Yes, $10 is crazy. Our bank will cash a check (if you do not have an account with them) for just $5. I also have an account, so there is no fee.

It is best to get a savings or checking account near your home so you can cash checks for free. Anyone who can not get a bank account probably did something wrong. They may have floated checks or who knows what. Otherwise it is simple to open an account.

Those who do not have account should be willing to pay whatever is costs. But truthfully, $10 seems a bit crazy. $5 or less seems totally fair to me.

I get fees for everything, so should others.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3310/3451286166_cb1977e790_m.jpg

Yes, it's sad to see how banks and other institutions just raise their prices and we can't do anything about it. They know that.

As I live in Spain and my employers are in America, I get American checks sent in the mail. Then I go to the bank and put the check into my account. I used to get charged 6 Euros even if it was 2 checks, so sometimes I just waited to cash in a check until a second check arrived. Now it's suddenly 8 Euros for each check and a 20 days clearing time in which time they work with my money and earn interest.

And since nobody complains collectively, the banks will simply carrying on raising their fees.

Actually, I do think it's fair. The bank is taking a risk because they don't know that customer. When you cash a check, the bank actually has no idea if it will clear (which is why they generally don't like checks older than 90 days). So, they give the customer the cash, then essentially use the signed check to collect from the original payer. If the check's casher is not a customer, there is no way for the bank to reverse the transaction should the check fail to clear.

Part of being an adult is being responsible enough to have relationships with financial institutions. People should have bank accounts and keep them in good order so that they are allowed to have checking accounts. If people are bouncing checks all over the place and routinely over-drafting, financial institutions have the right to deny them checking accounts and then banks and check cashing places have the right to charge them for the convenience of accepting checks. If they don't like it, they need to find a way to only get paid in cash or to get back into the good graces of a bank.