NEW YORK -- New York is home to some pretty prominent anti-ATM fee advocates -- remember former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato? -- so perhaps it's no surprise that the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) has produced a report showing that the average ATM surcharge in the state rose from $1.49 in 2002 to $1.58 in 2003.
According to the NYPIRG study, the seventh it has conducted, 99 percent of the 130 ATMs visited last month assessed a surcharge.
The research also showed that 100 percent of the 34 banks surveyed charge a foreign fee.
According to the study, HSBC recently upped its foreign usage fee to $1.75 -- the highest in New York City. The highest in New York state is Charter One at $2.25. The lowest foreign charge in both city and state is $1, the fee collected by such major banks as Citibank, Bank of New York, Chase, Dime Savings, Banco Popular and Doral.
