I’m going to switch banks because I despise mine. I’m in Southern NY so I need a bank that’s in this general area. Now I do realize that most banks these days are out to screw the little guy. However, maybe there is one or two that perhaps screw slightly easier?
I just want to be treated somewhat decently. I want my online banking balance to reflect what is actually happening and not an illusion that will change on a whim in the bank’s favor. I’d prefer a credit union but I think you have to be in something to join.
I’m open to all suggestions except Bank of America.
Seconding the suggestion for a credit union. I switched from a major bank to a local credit union about two years ago, and have been extremely happy with them.
I like credit unions, but around here, the small banks are working hard to be competitive. Several local banks in my area (including mine) offer 5%+ APR on their checking accounts if you “actively use it” – e.g. direct deposit plus using the debit card a certain number of times per month. This works out great for me since it’s better interest than my savings account was (ING Direct). I ended up giving them my mortgage business too. They’re really customer service driven.
I have TD Bank (formerly Commerce Bank) and am very satisfied. Don’t know if they have branches where you are, though. My checking account is totally free as long as the balance doesn’t dip below $100. Free on-line bill paying for any payee. If the payee is not set up to do on-line transactions, the bank prints a paper check and mails it for you. Finally, great hours. Open on Saturday AND Sunday.
I find their customer service good as well. One time somebody at another branch screwed up a deposit that my husband made while out of town. The main office where I had the account simply credited our account for the error and handled the details internally.
Everything MLS said, plus free coin sorting (take in that jar of coins you’ve been hoarding, run it through their machine, you get that amount – who needs CoinStar?).
I know everybody hates them, but I’ve been with Citibank for years and years and they’ve always been fine. I had my mortgage through them as well. Their interest rates are kinda sucky, but I don’t put my big investments in savings accounts or CDs, so I don’t care.
Their customer service has always been good to me. The couple times I lost my ATM card, I went into a branch and they made me a new one on the spot. The safe-deposit-box lady at the branch where my box is knows me and my box number by heart, even though I go there maybe twice a year.
And the free online bill-pay and free checking account is great. I never understood why anyone would pay money for a checking account. Their online bill-pay will either do an EFT transfer to the payee or print a check and mail it, always for free.
Go with a credit union. The ones I’ve joined have pretty flexible eligibility policies. I’ve been happy with the interest rates, the customer service, and that they let me have an open line of credit that they dip into if I overdraw. There is only a small interest charge if you pay it back quickly. Sure beats getting pounded by $30 NSF fees.
Ok I’m with you all on the credit union. But don’t you have to be tied to it somehow? For example, I used to belong to a CU through my old employer. How does a regular Jane Doe join a credit union? I thought you had to be associated with a third party in some way.
My bank is small and locally owned. Best of all, my personal banker lives in my basement. All of my questions can be answerewd by pounding on the floor…
Sometimes local banks are better. We canceled Bank of America when we moved from Missouri to Washington. We found a bank nearby called Columbia Bank that actually has made a profit without having to be bailed out. They didn’t participate at all in the whole “selling mortgages” and therefore did not have huge profit losses when the bubble broke.
They are very conservative, and therefore it is a bit harder to get a loan (much like a credit union I suppose).
We also recently joined a local credit union, but have not done much with it.
Or, if you don’t qualify for one, do some research into smaller banks in your region. I had a car loan with a small local bank and they were just the greatest. One month I asked my wife to drop off the car payment, and didn’t realize that the payment listed on the bottom of the statement was actually doubled. (I’d gotten the previous payment in on time but not before the new bill was mailed.) So without thinking, she wrote them a check for double the payment, which we could in no way afford.
A quick phone call and a refund check was waiting within 24 hours. I can’t imagine what that might have been like if it’d been Bank of America.
a) it’s a credit union, and b) it’s close to my house. Seriously, that counts for a lot. And they all know me at the drive through, though when I go in on the rare occasion, they say, “I didn’t recognize you without your car around you”.
I’ve had terrible experiences with TD Bank when it was Commerce Bank, and in fact am still getting the runaround trying to close an account. On the flip side, my parents are pretty happy with them, so obviously YMMV. I will say that their hours tend to be pretty nice, but their tellers and bankers are flat-out obnoxious.
I’ve been completely satisfied with Wells Fargo, but I don’t know if they have much of a presence in NY.
I use a local community bank. The owners live in Chicago, the Board members live in Chicago, it’s a small bank that didn’t get into any trouble with the mortgage crap because they’re conservative and small. I’ve been there for 10 years and see no signs of changing. I’ve already been in contact with the mortgage loan officer and plan to get a mortgage with them next year. My mom, in her suburb, has also been with the same small community bank for a couple of decades and has had the same experience.
I’d go with the local community bank or a credit union.
You know I’ve been with Wells Fargo for a little over a year now. I just now noticed vis a vis online banking, that I’ve got something called “Paycheck advance” Basically if you’re short between paychecks you can barrow money from it at 10% interest.
I’ve never had to use it myself but its nice to know its there.
The main reason I like WF is because if I go on a spending spree with my card; you can pretty much bet I’ll be getting a call from them asking if all the charges are legit.