Driving to the local bank branch might cost more in the use of gasoline than the value of the check.

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Latest buildup: a low-cost regional branch network starting in Egypt and running up the Balkans through Macedonia to Romania.

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Banks have traditionally struggled to find a profitable business model in impoverished areas, where the cost of operating a branch office usually outweighs whatever profits it can achieve.

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Where did this cost figure in the bank's branch budget?

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Without the cost of having to maintain an extensive branch system, online banks have an advantage over traditional banks that often allows them to offer better rates on savings accounts and charge fewer fees on checking accounts.

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However, one of the most sweeping cost cutting actions comes from instructions directed by the judicial branch of government with a ruling from the Supreme Court on the overcrowding of prisons in California.

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Banks should not recover other costs of their debit card programs such as the cost of producing and distributing debit cards, general costs of deposit accounts, branch costs, and overhead.

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The report also recommended that a community-run library in a post office branch in Weston Rhyn, Oswestry, should be closed in March, due to the high cost and low usage ratio.

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It leaves the decision whether to use further borrowing, cost-cutting or new taxes to pay it clearly in the hands of the legislative branch.

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