What has been your experience when adding a service charge on printed statements for a free checking account: below are excerpts from a recent online question-and-answer session conducted by marketers who participate in the ABA Marketing Network's Online Community.

QUESTION: Has anyone had experience in implementing a service charge on printed/mailed statements on what has historically been a free . checking account? Obviously we're trying to migrate our customers to e-statements, which have no fee.

Nick Pfeiffer, CFMP

MidWesterOne Bank I Iowa City, Iowa

RESPONSE:

We Charge to Include Check Images with Mailed Statements

We are headed in that direction ... sort of. Our outside compliance advisers thought it best not to charge for mailed statements to avoid issues with regulators. Instead, we are going to begin charging for check images to be included in mailed statements. They are free in e-statements, so we are hoping that way to migrate customers online.

Jayne Baggett Barton First United Bank I Madisonville, Ky.

RESPONSE:

We Simply Switched Our Free Checking to 'Free Checking with Online Statements'

A year ago we changed our traditional "Totally Free" checking to "Totally Free Checking with Online Statements?' The customer has 60 days to elect online statements through online banking. We disclose that if they do not elect online statements during that time, the account will automatically be switched to our basic checking with a small monthly fee.

We also offer a Rewards checking, a 50+ checking and a Direct Deposit checking. All require online statements or there is a small monthly fee.

I'm happy to say that the changes had very little to no impact to account opening or attrition.

Donna Goodwin

CharterBank West Point, Ga.

RESPONSE:

We Switched to Charging a Fee for Paper Statements

We revamped all of our products in July 2013 after an eight-month review. We encouraged our customers to get e-statements by charging a fee for paper statements for both consumers and businesses. Elderly customers who do not have a computer can receive a text statement.

This has been very successful.

Ginny Wagner Itasca Bank & Trust Co. I Itasca, Ill.

RESPONSE:

Some People Were Annoyed by the Change, But No Major Resistance

We revamped our lineup at the end of 2012. We had a Free Checking, Senior, and a "High Interest" (bonus interest if registered for online banking, get e-Statement, one ACH transaction and 10 signed debit transactions-monthly fee waived with minimum balance).

We now have a Free e-Checking account (basic account that is charged monthly fee for paper statements but no monthly fee), a Senior Account (raised...