Santa Maria Times from Santa Maria, California • B4

B4 Times Sunday, October 2, 2011 Sunday Business Bank of America debit fee in only the latest People in Business Customers not happy to be charged for using own money By Eileen AJ Connelly and Dave Carpenter associated press Roberts joins RRM as project manager Professional engineer Joshua Roberts recently joined RRM Design Group's Civil Engineering Group as a project manager. In addition to being a registered engineer, Roberts is trained in stormwater management and low-impact development design principles. With 15 years of experience, Roberts has been an engineering Roberts Associated Press file A customer uses a Bank of America ATM July 17 in Charlotte, N.C. When Bank of America starts charging customers a $5 monthly fee in 2012 to swipe their debit cards, the 38.7 million people who carry them will have to decide if the convenience is worth the money. NEW YORK Angela Maler -ba, who works in public relations in Boston, carries a debit card because she likes to know when she buys something that she has enough in her account to pay for it But paying 5 a month to use her own money That's too much.

So when Bank of America starts charging the fee next year, Malerba figures she'll rely more heavily on her credit card. Or, in a strategy that seems almost quaint in these swipe-and-go times, she may just carry more cash. "Paying $60 ayear in debit card fees just seems absurd," she says. The 38.7 million people who carry Bank of America debit cards will face a similar decision in the latest example of banks raising fees or establishing new ones not just for debit cards but for vis -iting ATMs or talking to a teller. Bank of America's announce -ment follows tests by Wells Fargo and Chase for $3 monthly fees for debit cards in some markets.

Other banks have begun charging for basic checking. Banks have sharply restricted their rewards programs for debit cards. Bank of America said the fee will apply only when customers use their debit cards for purchas -es in a certain month. The fee will not apply if the card is used only to access ATMs. It will not apply for premium customers, who keep high balances.

Debit fees hit particularly hard because banks have spent the past decade encouraging their customers to go for the ease of the cards, which deduct purchases immediately from a checking or savings account. In 1995, debit cards accounted for only 1 percent of the transactions when people pulled a card out of their wallet to pay for something. Credit cards made up the rest. Debit cards grew steadily, hit -ting 50 percent in 2006. Today, there are more than 530 million of them in use in the U.

Two out of every three times someone manager, business partner, land planner and real es -tate investor. His portfolio of projects ranges from large community residential master plans to civic buildings and education projects. RRM is a multidiscipline design firm composed of architects, engineers, landscape architects, planners and surveyors. For more information, visit www.rrmdesign.com. Saliklis joins staff at Museum of Art Ruta Saliklis has joined the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art staff as the exhibition and development director, said Karen Kile executive director.

A San Luis Obispo resident Saliklis previously worked in development at the San Diego Zoo and Cal Poly. She has extensive curatorial experience throughwork as associate director at Ball State University Museum of Art and curator of textiles at Allentown Art Museum. Saliklis recently published an article on Lithuanian dress in the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion. Other articles she has publishedin-clude "Mary McFadden: High Priestess of High Fashion," "Sacred Wood: The Lithuanian Woodcarving Revival" and "Milly Johnstone Poetry in a Steel Mill." Saliklis earned a doctorate in textiles and design at the University of Wis -consin-Madison, a master's degree in museum studies from Syracuse University and a bachelor's degree in comprehensive studio art with a minor in art history, from the University of Illinois at Chicago. reaches for plastic, it's debit, according to the Nilson Report, which tracks the card industry.

Credit cards still make up 56 percent of the money spent, according to the report. So when people use debit, it's for the forgettable, smaller transactions of everyday life a pack of gum or a cup of coffee. Banks have cashed in big. They collect about $19 billion a year from swipe fees, the pennies they collect from a store every time you run your card through a magnetic reader at the checkout counter. On Saturday, that revenue will be cut almost in half.

Federal rules will cap the amount banks can charge merchants at about 24 cents per transaction, down from an average of 44 cents. It's the latest regulation imposed on banks. Last year, strict rules on credit cards limited when they could raise interest rates and virtually eliminated customer fees for going over credit limits. Then the Federal Reserve tight -ened rules for when and how of -ten banks could charge for checking account overdrafts. But each regulation aimed at re -during the costs for consumers has chipped away at bank revenue and left banks going so far as to make the customer pay for services that hadbeen offered at no charge Bank of America, for instance created a checking account that is free only if the customer banks online and at ATMs.

Get a paper statement or visit a teller, and there's an $8.95 fee for the month. Bankrate found recently that 45 percent of non-interest-earning checking accounts are free today, down from 76 percent two years ago. Minimum balance fees, ATM surcharges foreign transaction fees andmore have also proliferated. Many banks even charge customers a fee for drawing on lines of credit linked to checking accounts, which most users seek in order to avoid overdraft ees Customers are frustrated. Jose Bucheli, a graduate student in Albuquerque N.M.

thought back to the economic crisis of 2008, when banks pledged to stand with customers. "But whenever they have the opportunity, they impose a new fee," he says. "Iunderstandthat Bank of America is abusiness, and trying to maximize its profits but I'm trying to maximize my prof -its, too." Bucheli doesn't like to carry cash and relies on his debit card for almost everything, so he isn't interested in getting around the fee by using a credit card. "I can change banks andbeat the fees that way," he says. Some banks are trying to take advantage of that impulse The regulation doesn't apply to banks with $10 billion or less in assets, which may give some community banks and credit unions an edge Consumer advocates suggest credit unions as a haven from fees.

BECU, a Seattle credit union, says its membership has risen 18 percent in the past year. Many of the newest members say they're switching because of bankfees, a spokesman says. Some larger banks are also resisting the urge to tack on charges, instead trying ano-fee strategy to lure customers Huntington National Bank, based in Ohio, has marketed "Asterisk Free Checking" since May. Mary Navarro, director of retail and business banking there says the growth rate for new accounts almost doubled. "It's not the customer's fault that the banks have more regulation," Navarro says.

"These fees, that really does impact the consumer's wallet and I don't think they like it." They may grumble but probably few will switch banks. Bank inertia is powerful: Think of the paperwork of changing direct deposits, the hassle of redirecting automatic bill-paying setups and the difficulty of figuring out exactly what other banks charge. "Unraveling all that is amess, and that's one thing that really works in the bank's favor for re -taining the customer," says Brian Riley, research director of bank cards for TowerGroup, a consulting firm. "At the end of the day it's just hard to change." Watch your customized KSBY Santa Maria Valley forecast weeknights at 5, 6 11 TRUE Jlpj Today Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Partly cloudy. Partly cloudy.

Mostly cloudy. Showers. Mostly cloudy. Partly cloudy. LmXamji mnum ire mnam mntm mam Paso Robles California Cities Today City Hi Lo City Hi Lo City Hi Lo Bakersfield 86 66 pc Monterey 68 53 pc San Jose 73 56 pc Bishop 86 49 pc Mount Shasta 68 41 pc Santa Cruz 72 52 pc China Lake 89 65 pc Oakland 70 55 pc Santa Rosa 73 49 pc Death Valley 105 81 pc Palm Springs 97 74 pc S.LakeTahoe 68 43 pc Edwards AFB 86 62 pc Palmdale 86 60 pc Stockton 81 54 pc Eureka 60 49 Redding 80 48 pc Ukiah 75 48 pc Fresno 84 60 pc Sacramento 78 53 pc Vallejo 69 54 pc Los Angeles 80 65 pc San Diego 73 65 pc Ventura 68 56 pc Modesto 82 58 pc San Francisco 66 55 pc Yosemite 69 45 pc 8252 Cayucos Atascadero a 8052 Morro Bay a 6754 San Luis Obispo 7556 San Luis Beach World Cities Today Tom.

City Hi Lo Hi Lo Athens 75 64 79 62 Baghdad 89 55 91 57 Copenhagen 71 57 pc 66 59 pc Dublin 66 49 sh 70 42 pc Frankfurt 78 59 76 57 Hong Kong 82 75 sh 79 75 pc London 82 59 77 55 Madrid 80 57 82 54 Mexico City 68 50 70 49 sh Moscow 46 25 sh 47 41 Nassau 85 78 86 75 Paris 81 53 80 55 Rome 81 61 84 59 Sydney 63 52 sh 64 52 sh Tokyo 68 57 70 55 pc Vancouver 63 53 60 51 National Cities Today Tom. City Hi Lo Hi Lo Atlanta 68 46 73 51 Atlantic City 60 47 sh 64 49 Boston 64 54 66 53 pc Charleston, S.C. 69 47 74 51 Chicago 63 47 71 50 Cleveland 55 48 sh 61 50 pc Dallas 87 57 89 58 Denver 84 54 pc 84 54 pc Flagstaff 70 41 72 44 Honolulu 86 74 pc 88 74 pc Houston 84 54 84 57 Indianapolis 68 44 72 49 Las Vegas 92 75 pc 90 71 Miami 84 72 pc 86 74 pc New Orleans 76 57 78 59 New York City 68 50 sh 61 52 Phoenix 99 76 pc 99 76 Portland, Ore. 70 51 66 53 sh Raleigh 64 42 pc 66 44 pc St. Louis 68 44 76 52 Salt Lake City 85 59 83 56 pc Seattle 66 52 58 50 Tucson 90 70 92 70 Washington, D.C.

56 46 pc 63 51 3- 5 ft 4- 7 ft 1-3 ft 3- 5 ft 4- 7 ft 3-5 ft 3-5 ft Regional Weather 1- 2 ft dood m-O. 2- 4 ft a a. Ninnmn Grande fc. 7050 6952 Santa Barbara County Mountains: Partly sunny today. Clear tonight.

Mostly sunny tomorrow. Cooler Tuesday. Santa Barbara County South Coast: Areas of low clouds, then some sun today. Santa Ynez Valley: Partly sunny today. Mainly clear tonight.

Sunshine and patchy clouds tomorrow. a. San Simeon 7054 Surf Forecast Avila Beach Cambria Cayucos S.B. Grover Beach Morro Bay Pismo Beach Point Sal S.B. Point Arguello Refugio S.B.

San Simeon S.B. Street Campus Point Carpinteria S.B. El Capitan S.B. Emma Woods S.B. Gaviota S.B.

Oxnard Rincon Point Santa Barbara Surf Beach El Segundo Hermosa Beach Malibu Manhattan Beach Port Hueneme Redondo Beach Santa Monica San Pedro Topanga Beach Venice Beach Tides Guadalupe 7154 Santa Maria 7154 Central Coast: Partly sunny today. Partly cloudy tonight. Partial sunshine tomorrow. Tuesday: periods of clouds and sun. Cuyama Valley: Partly sunny today.

Clear tonight. Mostly sunny tomorrow. Not as warm Tuesday. e. Cuyama 8456 Santa Ynez fc.

7255 Los Alamos 7155 a Buellton a. 3-6 ft 1-3 ft 1-2 ft 1-3 ft 1-3 ft 1- 3 ft 2- 4 ft 1-3 ft 1-3 ft 1- 2 ft 2- 4 ft 1-3 ft 1-3 ft 1-3 ft 1-3 ft 1-3 ft 1-3 ft 1-2 ft 1-3 ft 1-2 ft 1-3 ft Vandenberg A CD 7055 6058 Lompoc 6653 Solvang 7155 Santa Barbara Goleta 0. 7157 a Santa Clarita 8360 Santa Paula 8056 7157 sfn Fernando 8260 Ojai 7854 Ventura 6856 Oxnard 6856 Simi Valley Thousand 815 Oaks Shown is today's weather and surf forecast. Temperatures are today's highs and tonight's lows. Almanac Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

Yesterday's National HighLow: (For the 48 contiguous states) High: 103 in El Centra, CA Low: 19 in Embarrass, MN Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. 201 1 AccuWeather.com Burbank 8264 Tides for Central Coast, Port San Luis 7960 Malibu 6560 Santa Monica 7263 0. Los Angeles 8065 National Weather LOW TIDE HIGH TIDE Ht. Ht. Today 2.8 3.8 5.6 Mon.

3.0 3.8 11 :01 0.1 5.3 Tue. 2.9 4.0 5.0 Wed. 0.1 4.3 2.6 4.9 Sun and Moon Sunrise today 6:57 a.m. Sunset tonight 6:45 p.m. Moonrise today 12:55 p.m.

Moonset today 1 1 :02 p.m. Sunrise tomorrow 6:58 a.m. Sunset tomorrow 6:44 p.m. Moonrise tomorrow 1:47 p.m. Moonset tomorrow none Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation.

Temperature bands are highs for the day. Santa Maria through 4 p.m. yesterday. Temperature High 77 Low 51 0 Normal high 74 Normal low 51 0 Precipitation 24 hours ending 4 p.m 0.00" Month to date 0.00" Normal month to date 0.01" Season to date 0.09" Last season to date 0.06" Normal season to date 0.20" Comfort Index UV Index and RealFeelTemperatureToday First Full Last New 3 Oct 3 Oct 11 Oct 19 6652 '1 Billinqs I vyVivcOd ue Minneapolis. 'L JfS5 If DelroiljikjXftVj I 47SaJ1 Lake COT V-Tfew-York I.San.

Francisco, 8559 U-W Chicago KSS(S685tt V6655 Denver Vk 6347) dd3 i 8454 MqJN A-YWashirigtori- LoSjAngeles; "PkP6penbc I 1 ''f Hermosillol L-1a57T 104 Chihuahua ''pJJt J.Miami,. LaHazUJv Oct 26 Marine Forecast Point Piedras to Point Arquello and out 60 Nautical Miles: Wind northwest 8-16 knots today. Waves 3-6 feet with a west-northwest swell 4-8 feet at 1 1 seconds. Visibility clear. -10s -0s 0s 10s 20s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s I Earthquakes Preliminary reports on earth movements, in Richter scale.

Reporting period ended at 1 1 :36 p.m. Saturday. Force, time location 4.4 a.m. PDT, 10 km 6 mi) SSE of Schurz 2.8 -1 :08 a.m. PDT, 9 km 5 mi) SE of Schurz I iairbanks .1007,2 8864,, Rfi55lv 59 62 68 70 67 58 8 a.m.

10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

0-2 Low; 3-5 Moderate; 6-7 High; 8-1 0 Very High; 1 1 Extreme. The patented AccuWeather.com RealFeel Temperature is an exclusive index of effective temperature based on eight weather factors. East Santa Barbara Channel: Wind from the west-southwest at 7-1 4 knots today. Wind waves 2-4 feet with a west-northwest swell 3-6 feet at 1 1-second intervals. Visibility clear to the horizon.

-Anchorage -j29 "To." LVMIahermosa Showers T-storms Rain Flurries Snow 8870'' Honolulu 8674; Maps1 21 Hiln Chilpancingo 8569 81 I Ice.