Citi scraps fee waivers; low-balance account holders will pay

As reported in the New York Post, Citibank plans to eliminate the two fee waivers that had been available on its two basic checking accounts nationwide early next year.

Previously, customers who had an "EZ" or "Access" checking account and didn't keep a minimum balance of $1,500 could avoid paying $7.50 or $3 per month, respectively, by arranging a monthly direct deposit or using the account to auto-pay two monthly bills.

Beginning in February, those fee waivers are being eliminated, so the only way a person who has one of these accounts can avoid the fee is to keep $1,500 or more with Citibank. Now, that $1,500 doesn't all have to be in that checking account; it can be in another Citi account or a CD, but it needs to add up to $1,500 if you don't want to pay the fee.