Realcent.org

Want to close your bank account? It could cost you as much as $55.

In a survey of the practices of the 10 largest banks in the country — including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank and Wells Fargo — policy and advocacy group Consumers Union found that people who want to close their accounts at big banks and switch to a smaller bank can face costly obstacles.

Read more at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/closing-b ... YArTPQtDMD

Don't you feel all warm and fuzzy inside for those struggling banks....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fCY8j6J5ss

This is why any time I have a choice of a check or an electronic deposit I always
choose the check, easier to change where is goes on the fly if it's physically in my
hand.

Also part of why I avoid anything with recuring charges to an account.

Also why I read the terms before opening an account. Everywhere I currently
deal I'm well past the "fee if you close within X days" period. So if they announce
a change to other fees I'm ready to move before they come into effect. Though
I can see where this could be an issue for anyone that just happened to open an
account shortly before a fee change is announced.

Also good to deal with more than one bank and/or credit union so you have
somewhere already set up if you want to yank out your funds. Of course a lot
of members of this board already do this for...other reasons.

As to fees on wire transfers that's why I usually get it in cash and carry it by
hand. In the case of pulling out of Wells Fargo I wrote myself a check for the
full balance and deposited it to my Canadian bank well before the new fees
took effect so no fee on that check. Once I had the next statement showing
a zero balance I phoned Wells Fargo and closed the account by phone.
(Wanted to avoid the 200 miles trip each way to take it out in cash in their
case. ^_-)

Of course I also pulled out my whole PAYPAL balance before doing this to
avoid having money trapped in the PAYPAL system with no account to pull
it out to so I can't use PAYPAL again until I set up a new "firewall" account
to get money in and out without giving them my main account.