Pekao is the latest bank to increase account charges

As of March 1, a Pekao client will no longer pay zl. 6, but zl. 8.5 for the monthly handling charge on a standard Eurokonto account. Last month account holders at PKO BP had to suffer a similar increase - from zl. 2 to zl. 3 - and it is quite possible that other banks will follow in the footsteps of the country's two biggest retail banks. Bank clients have to bear the burden of last year's poor financial results, and the necessity of financing further investments in computerization. The fact that banks may be becoming increasingly interested in making profits from payments and commissions is reflected in the results of 2002, when revenues from other sources failed. In January 2002 the payment for handling accounts was raised by Kredyt Bank, in September the same was done by BZ WBK. This year BGZ was the first to make such a move. Banks are currently developing a variety of techniques to reach deeper into their clients' pockets. (Parkiet, p. 4) A.C.