[T.G]

Hugh, I've found that you just need to shop around. Some account plans require a minimum balance and/or direct deposit to have fees waived, some require certain activity levels or don't pay interest, but are free otherwise with no minimum balance. Some require you to maintain a balance in a savings account, but checking can be any balance. Try the smaller, local area banks and credit unions, they tend to offer more services / less fees than the bigger banks.