Shmoop Finance

Bank fees are the recurring costs assessed to bank clients for account functions (account set-up, account maintenance, minor transactional services).

A too-typical fee would be an overdraft fee in a checking account. For a fee ($25+/-), a bank will cover for a client who writes a check with insufficient funds to cover the value of that check. Some banks have monthly or annual maintenance fees. Some banks have fees for paper statements, while providing electronic statements for free. Banks have to make money somehow, so fees should not be a surprise, as you exit the teller window saying, "Bank you very much."