"Tree maintenance is important, and I would very much support an annual survey, but throwing money at it isn't necessarily the right way to address the problem, " he added.
There was no monthly maintenance fee at 45.8 percent of the accounts at small banks in the survey, whereas only 21 percent of the accounts at large banks were free of those fees.
More good news for bank consumers: since the January 2011 Bank Fee Survey, average minimum balance requirements to avoid fees are lower, and average monthly checking account maintenance fees (for those who pay them) are also slightly lower.