Banks offer help to customers affected by Sandy

Hadley Malcolm, USA TODAY



People crowd into a Chase Bank ATM kiosk to charge phones and laptops at 40th Street and 3rd Avenue, one block north of where power has gone out, on October 31, 2012, in New York City.(Photo: Andrew Burton, Getty Images)

7:37PM EDT October 31. 2012 - Banks not wanting to lose goodwill with Northeast-area customers recovering from Hurricane Sandy are waiving many fees this week.

Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citi and TD Bank are among those waiving or refunding out-of-network ATM fees as well as late fees such as those on credit cards, auto loans and student loans for customers in many of the areas affected by the storm.

Many banks are also offering branch services despite being affected by closures and power outages themselves. As of Wednesday, Wells Fargo still had 140 of 1,170 branches closed across Maryland, Virginia, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. In some cases, branches that lost power are still operating, with store employees using flashlights and completing transactions manually, says Wells Fargo spokeswoman Sara Hawkins.

For example, employees can take deposits and hand-stamp receipts that are normally put through a machine, Hawkins says.

"We're really focused on serving our customer, especially during this time," she says, adding that customers are also using the power outlets in branches that have power to charge their cellphones.

INTERACTIVE: Superstorm Sandy blasts eastern USA

Bank of America has sent mobile ATMs to lower Manhattan and planned to have them running Wednesday night, says spokesman Mark Pipitone. Right now, 13 Bank of America branches are open in Manhattan, with more planning to open Thursday. .

Wells Fargo is also in the process of deciding where to deploy several mobile ATMs, which function as regular ATMs other than not allowing customers to make deposits. Wells Fargo, which is in the process of rolling out mobile check deposit across the country, expanded availability of the feature sooner to customers affected by the storm.

Bank of America's disaster relief program also gives customers in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., the opportunity to qualify for other services such as increases in lines of credit and special assistance with lost, missing or late loan or card payments.

IMPACT: Insurers, property owners tally Sandy's damage

While banks have struggled to stay on customers' good side in the past year as many have raised fees or implemented new ones, waiving fees during disasters isn't a new phenomenon, says Bill Hardekopf, CEO of credit card comparison site LowCards.com.

He mentions local banks that waived check-cashing fees for victims of the Joplin, Mo., tornado in May 2011.

Banks offer help to customers affected by Sandy