Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) is changing the way it charges fees to checking account holders in an effort to raise revenue, a move that may help it tackle potential burdens of pending credit card regulations.
Employees of the Charlotte, NC-based lender were informed via an internal memo this week that the nation’s largest bank by assets intends to restructure how it charges customers, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Holders of BofA’s most basic account may start seeing fees of $6 a month, and will not have the option to waive the fee.
Holders of more complex accounts could see a charge from $8.95 to as high as $25, though fees may be waived if customers maintain certain balances or have credit cards and a mortgage with the bank.
Customers with at least $50,000 in deposits and investments will get priority treatment from the bank, including higher interest rates on their savings, according to the Journal.
BofA will divide customers into four categories by account activity and number of products, according to the Journal, which noted the groups would be dubbed “premium, enhanced, eBanking, and essentials.”
The essentials account will be for basic bankers not looking for extra benefits or features. Those customers will most likely hold only one checking account and a debit card, while the enhanced and premium packages will target customers with multiple accounts or products such as credit cards, mortgages or brokerage accounts, according to the report.
Joseph Price, president of consumer and small business banking, who reportedly authored the internal memo, said the new program will enable customers to choose how they pay the bank, the Journal said.
The program is being tested starting this month in Arizona, Georgia and Massachusetts, and the fees will likely be rolled out to all branches sometime next year.



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