Customers haven't complained about ATM fees - BNZ

Banks in Australia might have stopped charging ATM fees, but there's no sign they're going to give their Kiwi customers the same break.

Last month the Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Westpac and ANZ stopped charging customers from other banks to use their ATMs.

ANZ at the time said New Zealand has "high ATM accessibility" and few customers use rival banks' machines, so it wouldn't stop charging New Zealanders.

BNZ chief executive Anthony Healy told The Nation on Saturday his bank, owned by NAB, won't be scrapping its fees either.

"The fee that we charge for non-customers for using our ATMs is a way of recovering costs on that infrastructure," he told host Lisa Owen.

"You've got to make sure you're covering the cost or you won't have the incentive to invest in any infrastructure."

BNZ made more than $900 million at its last annual profit announcement, but Mr Healy said that was "quite a modest return" on its more $5 billion of capital.

He said BNZ makes "very little" from ATM fees, and customers haven't complained.

"Our view is we go to our customers and have the conversation about, what are the fees that are pain points for you?  Through that conversation… we review fees, reduce fees, adjust fees and charges as to what our customers give us feedback. ATM [fees] have not been one we've had feedback on."

Recent class action suits against ANZ and Kiwibank over fees were dropped, both banks coming to confidential agreements with the Fair Play on Fees campaign.

Newshub.