Consumer groups contend that charges at merged banks are already higher. And they increased existing fees for minor infractions, like going over a charge limit or being one day late on a payment. Robert K. Heady, an analyst at Bank Rate Monitor, said newly merged banks often pay less on deposits and charge more for loans, a trend many customers don't even notice. No one makes comparisons over time. When a takeover occurs, it's a silent, slow, creeping movement.
Customers do, however, quickly notice changes in service.
County officials said fingerprinting infringed on customers' privacy. Mergers and acquisitions have produced record profits for banks this past year, and stockholders are very pleased. But analysts believe these consumer issues will keep surfacing as the banking industry continues to consolidate. That has opened the door for smaller community banks to pick up disgruntled merger customers, and for the growth of Internet banking and non-bank lending. You can only keep taking deposits, paying low rates and charging high fees for so long.