Check Your Bank Statement for Unexpected Fees

If you're like most people, you probably do little more than glance over your bank statements, but this could be a costly mistake. Banks can and do make mistakes, and occasionally you may be accessed a fee that you shouldn't have. Not only are there mistakes, but account terms can change. What used to be a free service or feature may now cost a few dollars.

This happened to me just this week. When looking over the statement I noticed a $25 annual fee for my debit card on an account I had just opened a few months ago. This was certainly incorrect, as the terms stated there was no fee for the first year. A quick trip to the local branch cleared up the problem, but had I not paid close attention to the statement this could have slipped through the cracks.