Source: Ron Lieber, The New York Times

You haven’t been able to turn around in recent months without hearing about one or another bank adding fees to its checking accounts or making new rules for people who want to keep their free checking. Just 45 percent of checking accounts that don’t earn interest are free, according to the latest Bankrate.com survey of the largest institutions in each big city. That’s down from 65 percent in 2010 and 76 percent the year before. Forget your outrage for the moment. On one hand, many of these institutions received federal bailout funds or other assistance. On the other, your representatives and others imposed new overdraft and debit card rules that made checking accounts less profitable. And if you invest in mutual funds, you’re probably one of the shareholders whose implicit pressure is pushing banks to raise fees to maintain profit margins.

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