A NEW Membership Fee of $3 a month will be charged to your savings account beginning January 2013.

Is there any way to avoid the fee? Like keeping $x,xxx in your account(s) at all times? If so, do CDs count toward the amount you need to keep in your account(s)? Even if CDs do not count towards a minimum amount, you should consider cashing one in and keeping it in your checking account to maintain the minimum balance to avoid fees.

I know where I keep one of my checking accounts, the minimum balance is $1500 to avoid fees. If I had that $1500 in a CD earning 2% a year, it would earn $30 each year. By keeping it in my checking account AND NOT TOUCHING IT to avoid a $3 monthly fee, it instead saves me $36 a year. So I come out ahead by keeping the money in the checking account instead of in a CD. The critical factor is - you have to leave the money in your checking account and NOT TOUCH IT.

AJ