BuffaloBill Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Following my recent relocation I opened a bank account with a local / regional bank based on the fact my father-in-law "has used them for years and loves them." Well to make a long story short - I can see why - they are stuck in the 1950's model of banking where seeing your teller (literally a person)is how they want you to do business. Their "online" banking tool looks as though it was programed by a three year old and don't even talk to them about mobile devices - you can just "call them." I'm not exagerating here. This model does not work for me. Fortunately, I have a primary savings and banking account with a former employer's credit union. It is great for everything other than their ATM "reach" is limited in the sense that I have to use other banks' ATM's and incur the fee to do so. Also, in the rare event of actually needing to deal with a person in a branch their closest one is about 600 miles from here. What is important to me: I don't want to be nickle and dimed to death with fees (who would?). Depending on how outrageous the requirements are I would think that I have enough to meet minimum balance levels to avoid the majority of these anyway. Solid online banking tools - primarily transfers betwwen accounts and billpay ATM "reach" - I travel frequently so not unusual to need to grab some cash when out of town Some presence here in Knoxville for the infrequent times I may need to see someone in person (this is not absolutely required) Who do you bank with? and how would you "rate" the service you get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Following my recent relocation I opened a bank account with a local / regional bank based on the fact my father-in-law "has used them for years and loves them." Well to make a long story short - I can see why - they are stuck in the 1950's model of banking where seeing your teller (literally a person)is how they want you to do business. Their "online" banking tool looks as though it was programed by a three year old and don't even talk to them about mobile devices - you can just "call them." I'm not exagerating here. This model does not work for me. Fortunately, I have a primary savings and banking account with a former employer's credit union. It is great for everything other than their ATM "reach" is limited in the sense that I have to use other banks' ATM's and incur the fee to do so. Also, in the rare event of actually needing to deal with a person in a branch their closest one is about 600 miles from here. What is important to me: I don't want to be nickle and dimed to death with fees (who would?). Depending on how outrageous the requirements are I would think that I have enough to meet minimum balance levels to avoid the majority of these anyway. Solid online banking tools - primarily transfers betwwen accounts and billpay ATM "reach" - I travel frequently so not unusual to need to grab some cash when out of town Some presence here in Knoxville for the infrequent times I may need to see someone in person (this is not absolutely required) Who do you bank with? and how would you "rate" the service you get? Personally, I LOVE Citibank. They recently changed their fees, so now you have to have an average balance of $10k/month so that kinda sucks but everyone's doing things like that. EFT between banks is a breeze, Billpay is awesome and free, and the service I've received is great. I haven't used their ATM card at all, and the only reason I still have a second bank is because there are no local branches here -- YMMV. Their Billpay service is wonderful and they guarantee the recipient will get paid or they go to bat for you. I had an issue a few years ago where I paid my homeowner's association with Billpay. I then received a letter from the HOA saying I was late and had to pay penalties, etc. I called them up, told them I paid it and the day it was deposited, but they insisted I didn't pay it and wouldn't help me out at all! So I went to the Citibank website, filled out a quick form explaining the situation, and within a couple of days Citibank had sent a nasty letter to the HOA (and sent me a copy as well), basically saying, "We paid this, it was deposited on this day, into this bank account, with this signature. You better mark his account as paid in full and remove any late fees or we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law." The next day I received a phone call from the HOA apologizing and telling me that they accidentally credited someone else's account with my payment. :angry: Who knows how long I would've had to fight that one on my own? Been a HUGE fan ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooderson Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I have 2 checking accounts and 1 savings account. I have one checking through HSBC and my other checking and savings through a credit union. I was having a ton of problems with HSBC about 6-8 months ago because I'm single, just out of college, and renting a house and my overdraft charges/protection were terrible. I recently upgraded those aspects so right now I'm happy with it...at least everything besides the online banking. The site is OK, but nothing spectacular. Charges usually take 2-3 days to show up, so it's very delayed. I'm very happy with my credit union. I bank through Summit Federal and it's very easy to transfer for savings to checking and vice versa. They have a few branches around WNY but they also "share" branches with other credit unions. They provide a pamphlet of credit unions in the area that you can do the banking for Summit through that credit union. So for example, I could go to "Niagara's Choice FCU" and withdraw money from my "Summit FCU" account with NO charges or fees. They also provide locations for NO-fee ATM's in the area. Overall, I'm happy with both places right now...not a huge HSBC supporter but that'll change in a year or two when they switch over to First Niagara. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsRUs Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 On a separate but related note...what areyour debit pin expiry and pin numbers ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 On a separate but related note...what areyour debit pin expiry and pin numbers ? I only give that information out to Nigerians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I only give that information out to Nigerians I'm probably one of the few who like Bank of America. My only pet peeve with them is that their cust svc is not available 24/7. But I like their phone app and online banking, their bill pay options, and the program where they round up all my purchases to the nearest dollar and then put that change into my savings acct automatically. I think it's called the "keep the change" program. It's just interesting to see how much change i would have otherwise lost had I been payign with cash They have also been cool about fees. If you are in good standing, but something gets messed up where a deposit is late or whatever, and they assess a fee on your acct, you can just call them up and they'll typically remove it. So I feel that they've been pretty flexible with me, even when it was my own fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I use a credit union based out of Winston Salem...they had an affiliation with circuit city...with the credit union service centers , I pretty much have a home branch anywhere OP...look into the credit union service centers in your area....uber convenient Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I wouldn't mind dropping a deposit in Elizabeth Banks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 she is soooooooooo frigging good looking...... I wouldn't mind dropping a deposit in Elizabeth Banks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrFishfinder Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I switched from Wamu (who were a bunch of flaming sphincters) to Wachovia because Wachovia was everything Wamu was not. Now that Wells Fargo has devoured Wachovia, I can see the service and attitude start to slip. I may have to look for a new bank before year's end if WF keeps sliding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowgirlsFan Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 (edited) I only give that information out to Nigerians Those are the last ones you need to give info . Edited October 15, 2011 by CowgirlsFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 SunTrust because it was close to the house when we moved to Richmond, and they had the ATM at the Kroger where we shop. Have no idea what there fees are like, and just like our insurance all with State Farm, I really should shop this stuff mote than once a decade. Bad on us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 First Viagra Niagra! I've had no complaints since the switch and I like seeing it when watching Sabres games. Feels good to support a Buffalo company. No ATM fees, anywhere (their commercials say they'll compensate if there are). Lots of branches in the area and through the Northeast and they're growing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Currently in the process of switching from Bank of America to USAA. Decided its finally time to switch away from BoA with their recent financial problems and they're fee institutions. Looked for a bank with all the online features BoA had, and USAA has them. Plus, USAA refunds ATM fees up to $15 each month, and has no other fees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Cash is best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowgirlsFan Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I use Chase. I am an employee. All banks these days have plus's and minus's and their up's and down's.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkady Renko Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I can understand going with a traditional bank when looking for a checking account, but I would strongly encourage you to use an online savings account instead of a savings account with such bank. The increase in return you can get from an online savings account can be substantial even considering the overall low rates that currently exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I can understand going with a traditional bank when looking for a checking account, but I would strongly encourage you to use an online savings account instead of a savings account with such bank. The increase in return you can get from an online savings account can be substantial even considering the overall low rates that currently exist. +1 I use suntrust for my everyday purposes (bill pay, etc), but savings (and atm usage) is all through ING direct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Go credit Union. if you're a member you get a lot better rates on credit cards/car loans/etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Local credit union for me. Only downside for me is my closest branch is not open on Saturdays. Upside is their ATM will dispense in $1 increments, even though the screen says $5 increments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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