Consumers can get satisfaction from their banks — at least some.

For the first time since 2007, a J.D. Power and Associates study released yesterday shows that consumer sentiment toward retail banks has grown. Indeed, contentment with in-person branch interaction, product offerings and account information have all “grown significantly,” according to the study.

However, what’s still annoying consumers nationwide are bank fees. From the study:

“The primary driver of the decline in fee satisfaction has been changes in how fees are assessed, with 18 percent of customers in 2011 saying their fee structure had changed during the past 12 months, compared with 16 percent in 210. When fee structures are changed, overall satisfaction decreases by an average of 84 index points.”

The study, however, points out that fees and satisfaction might not have the relationship you’d expect. A fee doesn’t mean dissatisfaction, as long as the consumer understands why it’s in place. [Which is good for banks, because those bad boy fees seem to be only going up.]

The research also highlights mobile applications as one of the fastest-growing transaction channels, with obvious generational differences occurring. Indeed, 23% of Gen X and Y customers say they use mobile banking, which is up 11% from 2010.