NEW YORK — It’s a small victory over bank fees.
After a brief test earlier this year, Chase is lowering the $4 and $5 ATM fees it charged noncustomers for using its machines in two states. The fees will drop back to $3, as in the rest of the country.
The New York-based bank declined to specify the reason for the decision.
Hitting an out-of-network ATM often results in two fees: one from the ATM operator and one from the customer’s bank.
Chase began testing higher fees for noncustomers in early February. In Texas, noncustomers were charged $4. In Illinois, they were charged $5.
Chase operates the second- largest ATM network in the country, with 16,000 ATMs. Nearly a quarter of those machines are in Illinois and Texas.
The bank’s customers were not affected by the test.
The banking industry is searching for new ways to maintain the profitability of checking accounts. That’s largely because a new regulation, slated to go into effect this summer, would drastically cap the fees banks can collect from merchants whenever customers swipe their debit cards.
Late last year, Citibank customers with basic checking accounts began paying $2 for using an out-of-network ATM, up from $1.50.
