Some Illinois banks have agreed to waive fees for Holocaust reparations.
At least 85 out of 700 banks have agreed to the request by state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias to forego the international wire transfer fees on the payments from the German government, which can be $10 to $40 per transfer, that average $350 a month.
More than 5,000 survivors of the Holocaust live in Illinois, according to Allan Reich, the president of the Chicago chapter of the American Jewish Committee.
Banks in California, Massachusetts, Florida and Minnesota have also looked into waivers, Roland Herrmann, the deputy consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany, said at a joint news conference Tuesday with Reich and Giannoulias.
