STRATEGIC PARTNERS
April 11, 2002
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- First Union Bank has stopped charging its customers fees at unbranded ATMs the bank owns in Atlantic City's Trump Plaza.
The bank dropped the fees after a report about the practice appeared in the Newark (N.J.) Herald-Sun. That report was followed by others in the Washington Timesand other media outlets.
According to First Union spokeswoman Fran Durst, "We are expanding the privilege of free ATM use to include all of our ATMs."
First Union drew criticism from consumer watchdog New Jersey Citizen Action for charging a $3 surcharge to its own account holders for use of its dozen or so unbranded ATMs in the casino resort.
Depositors also paid a $1 foreign fee to First Union when using the ATMs.
The bank's disclosure statements inform depositors they are subject to fees for use of "unbranded ATMs," Durst said, and make no distinction as to ownership of the machines.
Asked if the company did anything wrong, Durst said, "legally, no ... we disclose that anytime they use an unbranded ATM they are subject to a foreign ATM charge."
About a dozen of First Union's 505 ATMs in New Jersey are unmarked and all are in Trump Plaza, Durst said.
