Wells Fargo and Chase announced that they are waiving some fees for customers in NY, NJ and CT to help them out after Irene.

In a letter to customers, Chase said that through September 4, they won’t charge customers in the affected states the usual fee for using a competitor’s ATM. They’re also suspending overdraft, overdraft protection, and NSF fees, and they won’t charge late fees on credit cards, business, or consumer loans.

Wells Fargo said they’re also temporarily waiving fees for out-of-network ATMs for customers in those three states. In addition, they won’t charge the usual early withdrawal penalties on CDs. This could come in handy for people who need cash now and don’t have many options other than to tap into their certificates of deposit. The Wells Fargo reprieve lasts until September 2.

Other banks refrained from making any sweeping policy decisions, saying they were judging customers’ needs on a case by case basis. However, some banks did tell Smart Money that they were doing things like reducing APRs, replacing lost cards for free and offering special hardship repayment plans on loans.

So if you need a break, it’s worth calling up your bank and asking for one, even if they haven’t made any official statement about it yet.

Thanks, Irene! Banks Offer Temporary Fee Reprieve [Smart Money] (Thanks to Keith!)

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