Banks charge customers for almost all of their services

Greek banks are now imposing charges on virtually all their services and customers' transactions in an effort to offset their losses from interest takings, which have been in constant decline over the last few years.

After imposing a commission of 2 to 3 euros for each cash withdrawal by customers of other banks at their cash machines, lenders are seeking to recoup their lost revenues by forcing clients to pay for services or transactions they may not be aware they have to pay extra for.

Charges are now being introduced not only for the usual transactions through branches or alternative networks, but also for a series of services that until recently were free of charge, such as the issue or renewal of debit cards, the issue of a personal identification number (PIN) in cases where the cardholder has lost or forgotten it, and even printed statements at ATMs.

The...