New York, NY: September 30, 2009:  BankRate Inc.'s 2009 Checking Study details the average fees associated with using and maintaining an interest bearing account, including bounced check fees, ATM surcharges, and monthly services fees.

The full study may be found here.

Key survey findings include:

• Bounced check fees (NSF fees) increased 2.1% from last year to another record high of $29.58.

• Bounced check fees have grown incrementally but consistently over the past decade, rising 2.7% annually on average.

• Tiered structure fees for overdrafts are becoming more popular with 26% of banks now charging higher fees after the second overdraft during a rolling 12-month period.

• The average cost for the second through fourth overdrafts under the tiered fee structure is $33.88 while the average cost for banks that have a third tier, which typically kicks in after the 5th overdraft, came in at $36.19.

• ATM surcharges rose 12.6% from last year to an average of $2.22.  Banks increasing the fee outnumbered those reducing the fee by more than a 7-to-1 ratio. 

• ATM surcharges have increased at a 7% annual clip over the past decade.

• With interest bearing accounts, monthly service fees hit a new high at an average of $12.55, up nearly 5% from last year.

• For non-interest bearing accounts, monthly service fees hit a new low with an average of $1.77.

• 76% of non-interest accounts now qualify as no fee, no-minimum balance accounts, up from 73% last year.