Self-Help for Bank Customers

CONSUMERS with questions about mutal funds, fees, and the difference between bank deposits and investments can write for the following publications from the United States Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO. 81009:

* Deposits & Investments No. 595A. Free.

* Investors' Bill of Rights No. 570A. Free.

* Making Sense of Savings No.386A. Cost: 50 cents.

The following is free if you send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Office of the Public Advocate, One Center St, 15th Floor North, New York, NY 10007:

* A Lay Investor's Guide to Reading a Mutual Fund Prospectus.

If a customer problem isn't being resolved by a bank or brokerage firm, complaints can be lodged with the following government offices:

* For National Banks: Compliance Management, Comptroller of the Currency, Washington, D.C. 20219. Customer complaints hotline: (202) 874-4820.

* For State Bank Members of Federal Reserve: Consumer Affairs, Federal Reserve Board, Washington, D.C. 20551. Telephone: 202-452-3946.

* For State Banks, non-members of Federal Reserve: Consumer Affairs, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Washington, D.C. 20456. Telephone: 1-800-934-3342.

* For Brokers or Brokerage firms: Office of Filings, Information, and Consumer Services, Securities and Exchange Comission, Washington, D.C. 20459. Telephone: 202-272-7440.