Durbin turns his ire to checking fees

But the fight over hidden fees isn’t over. Banks, instead, said they would turn their attention to checking accounts.

“Unfortunately, we have to look at all sources of revenue to recoup the fees,” Mr. Hunt said. “We’re trying to satisfy the customer and at the same time remain solvent. It’s a tricky situation.”

So Mr. Durbin and Mr. Reed this week stepped up to fight for consumers. They’re asking for more transparency from banks.

“The key is an informed consumer,” Mr. Reed said. “It’s really about giving the consumer the information that he or she needs to make thoughtful decisions.”

Susan Weinstock, director of the Pew Health Group’s Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project, said their disclosure template would do just that.

“I think we can all agree that disclosures are critical for consumers to make informed decisions,” she said. “But the information needs to be presented in a format that is clear and understandable.”

“These documents are not user-friendly, with highly technical and dense texts,” she added. “Unfortunately, with the lengthy disclosures that go with these accounts, comparison shopping for the right one is next to impossible.”

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