Surcharges are the double-dipping fees imposed on non-customers and will be raised at BofA ATMs attached to their branches and in in-store locations (but not those in malls or airports). In Illinois (but not Chicago, where fees will not increase), New York, Nevada, New Mexico, and Massachusetts, they'll wait a month until August 31st. Chicago must be a new or important market for them, I guess.

Why are ATM fees double-dipping? Because most banks charge their own customers a foreign ATM fee when they use another's ATM--that fee is shared with the ATM owner. The owner collects from your own bank on top of the surcharge. Our successful efforts to ban the ATM surcharge locally were trumped by court decisions; as for Congress, it has never liked to offend the banks.

In their talking points to "market presidents," BofA flacks advise:

Bank of America may be an industry leader in raising the fee to $3 and most likely will draw attention from the press, state legislators, consumer advocates and Congress given the size of our network.

Duh.

And in a set of FAQs, check out this corporate double-speak answer:

Does it cost any more for you to process transactions for non-customers? The bank continues to make significant investments in its ATM network and we continue to grow the network for the convenience of our customers.

What was the question?