ATM surcharges benefit consumers

ATM surcharges benefit consumers
Tags: Bank / Credit Union, Transaction Processing
June 16, 2005

eMaxHealth: Two economists, who conducted a study about consumer welfare and ATMs, found that ATM surcharges actually benefit consumers living in big cities. Using data on consumer deposit account choices from almost every county in the nation, Knittel and Victor Stango of Dartmouth College looked at how ATMs affect consumer choice. They found that people living in sparsely populated areas do not use ATMs as much as their urban counterparts, and the ATM growth rate in those sparsely populated areas has been lower.