A new survey of Long Island checking account holders found 60%of them would most likely leave their financial institution if itcharged hidden fees and did not offer free checking.

The online survey, commissioned by the $4.8 billion Bethpage Federal Credit Union in Bethpage, N.Y., polled 874checking account holders (members and non-members) who live inNassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, which is Bethpage FCU'sprimary market. The scientific survey's margin of error was +/-3.25% at a 95% confidence level.

When asked what attributes are important for choosing a bank orcredit union, 68% of respondents said free checking and no hiddenrequirements are important, Bethpage FCU said. Among consumers whoare actively looking to switch to a different financialinstitution, 37% of survey respondents said they would leave theircurrent financial institution for lower fees and better rates, thecredit union said.

These findings come on the heels of the recently releasedBankrate 2012 Checking Survey that found checking account fees areat an all-time high. The Bankrate survey found the average monthlymaintenance fee for a non-interest checking account is at a recordhigh of $5.48, a 25% jump from last year.

Bethpage FCU's survey also found when choosing a financialinstitution, consumers look for these top three traits: honesty(73%), trustworthy (72%), and ethical (71%).

The credit union said it conducted the survey to determine howlast year's Bank Transfer Day movement has impacted the banking marketlonger term.

“Last year's Bank Transfer Day movement certainly helped fuelconsumers' demands to expect more from their financialinstitution,” said Kirk Kordeleski, president/ CEO at Bethpage.

“As we see bank fees continue to soar to unprecedented highs,those strong demands will continue and consumers will not onlyexpress their discontent, but continue to make changes in wherethey do their banking, Bank Transfer Day helped Bethpage experiencerecord growth as consumers leveraged their voices and chose creditunions for the valuable options they offer,” Kordeleski said.