. . . . . .

But the country's largest surcharge-free ATM network is Allpoint Network, which has 32,000 machines in all 50 states. All of them are in retailers such as Target and Costco discount stores, and CVS and Walgreens pharmacies.
U.S. Bank's Hartnack said luring established customers away from other banks is tough, but convenient ATMs are one way to keep them, as well as win new customers entering the market.

"The good news is every year several hundred thousand people graduate from college and have to start a new relationship," Hartnack said. Recent immigrants and people who move from city to city are also potential new customers, he added. "Those relationships are up for grabs. That's where the battle is fought."

ON THE NET
Black owned, OneUnited Bank has account linked debit cards that can be used at Walgreen's nationwide and Star System ATMs. http://www.oneunited.com

U.S. Bank: http://www.usbank.com

MoneyPass ATM Network: http://www.moneypass.com

Allpoint Network: http://www.allpointnetwork.com

Bankrate.com: http://www.bankrate.com