Bank of America Customers can choose from four different checking account products: Core Checking and Interest Checking for individuals, and Fundamentals Checking and Advantage Checking for businesses. For a $12 and a $25 waivable fee respectively, Core Checking and Interest Checking feature cash back deals and a savings program. Interest Checking, however, allows users to link additional BofA accounts, earn interest, without having to pay a fee for checks and incoming domestic wires. Safe Balance Checking has a non-waivable monthly service charge of $4.95 and can help customers avoid overdraft fees. This account, however, does not offer paper checks. All accounts offer fraud monitoring, mobile check deposit, and have a $0 liability guarantee. Also, customers can choose to be notified of account transactions.

There are a number of fees associated with Bank of America's checking accounts, including maintenance fees for 3 of its 4 accounts, the exception being its Business Advantage Checking. Maintenance fees are waivable as long as certain conditions are met, and each account has more than one way to waive the fee. However, some fees can't be waived, such as card replacement, expedited delivery, non-BoA teller withdrawal, and out-of-network ATM fees. There is also a $35 overdraft fee, which is reduced to $12 if customers opt for overdraft protection, and a 3% fee for international ATM transactions. Finally, there are varied fees for incoming and outgoing wire transfers, which Interest checking, advantage, and preferred reward customers qualify for waiving. There are other, more specific fees, such as a stop payment and check copy fee, so we at ConsumersAdvocate.org recommend customers to read all of Bank of America's fees before committing to their checking plan.

With its versatile personal and commercial banking options, it's no wonder that Bank of America is one of largest banks in the US. BofA holds a Better Business Bureau accreditation since 1949. It currently has 1.02 stars out of five and a rating of A, which is not common for companies of Bank of America's age. Of all the complaints opened against BofA, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reports that only 5.8% of those complaints are about its checking or savings accounts. Customers should consider not only these national ratings, but take into consideration reviews of their local branch. In terms of financial ratings, since BoA is one of the top 15 largest banks in America, it holds stable statistics through and through, with an A3 Moody's rating and A- score with Standard & Poor's.