How much are you paying for your checking account each month? The number of banks that are now offering totally free checking has never been higher. A free checking account is one that does not charge a monthly service fee and does not charge a per item fee for such things as checks. For example, some banks will allow checking account customers to write up to ten checks per month and after that limit is reached they begin to charge a small fee for each additional check.
A totally free checking account allows you to write as many checks as you want each month without incurring fees. It also allows your balance to drop to zero without incurring fees or penalties.
What may surprise many people is that finding a totally free checking account is usually easier if you shop smaller banks or regional banks. Smaller banks are always eager to bring in new customers and one way they can do that is to offer free checking. This does not mean that there are no large banks offering the same, but on average, smaller banks are more inclined to offer free checking than bigger banks.
When you are shopping for free checking make sure you ask about ATM usage charges. Some...