Checking accounts are one of those necessary things everyone needs. We believe there shouldn’t be fees involved for holding your hard-earned funds in a bank. Banks don’t like to share this, but they desperately need consumers to hold funds in checking accounts. These funds form the basis for their business, allowing them to make auto loans, mortgage loans, business loans, etc.  Some unscrupulous banks find ways to charge ridiculous fees to bring in extra income.  Below we compared maintenance fee-free checking accounts considering minimum balance requirements, APYs, branch and ATM access, and more.