Protesters Demonstrate at Miami Bank of America Branches

Protesters march on two BofA branches Tuesday as bank scraps fee

Activists, community organizations and members of Occupy Miami protested debit card fees at two local Bank of America branches Tuesday as the company announced it's scrapping the fees.

The groups marched from a BofA branch in Overtown to one in Downtown Miami, with a stop at the Occupy Miami camp at the Stephen P. Clark Center.

The protest was planned as an effort to challenge the bank's plan to begin charging debit card holders a monthly $5 fee beginning in 2012.

But before the demonstration was even over, BofA announced it was scrapping the fee plan.

"Our customers' voices are most important to us. As a result, we are not currently charging the fee and will not be moving forward with any additional plans to do so," BofA COO David Darnell said in a statement.

The news comes after other major banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co., said last week that they were canceling tests of similar debit card fees.

Organizers of Tuesday's protest had said the rally is part of a national movement to "reclaim the U.S. economy from corporations and big banks."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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