Judge blocks California bans on ATM fees

A federal judge Monday granted a preliminary injunction blocking implementation of local bans on extra ATM fees, backing banks in their effort to keep charging non-customers added fees for using their cash machines. U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE Vaughn Walker_s preliminary injunction overturned ATM fee bans imposed by San Francisco and Santa Monica, Calif., saying federally chartered banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America should not be subject to local ordinances. The battle over ATM fee bans intensified this month when San Francisco voters approved a new law that barred banks from "double dipping" by charging two fees - one by the consumer_s own bank and one by the bank that owns the ATM - for non-customer cash machine transactions. That ban, which had been due to go into effect in December, mirrored a measure passed earlier by the Santa Monica City Council that took effect last week.