After a three-year hiatus, New Yorkers got another look at the cost of local banking when Assemblyman Scott Stringer (D-Manhattan) released the 2003-2004 Consumer Bank Scorecard on Sunday. This year the report, started in 1984 by State Senator Franz Leichter, compares 37 banks in the five boroughs by subtracting monthly banking fees from interest earned on deposits. Overall, the report found that banking customers are earning less than they did in 2000. Interest rates have declined, while average banking fees have increased over the same period. Low-balance customers, those who maintain $250 to $1,000 in their accounts, fared worst at North Fork Bank, and best at Abacus Federal Savings Bank—the only bank where low-balance customers gained money on their deposits (to the tune of a whopping $1.77). The report also compares CDs yields, ATM locations, and transaction fees, and identifies banks that accept identification cards often used by undocumented immigrants to open accounts.