Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregonians are reviewing their bank fees and even moving accounts as banks end their 'free checking' services. Kristian Foden-Vencil explains why.

The Credit Card Accountability Act stopped some of the more questionable banking practices -- like processing a customer's largest purchase first. That has drastically reduced the amount of fees banks can charge.

In response banks are coming up with new fee structures.

Jon Bartholomew of the consumer watchdog group OSPIRG, says savvy consumers are now comparison shopping.

Jon Bartholomew: "A lot of the new rules have to do with making sure consumers know up front what kind of fees they're going to face."

The nation's largest Bank, 'Bank of America' recently announced it would no longer offer free checking.

Other banks are considering everything from flat monthly fees to tiered pricing -- depending on how much money you keep in your account.