Choosing a new bank: Western states (AZ specifically)

In My Humble Opinion
1

So, I’m moving, with the movers coming the week after next.

One of the things I’m going to have to do is find a new bank - I currently use a small (3 branch) credit union, and while I’ll keep accounts open as I can - particularly the savings account, at least until I get the credit card I have through them paid off (so much easier to make payments online with them), I’m going to need something local.

I’ll be in Tucson. I know Bank of America operates there, but unless they’re the best of a bad lot, I’d prefer to avoid them because of previous dealings and stories I’ve heard about them. I also think Wells Fargo operates there, but I don’t know much about them.

I may end up going with a credit union, but I may not - again, that depends upon what my options are.

Basically, I’m trying to figure out what banks operate there - and are they an acceptable place bank. Basically, I’m going to be looking for a checking and a savings account, no huge balances, at least not at first. Online banking must be an option - I won’t consider anyplace that doesn’t let me look at my information online.

Comments, advice - banks to specifically avoid or places you’ve had excellent service?

Thanks!

2

No! No! No! to Wells Fargo.

I’ve been to AZ before and yes there are Wells Fargos and Wells Fargo ATMs everywhere out there,and that convenience is alluring, but they’re a lousy outfit just waiting to “gotcha” you into high overdraft fees.

I’m looking for another bank since they won’t hold off making automatic payments called for though not technically due, say ,Wednesday the 23rd, when they can be reasonably assured that an auto-payroll deposit is coming Thursday the 24th, just as such payments have been coming in reliably every other Thursday for the past 7 years.

I had to argue my way out of, not one, but three of these yesterday. The fees totalled a staggering $102! I was assured that the charges would be taken off this time and this time only, in a voice dripping with undertones of “dumb-ass deadbeat pain-in-the-ass” followed by “Have a nice day.”

I can pay $2 per hundred borrowed to get an “automatic deposit advance” if I catch on early enough that the money from the automatic deposit won’t get there on time to pay the automatic bills, so on one level they believe the money’s coming, but on another it’s, “How do we know the auto deposit will be there when you say it will?”

$2 per hundred is awful steep for a one day loan, but it beats $34 per overdraft.

I asked if one of these loanshark advances could be automatically triggered whenever my balance goes below $100 or so and they said, " Our system isn’t set up that way."
When asked if I could get an 24-hour advanced email warning whenever I had an auto payment coming up that would put me in the red , you guessed it, “Our system isn’t set up that way.”

The kicker? Every one of my auto-pay agreements has the payee asking for the money 5 days in advance of the due date . Thus, none would be technically late if the bank" just slipped it a few days".

These pay plans are obviously run by standard rules that Wells Fargo must know, so these overdraft fees are obviously dishonest if not blatantly illegal.

3

Here’s a Google response. I’d stay w/ a CU if it were me.
http://www.google.com/search?q=credit+unions+in+tucson%2C+az.&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8
If Valley Bank is still in business, stay away from them. I can’t begin to tell you all my negative experiences w/ them.

4

I’m in the Phoenix area and going by the bank bitching that I hear, Wells Fargo is eeeevviiiillllll. It is the only bank that I have consistently heard bad things about in 10 years here.

I bank with Chase (used to be Bank One) and while I’m occasionally annoyed by individuals, I haven’t had any really bad experiences. BoA out here seems to be similar. I have friends and relatives that use it without major problems.

Both Chase and BoA have online banking that is easy to use.

Safe traveling!

5

I’m one state over (NM), and I haven’t had any major problems with Wells Fargo. Granted, all I can speak for is their no-fee student checking account, but things have been unremarkable. Plus, a lot of the branches at least out here give you donuts or cookies and free coffee, which is a pleasant little perk.

I’ve heard much, much worse things about BoA. (For example)

6

Everyone bags on Bank of America, but I’ve banked with them for 25 years and never have had a bad experience. They’ve got a branch in almost every damn town, so you almost never have to pay ATM fees. They seem to have a good balance of tracing your travel and tracking your purchasing history without being intrusive or mistakingly blocking your account, in order to prevent credit card fraud.

I got my credit card stolen in Viet Nam and they FedExed me a new one in Laos.

7

Thanks - as much as I hate to even consider it, I’m debating BoA until I can investigate various credit unions and banks out there - partly because I think I could set up an account online and have it ready to go when I got there, so I could just switch my last few paychecks (I’m on vacation time during the month of June) into that account and have it ready for things like switching my insurance over.
I’ve heard both ok and bad things about BoA - but I’d say I’ve heard worse about Wells Fargo, so that’s definitely out.

8

[QUOTE=zenith]
No! No! No! to Wells Fargo.

I’ve been to AZ before and yes there are Wells Fargos and Wells Fargo ATMs everywhere out there,and that convenience is alluring, but they’re a lousy outfit just waiting to “gotcha” you into high overdraft fees.

I had something like a $4 overdraft at my Well Fargo bank last week and was told by the teller that because it was the weekend I might not have to pay the fine of $34, I think it was. (Of course I added money right away when I found out I’d screwed up.)

Well, lucky me, they didn’t fine me!

I like Wells Fargo a lot. I’ve been doing business with them for several years and they’ve always been good to me.

9

Hi,

I just wanted to second B of A- I’ve had an account there for about 10 years now. They’ve been very reasonable to work with, have had no problems with their service and they helped me out several times when I had made a mistake (I’m not a deadbeat, but not always good about writing checks down ;( ) . I have never spoken to anyone there that didn’t treat me like a valued customer. I really like the online banking and they have never screwed up my direct deposit. They even fished out a deposit that my SO had dropped into the deposit slot instead of going to the teller so it could be credited right away when I called the local branch.

I only had two issues- once an ATM shorted me $20- they resolved it and put it back in my account within 2 days and another bank entered a $65 check as a $650 :eek: check and they made sure nothing bounced (like my rent check!) while they investigated it.

10

BofA is evil, Wells Fargo is fine & gives great service.

It doesn’t matter which big company you choose, there are going to be some consumers who got trampled by one or another policy or idiot worker there. So negative anecdote (including mine) is pretty much useless. Ask folks about cell providers, car brands, banks, national chain stores, etc. You’ll get the same story; every supplier has screwed someody somewhere and they’re all itching to tell you about it.
Why the big rush to change banks? I am still using the credit union from a town I haven’t lived in for 14 years. They won’t make you close the account when you move. And as long as you’re not trying to use checks for routine retail purchases, nobody in the new town cares where your bank is. The phone company or your landlord will deposit an out-of-town check without complaint. Hell, from the phone company’s perspective, they’re all out of town checks since their payment center is in Texas or wherever and you & the rest fo their customers are in Tucson.

If you really like using checks for retail purchases, get a debit card attached to your current CU account. Again, nobody knows or cares where the bank really is.

The only downside to an out-of-town bank is you’ll be paying ATM withdrawal fees to get cash, which you might not if you had a local bank. BFD. Make larger withdrawals less often & the cost will be less than what you might pay in fees to the local bank.
Or, plan on switching to a local bank / CU, but there’s no rush. If it takes you 4 months after you move to pick out one you like with no-fee ATMs in convenient locations, so what? When you’re ready, tell your new employer to switch the deposit to the new institution, then start writing checks on it, then close out the old account once all the checks clear.

My bottom line: There is NO reason to choose a bank sight-unseen before you get there, and lots of reasons not to.

11

Well, it’s a little more difficult when you figure in that my current CU is going to be 2100 miles away and most places won’t do a direct deposit on the first paycheck. Since things will be tight by the time I get the first paycheck from the new job, it would be helpful to actually be able to get the check into an account relatively quickly.

Also, when you look at the big banks, I realize that there will be people who have problems with any bank - and with them, there will be a standard that’s generally typical nationwide. I wouldn’t go with a local bank from far off, but I feel a little safer with the national ones - even as a stopgap measure.

And as for choosing one unseen? Well, I’ve agreed to lease a place sight unseen, and to me that’s a little more frightening than dealing with a national bank, where what you get in one area is pretty indicative of what you’ll get in another.

12

If you’re a government employee at any level, I’ve never heard any complaints about AEA Federal Credit Union.

13

Here’s the point- as with most things, one “FUBAR” erases years of fine service in the minds of many. Any big bank will have SNAFUed something to someone here.

As with any Big Corp, soemtimes you get impersonal Customer serice too.

I use WF for some baning needs, and of several Banks I have tried, they are fine. In CA, I’d suggest Rabobank.

14

Wells Fargo hasn’t screwed me over either, but I do agree there’s probably better ones out there.

Since you’ll be in Tucson, Arizona Federal Credit Union might be worth your time. I had an account with them only for a short time, but they weren’t bad at all.

15

Have you considered an online bank? I’ve been using Etrade Bank for about 7 years now and I have no complaints. We have both checking and CD accounts with them. I’ve never really had a problem with them.

I lived in Sedona, AZ for a couple of years before moving back to Silicon Valley and was using Etrade when I was there. Even “out in the boonies” in Sedona, I found enough ATMs, etc., for my needs.

The one disadvantage is that you don’t have brick-and-mortar branches to go to, but I’ve never found that to be a problem. I can take care of all of my banking either on line or through the mail.

J.

16

I’ve had horrible experiences with Wells Fargo that made me swear off them forever.

Compass has provided mostly decent service.

I can strongly recommend Tucson Federal Credit Union. Their customer service is the best I’ve ever seen and they’re a terrific place to bank. Their membership requirements are fairly lenient, so you could probably join.