I was reading on another forum, about a member who was charged $15 by his bank for a "direct deposit".

There are important terms regarding US Banking that are being confused here.

"ACH" and "Wires".

"Direct Deposit" has become synonymous with "ACH" (Automated Clearing House). It all kind of started 20-30 years ago with Direct Deposit of Social Security benefits. But don't assume that every Company equates "Direct Deposit" as "ACH". Some think of "Direct Deposit" as "Wire", because they charge to send "Wires".

There is a product/service called "Wire", and there is a separate product called "ACH".

Banks charge $15 to receive "Wires", $0 to receive "ACH". The theory from the Bank's side is that the money is available the same day, and there is some human intervention required. My experience is that they money is available the next day.

Many companies charge $15 to send a "Wire". There are separate software or on-line Banking pages required to send "Wire" vs sending a "ACH".

Be careful about confusing "ACH" and "Wire" when using the term "Direct Deposit". In fact, don't use the term "Direct Deposit" at all - use "ACH" or "Wire". They're two different things. Two different prices. Two different procedures. Apples and Oranges.

Some of this carries over to people residing in other countries, wanting to receive money from US companies. International Wires cost $35 to send, on top of whatever your Bank charges to receive. Plus currency exchange fees.

Companies like Payoneer and Paxum soften the blow, by having the per withdrawal fee, or annual card fee, which at around $5, is somewhere in between $0 and $15.

Banks like HSBC, that have world-wide bank branches, allow for the transfer of funds from e.g. a US bank account to UK bank account, for $5 plus a reduced fee for the currency exchange. This is all in compliance with "money laundering" rules, because there is a monthly limit.

The bottom line: if you confuse terms, and you get charged more that expected, don't blame the company you gave the instruction to! Learn the terms, and stop confusing them.