[crackercrews]

I've seen these fees in personal accounts. They're usually waived if you maintain a certain minimum balance. Sometimes it's a few thousand dollars, but if you want things like free checks or other "perks" they can be much more. And of course they don't pay meaningful interest on your deposits. They're basically charging you the fee in the form of lost interest.

[smitelli]

Just a PSA for anyone unaware, you can get checks printed anywhere and using a huge variety of designs. It is not mandatory to order them from the bank where the account is held.

[drdec]

Why would you expect checks to be free? The people who print checks need to eat too.

I'm curious what else is under your "perks" umbrella.

If you want a checking account with no minimums try Ally. EFT payments are also free. You will have to pay for checks however.

[crackercrews]

Because a small number of checks have been free for many decades. They cost almost nothing to print. But banks now charge $20 for a small box. Add another $10 for shipping.

I don't use checks often but have to buy a box in order to have >0.

[wildzzz]

I like Ally. I can do pretty much everything I need to for free and their interest rates are about as good as it gets. Only annoying thing is being unable to deposit cash but that's such a rare occurrence.