Does he (or his spouse) have earned income this year? He would need that to be eligible to contribute to an IRA.
Does he want to reduce his income for 2015 only? When he takes money out of the IRA in the future, it will be added to his income in that year.
As far as fees, ask about annual maintenance fees. We had an IRA at a bank (before we learned about Vanguard), and it charged $15/yr.