Banking

[hiss srq]

So I am pretty ticked off right now with Bank Of America. Lately they are beginning to suck. Since I have moved to NY I have had nothing but frustration with those people. I have a friend who is pretty high up there but works in loans so its useless but does anyone reccomend any other good banks. Who do you use? My parents bank pretty hardcore with Citigroup and Chase among others stateside but they also have the money to burn for fees etc etc... I need a bank that wont rape me for fees etc and is also pretty well dispersed so when I am on the road I dont have to pay ATM fees. Any ideas? etc etc

[moose135]

Don't know, I use Bank of America, and haven't had any problems. Used to have an account with Fleet before BofA took them over. I don't pay any fees - with direct deposit of my paycheck, I get free checking, and as long as I keep a small minimum in savings, there are no fees, and lots of ATMs everywhere.

[Midnight Mike]

I use Citibank & don't worry about the fees, I like the Citibank ATM system as I can review when bills have been paid.

[RDU-JFK]

I have Bank of America--I find their CSR's in their Manhattan offices are not very smart or helpful, but most banks are like it. Like moose I have free direct deposit and the free checking keeping a minimum balance. They have a decent amount of ATMs around, and they do have a bunch of locations across the US (but none in Brooklyn, grrrr).

I used to do business with Wachovia in NC--I also find them to be average--not great, but not awful.

I find that all banks are the same, especially the national ones like Wachovia, BofA, etc. You will always have the fees and constraints, no matter where you go. I've heard good things about North Fork Bank, but they are limited to NY.

Commerce has awesome hours, but I don't think they offer a lot of diverse banking options. I'm curious to try them though.

[mirrodie]

We use citibank and HSBC. Both have been great.


Up until recently, we were using Washingotn Mutual for the mortgage but it was recently sold to Wells Fargo.

Fargo Sucks. No online banking. Talk about the dark ages.

[Mellyrose]

I've been using Wachovia since it was First Union (we're talking 7+ years). From Philly south, they're pretty abundant....and they're becoming more popular in NYC as well.

I find their online banking extremely user-friendly and the interface is intuitive. The phone customer service is always very friendly and accomodating and the hold times are NEVER long.

Also, if you have a proven track record with them and you incur any type of fee that you weren't aware of or from a misunderstanding, 8 times out of 10 they'll actually waive it. That's rare for a bank.

[T-Bird76]

I was with Nat West, then Fleet and now its Bank Of America so I sort of use them by default. I don't think their that bad, I only use them for my checking account and they've been pretty accomodating with me with any issues I've had. I use ING Direct for my savings account and my IRA, ING is great. Keep away from Ameriprise for any IRA related services, they suck!

[moose135]

Like Tommy, I fell into BofA by default, and use them only for basic checking & savings. I would recommend my full-service financial company (banking, auto & home insurance, car loans, investments, etc.) but you don't qualify:

[USAF Pilot 07]

I use USAA for all my insurance, loan, and primary checking and savings account... I've found that just about no one can beat them in all areas. I'm paying $85 a month for car insurance on an Audi A6 and all the other companies were well over $100 a month. And they have some great customer service and are very understanding with military stuff and all. One of their newest features is that you can scan your checks at home to deposit them, instead of having to mail them in!
Unfortunately, I'm not sure if anyone can just sign up with them. I think you have to be or have had to have been in the military or a dependant at some point to sign up, but I'm not exactly sure how it works, so you might want to look into them.

I also have a Commerce Bank account (which I rarely use) but have found them to be one of the best banks in NY.

I have a BoA Credit Card (used to be MBNA but then BoA bought them out) and an Amex card, both with no annual fees forever or interest until 2008 for the Amex and until I graduate for the BoA card.

[moose135]

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if anyone can just sign up with them. I think you have to be or have had to have been in the military or a dependant at some point to sign up, but I'm not exactly sure how it works, so you might want to look into them.

To qualify for USAA membership, you need to be a military officer, former officer, military cadet (academy or ROTC) or a dependent family member (spouse, children). Parents, adult children and ex-spouses can qualify as associate (?) members, so you can still get services, but with some restrictions. When we were buying a new car while I was in pilot training in 1984, the dealer told me about USAA, I've been an extremely satisfied customer ever since!

[Mateo]

Bank of America has been fine with me. Like most of their customers in the East, I wasn't with them originally (Summit, then Fleet, then BoA), but I haven't changed. No fees with direct deposit, ATMs all over the place (I live in DC, but I'm back in NJ every 4-6 weeks), and international partners for fee-free ATM usage there [e.g. Scotiabank in Canada]. The online banking interface is very intuitive and easy to use.

I've had lots of issues with PNC, but I don't think they're big in the City, so it's not that important.

[USAF Pilot 07]

To qualify for USAA membership, you need to be a military officer, former officer, military cadet (academy or ROTC) or a dependent family member (spouse, children). Parents, adult children and ex-spouses can qualify as associate (?) members, so you can still get services, but with some restrictions. When we were buying a new car while I was in pilot training in 1984, the dealer told me about USAA, I've been an extremely satisfied customer ever since!

Ah ok, that's along the lines of what I was thinking...

I think USAA has become synonymous with military personnel and financial affairs...
Everyone I know, officer, enlisted, cadet seems to have USAA for at least something. They also give us a $30,000 loan at 1% interest, paid back over 5 years starting at commissioning. Pretty sweet deal.