• USA Today, Thursday, September 13, 2007 11:32 AM

Over the summer, Bank of America has quietly rolled out a $1 increase in the amount it charges non-customers to withdraw cash from most of its ATMs.

The bank decided to charge non-customers a $3 fee at 10,700 ATMs--nearly two-thirds of its network--in bank branches and supermarkets as a way to "reduce wait time for our own customers," says BOA spokeswoman Betty Riess. Most non-customers who use BOA ATMs, Riess says, do so at shopping malls, convenience stores and airports; the withdrawal fee at those machines remains $2.

Citi, Chase, Wachovia and Wells Fargo say they have no immediate plans to raise ATM fees, but add that in setting their own pricing, they review what their competitors are doing. "Banks often move like a school of fish on punitive charges such as ATM surcharges and credit card late fees, so it's just a matter of time before others follow suit," says Greg McBride, a senior analyst at Bankrate.com.

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