However, there is an advantage for consumers regarding Bank of America’s changes. Consumers can look at banks and credit unions and see clearly which institutions are charging a fee for debit card services. ?If a Bank of America customer is annoyed that there will be a $5 surcharge, he or she can go to another institution that does not have a surcharge. In that sense, transparent bank fees are not a bad development.?The reason Bank of America, and presumably other banks, are initiating the debit card fee is because what they used to charge retailers for debit card transactions have been reduced as a result of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. With the debit card fee, at least the extra charges that consumers pay through a debit card transaction are in the open instead of hidden in the costs of a product.?The last decade or so, banks, particularly the big ones, have fooled around with financial products that they should have avoided. In the short term, tinkering with derivatives and other risky investments brought banks big profits, and later red-ink headaches. ?As banks recover from the excess of risky investments for the past several years, debit cards may not be the only service that will come with a disclosed, transparent fee. Consumers will need to take note of these extra fees and use the financial institution that best suits their needs, and pocketbook.