But the union Unison is claimed that it could lead to lower standards and higher charges.
Only EDF of the big-six has so far held off from announcing higher charges.
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But those charges vary widely, and higher charges produce lower returns for investors, so it pays to shop around.
Third-quarter 2011 reported earnings were negatively impacted compared with the same period last year by higher charges associated with cost-reduction and productivity initiatives.
Obama's plan would raise the premiums themselves and also freeze adjustments for inflation until 1 in 4 Medicare recipients were paying the higher charges.
Higher charges, especially for trading, could cause global wholesale banks' risk-weighted assets to balloon by one-fifth on average, reckons Huw van Steenis of Morgan Stanley.
Those not cleared centrally or traded on exchanges face higher charges.
For instance, outfits that act as matchmakers for lonely hearts (dating clubs, singles bars, and so on) often levy higher charges on men than on women.
As well as inter-bank fees paid by cardholders from non-EEA countries, the Commission said the probe would look at rules that obliged merchants to accept all types of Mastercard cards, even if some of them incur higher charges.
Right now, the higher monthly charges hit only about 1 in 20 Medicare recipients.
The Basel Committee has already proposed higher capital charges for complex trading and exotic securitisations.
Higher landing charges at Heathrow would help deflect demand to other London and regional airports.
They say the higher landing charges needed to pay for the expansion will scare away passengers.
The increase was mainly driven by higher service charges and other customer-related fees as well as rise in interchange fees.
Other banks may be forced to rejig their investment-banking arms as the impact of higher capital charges proposed under Basel 3 rules begin to bite.
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Incentives matter: with higher risk charges on banks' trading books, bankers would become more discerning about how they put their money to work, and less prone to make dangerous bets in pursuit of huge bonuses.
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Yet despite some talk about the need for a new Glass-Steagall act to separate retail and investment banking, and for higher capital charges based on size, the idea of breaking up institutions does not have great momentum.
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Steep downgrades of the sovereign-debt ratings of countries such as Portugal, Greece and Ireland would probably translate into immediate rating cuts for their banks, as well as higher capital charges on banks' debt holdings and bigger haircuts when using this debt as collateral.
And secondly, rather than paying extra charges, some of the heavy data users might shift to higher-priced tiers that are exempt from overage charges and offer much higher speed and, thus, a better user experience.
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The protection fund, for one, charges higher premiums to companies with large pension-fund deficits.
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Students in Northern Ireland who decide to go to another part of the UK which charges higher fees will have to pay them.
Unions suggest that money for the pension system should come from higher taxes or charges on those who are still working, and see cost-cutting in the pension system as an attack on their way of life.
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The company reported higher revenues, but lower orders and profits for several of its sectors due to impairment charges and a higher comparative level in 2010.
Second, low earners could be subsidised by employers or through bigger charges on higher earners.
International fees contribute a major percentage of MasterCard revenues because of the higher fees that MasterCard charges on international transactions.
If it can drill more oil from a well than the contract says it must, it charges a higher fee.
This means that all of your purchases will accumulate bigger and bigger interest charges at higher purchase APR rates until your transferred balance is completely paid off.
The revival came despite a warning from Moody's, which its outlook on Citigroup's bond ratings to negative, saying the first-quarter charges were higher than had been expected.
Capital charges are higher for commercial property than for homes but banks can still be seduced by the apparent stability of a real asset producing predictable cash flows.
Schools and universities have been turning to banks for help, which has encouraged them to raise fees and other charges even higher in order to meet interest payments.
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