Free checking? Yeah, right.

We’ve grown accustomed to free checking accounts. The thought of paying anything for checking feels like highway robbery, even though research shows accounts cost banks up to $300 annually to maintain. Checking accounts have become like soft drinks and peanuts on an airline flight: Even if it’s a service that costs businesses money, we expect to get it for free. Why? Because it’s always been free. No other reason.

That’s starting to change. Big banks from Bank of America (NYSE: BAC - News ) to JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM - News ) to Citigroup (NYSE: C - News ) have either raised, or are proposing to raise, fees on checking accounts. Basic checking? That’ll cost you. Want a paper statement? That’s extra. Talk to a teller? There’s a fee. Bounce a check? Lose a firstborn.

The response has been predictable: Consumers are angry. And not just angry, but confused. Why are banks — those bloodsuckers that took a shower in federal bailout money — now nickel - and - diming the life out of us? Some thanks.

But the truth is banks have to begin charging more. They’re justified to. A slew of new regulations are about to begin curbing the ways banks made money off checking accounts in the past. Motely Fool.com Read more.

My husband already moved our joint checking account to our credit union. I’m hanging on to my business account at Chase because I’m all about convenience, and Chase is my grocery store. Are you shopping around for a bank or credit union that offers free checking?