Bank fees we're still getting slammed with

Our hate affair with bank fees continues.

Overdraft fees -- those fees that rack up when you're overdrawn, didn't know it, and suddenly find yourself paying $35 for a cup of already overpriced $4 coffee -- used to get all the press. But with banks now allowing customers to opt-out of overdraft protection, things have been a little quiet on the overdraft fee front.

Meanwhile, Moneyrates.com, a site that specializes in tracking down low bank rates, just released a survey in July that shows monthly service fees with banks have actually declined since January. The average monthly service fee is down from $5.90 to ... wait for it ... $5.85. Yep, a whole five cents.

Check-writing fees.Pablo Solomon, an internationally-recognized artist and designer who lives in Austin, TX, is irked by the fee he gets charges when he writes more than three checks per month on his money market checking account. As he explains, "I'll go months with writing only one check. Then I might have several surprise expenses, write four checks and I get hit with an outlandish fee. I feel it would be more fair to [get] 36 checks a year and then get charged at the end of the year if you exceed that number."