CCB's Shenzhen branch last summer became the first mainland bank outlet to both pay a deposit rate lower than the benchmark and charge a management fee on personal savings accounts.

Bank of China, the nation's second-biggest bank, began charging 3 yuan per quarter on March 20, for all accounts with less than 500 yuan in Beijing and also for Shanghai accounts with less than 300 yuan.

The Beijing-based lender raised US$11.2 billion in May from its IPO in Hong Kong and another 20 billion yuan this month by selling shares in Shanghai.

China Merchants Bank plans a US$2 billion stock sale in Hong Kong this year and has started to charge a monthly fee of 1 yuan on all accounts with balances of less than 10,000 yuan.

"Cutting the deposit rates together with charging management fees can help reduce the number of idle accounts and help banks allocate resources better," said Li Zhi, a Hualin Securities Co analyst. "Lenders are expected to do more synergies."

To further cover operational costs, China's biggest state-owned and joint-stock banks started on June 1 to charge a new service fee for debit cardholders who use another bank's automatic teller machines.

The banks charged 0.3 yuan each time individuals check account balances on a rival's ATM. Previously a fee of 2 yuan was charged on cross-bank money withdrawals through ATMs.

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