The majority of bank customers pay $3 or less in monthly fees for checking accounts and ATM access and more than half pay nothing at all, according to a recent survey by the American Bankers Association.

"Today’s savvy consumers are avoiding many bank fees by taking steps like maintaining a minimum balance and only using ATMs owned by their bank," Nessa Feddis, ABA’s senior vice president and deputy chief counsel for consumer protection and payments, said in a statement.  "These results prove that most customers responsibly manage their accounts, allowing them free access to a service that ensures their money is safe and available day and night."

The survey, conducted by Ipsos in July, asked 1,000 adults by telephone "How much do you estimate you spend on fees for banking services each month, such as fees for checking account maintenance, ATMS use and so forth?" More than half – 55 percent – replied that they paid no such fees, 10 percent said they paid $3 or less, 8 percent said they paid between $4 to $6, 4 percent said they paid between $6 to $9 and 14 percent said they paid $10 or more in monthly fees.

In 2011, the ABA said in its statement, 59 percent of respondents said they paid no monthly fees at all. The ABA attributed this drop to swipe fee caps limiting revenue that banks might otherwise apply toward offering free checking accounts.