Considering changing banks...

[Atty]

Wondering what banks are good to switch to now that it seems the dust has settled on them all going bust or being bought it.

Mainly for my mother, who had Mid Florida. She is disabled (degenerative neurological disease, long story) and just got fucked by her bank (Mid Florida). They did three separate over draft charges on her account when with drawls were made during a time she still had a balance and refuse to credit her money bank. Totalled $70 and while we are still fighting it, this kind of service is retarded.

Current considerations are Chase, Bank of America, BB&T, uh...are there any others left? D:

I have Wachovia...er, Wells Fargo and I'm also considering changing. Not too thrilled with how they've handled my finances since they changed my branch over. But I'm more concerned with her and her disability checks going to a bank each month that fucked her over.

Any recommendations on those three banks? Perhaps horror stories or praise? I'm looking at which has good deals at the moment but want some input.

TIA

 

[jlee]

Local credit unions FTW.

 

[Vette73]

Local credit unions FTW.

Came in to say the same. :thumbsup:

 

[Atty]

I've considered for a long time switching to my companies Credit Union. I guess I could do that. Everyone I know is happy with it. And my mom can have an account there as she is a family member.

 

[ultimatebob]

I'm losing patience with Wells Fargo as well... they really rake you over the coals if you make an ATM withdrawal with an out of network ATM machine. It's even worse if you're withdrawing from an ATM in Canada... once you add up the fees, you end up losing 10% of your withdrawal.

 

[jlee]

I'm losing patience with Wells Fargo as well... they really rake you over the coals if you make an ATM withdrawal with an out of network ATM machine. It's even worse if you're withdrawing from an ATM in Canada... once you add up the fees, you end up losing 10% of your withdrawal.

I believe my credit union refunds ATM fees

 

[Beev]

I don't want to derail the thread, but what are the benefits of using a credit union? I use a local bank that I've been very pleased with, but I'm always willing to hear about better alternatives.

 

[jlee]

I don't want to derail the thread, but what are the benefits of using a credit union? I use a local bank that I've been very pleased with, but I'm always willing to hear about better alternatives.

Fewer fees.

 

[hdeck]

I'm losing patience with Wells Fargo as well... they really rake you over the coals if you make an ATM withdrawal with an out of network ATM machine. It's even worse if you're withdrawing from an ATM in Canada... once you add up the fees, you end up losing 10% of your withdrawal.

all of the big banks charge you fees for using out of network ATMs. it's not a Wells issue.

 

[her209]

I switched from BofA to a credit union. There hasn't really been a downside since I can go into any 7-11 and pull money without being charged a fee.

 

[fixxor]

I had chase for years but they started charging me those stupid account fee's every month. Not to mention the one $15 non-atm fee I have no idea what that was for. So I dumped them and went to Alaska credit union, been great and very satisfied. There is hardly anyone there when I go to cash checks so its quick and easy. Credit union ftw...

 

[Beev]

Fewer fees.

I've had zero fees for as long as I can remember. I'm sure using an out of network ATM would have a fee, but I never use them. Any other perks?

 

[Vette73]

Better customer service and faster turn around for most.

 

[tynopik]

my experience: Chase tries to play 'gotcha' while my CU tries to help

for instance when a CD comes up for renewal Chase has a narrow window to pull it out before it automatically renews. And if you miss that window, the penalty for early withdrawal is far higher than the total interest you could have earned

The CU lets you set what happens at maturity far in advance so it's not an issue

Why doesn't Chase give you same option? Because they want to screw you plain and simple.

Once I accidentally ordered checks with the same numbers that I had put a stop on. When I got check bounced letters from various companies, they didn't charge me anything and sent out letters to the companies explaining it was their fault so I wouldn't get charged a bounced check fee. (This was a long time ago so some of the details are fuzzy, but the impression of awesomeness remains)

 

[DayLaPaul]

USAA. You don't even have to leave the house to make a deposit.

 

[kami333]

I've considered for a long time switching to my companies Credit Union. I guess I could do that. Everyone I know is happy with it. And my mom can have an account there as she is a family member.

Since she is disabled, is branch access an issue?

That's one of the main drawbacks of CUs, not many have the physical presence of national banks. While many have ATM fee reimbursement that helps somewhat, there are times when physical access to a bank is necessary. That's one of the reason why I have both.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Every time someone posts a thread like this someone suggests USAA. I understand it must be great but most people aren't able to bank with them.

 

[novasatori]

Every time someone posts a thread like this someone suggests USAA. I understand it must be great but most people aren't able to bank with them.

I am pretty sure USAA expanded some of their offerings to non-military members, so you may be eligible for checking/savings through them.

USAA's investment products, most checking and savings products, credit cards, life insurance, and shopping and discounts are available to other individuals.

edit: also wanted to add USAA owns

 

[Leros]

Fewer fees.

Care to explain?

I've been with two different banks and I've never had any fees (except overdraft). I've also had ATM fees refunded.

 

[kami333]

I am pretty sure USAA expanded some of their offerings to non-military members, so you may be eligible for checking/savings through them.

But not deposit@home (unless they've changed it)

 

[novasatori]

But not deposit@home (unless they've changed it)

Yeah looks like you need to have or qualify for property/casualty insurance for Deposit@Home.

But even without deposit at home, its still good. Just have your company EFT to your account.

 

[ultimatebob]

all of the big banks charge you fees for using out of network ATMs. it's not a Wells issue.

It didn't used to be that way. Sure, the out of network ATM would charge you a fee to use the machine, but I never got charged an additional fee by my bank to process that transaction until Wells Fargo took over my Wachovia account.

 

[jlee]

Care to explain?

I've been with two different banks and I've never had any fees (except overdraft). I've also had ATM fees refunded.

The two I've noticed - on a vehicle loan, I had no application or loan fee. I also have no ATM fees, though my last bank refunded those as well. What pushed me over the edge at my last bank was when I went to cancel a monthly automatic payment, they wanted to charge me $20. WTF.

 

[moshquerade]

Local credit unions FTW.

This.

 

[Lotheron]

I like USAA.

One thing about them is that my direct deposit check is available a day early for some reason.