Fallout from Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Bill (Bill)(Sept. 29, 2011)

(announcement by Bank of America (BoA) that it will begin charging customers $5/month for use of BoA debit cards in anticipation of $2 billion annual loss as a result of "Durbin Amendment" contained in Bill which limits amount of money banks can charge merchants when customers use debits cards; Wells Fargo anticipates losing $1 billion and will adopt $3/monthly fee in some areas; JP Chase and Citibank also considering new fees as are smaller banks; after passage of Bill, proportion of free checking accounts has fallen from 65 percent to 45 percent (which will impact lower-income families disproportionately; Bill supported by no House Republicans, 4 Republican Senators (including Sen. Grassley from Iowa)).