Banks have devised a three part strategy to gouge consumers. They raise existing fees, invent new ones, and make it harder to avoid fees, by raising minimum balance requirements, so more people pay more fees. And, even though banks have raised the interest we pay them on our credit cards dramatically, they haven't significantly increased the interest they pay us on deposits. PIRG reports document how banks charge consumers twice to use the ATM machine only once. Bank at a credit union, not at a bank.
Credit unions are member-owned alternatives to commercial banks.
Because credit unions are owned by their members and don't care to gouge them, their fees are generally lower than bank fees. Many larger credit unions have branches, ATM networks and offer all the services of a bank. Many companies, unions, state and local governments and communities have credit unions that you may qualify to join. If one family member qualifies, generally everyone can join. Credit union deposits are federally-insured, just as bank deposits are.