More than three-fourths of bank customers did not pay any debit card overdraft fees during the 12 months through mid-August, according to a report from the American Bankers Association.
In a telephone survey of 1,010 U.S. adults that Ipsos-Reid conducted for the group Aug. 14 to Aug. 15, 77% of respondents said they did not pay a debit card overdraft fee during the previous 12 months, while 21% said they had paid one or more overdraft fee. The remaining 2% were unsure.
"The majority of consumers continue to avoid paying overdraft fees despite current economic conditions," Nessa Feddis, the ABA's senior federal counsel, said in a press release Wednesday.
Banks are paying closer attention to customers' overdraft behavior in the wake of new rules that took effect last month.
Bank customers at Aug. 15 had to opt in to receive overdraft protection on existing accounts or risk having their debit card transactions declined at the point of sale.
Banks were required to get new customers' permission beginning July 1.
