Many of the homes include master suites on the first floor to help owners avoid stairs, and landscaping, lawn maintenance and snow removal is usually included in the monthly maintenance fee.

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There was no monthly maintenance fee at 45.8 percent of the accounts at small banks in the survey, whereas only 21 percent of the accounts at large banks were free of those fees.

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The Bluebird accounts will have no minimum balance requirement and no monthly maintenance, annual or activation fee.

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More good news for bank consumers: since the January 2011 Bank Fee Survey, average minimum balance requirements to avoid fees are lower, and average monthly checking account maintenance fees (for those who pay them) are also slightly lower.

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