Bank Of America Raises ATM Fees

Bank of America Corp. is raising the surcharge for non-customers at most of its ATMs nationwide to $3 from $2.

The Charlotte-based bank, which has more than 17,000 ATMs, made the change in most markets in July and August, spokeswoman Betty Riess said.

However, ATMs in the Chicago-area, where Bank of America is acquiring LaSalle Bank Corp., are not affected.

"We really want to make our ATM network convenient for our customers," said Betty Riess, a Bank of America spokeswoman. "In order to maintain that, it is appropriate to charge people who aren't our customers for accessing our convenience."

The higher fees are mostly at machines in financial centers and in grocery stores, where most of the users are bank customers, Riess said. Roughly 10,700 ATMs - nearly two-thirds of the bank's network - are affected.

The bank is not making the change at 6,300 offsite ATMs in shopping malls, airports, universities and other locations, Riess said.

Because Bank of America has the largest ATM network in the United States, the higher fees could affect millions of consumers.

But Riess said, "The fee itself and the amount are disclosed on the ATMs, so (customers) can opt out and cancel their transaction."