Some banks are now charging for things like using a telling, using a different bank's ATM or stopping payment on a check - and customers what to know why.

Candice Shaw had no problem walking away from her old bank. "I was upset so that's why I just canceled my account."

She noticed a new monthly maintenance fee on her account. "When I first got the account there wasn't a maintenance fee and then a few months later I got a maintenance fee. It was like $15 every month."

Some experts say more banks are adding new fees and hiking the old ones. "The reason bank fees have gone up is because the cost of providing the service has gone up," said Scott Talbott, Financial Service Roundtable.

One national survey shows the median overdraft fee is up four percent from last year - the first time it has increased during a recession. Over 44 percent of banks made more money on their overdraft fees than their net income in 2008.

"Essentially an overdraft fee is a fee charged for lending the customer money when they overdraw their account," said Talbott. "That's a short term unsecured loan and there's a risk associated with making that type of loan."

The Center for Responsible Lending says banks should be more transparent and give customers a warning that the purchase or withdrawal they're about to make could send them into the red.

"The consumer can know that if the transaction is approved, they'll incur a $34 fee and choose whether or not they want to continue with the transaction," said Rebecca Borne, Center for Responsible Lending.

But the increase in bank fees might be proving beneficial to the credit unions, whose fees are often lower. "We are up. Our deposits are up almost 28% on an annualized basis. This environment has really caused a surge of new members," said Rick Wieczorek, Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union.

The Financial Services Roundtable does advise consumers that they can avoid overdraft fees by keeping track of account balances either on-line or on the phone.

Meanwhile, consumer advocates are supporting a House bill that would require an overdraft warning at the point of sale, to protect customers from the automatic fee.

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