where do you do your primary banking?

[Spacehead]

PNC
My banking is pretty basic though. No direct deposit at work so i go to the bank on Friday & deposit my check & keep out what i need for the week.
I don't do online banking or have an ATM card so no comment on that.

Since I had a loan with them i had free premium checking but i just paid that off a couple months ago & now i see they charge me $20 a month, so i need to go see them about that.


I also belong to a local credit union but i don't do alot with them. Had a car loan with them in the past & am going to be transferring my existing car loan over to them if PNC can't beat their % rate.

 

[Ken g6]

I like small local credit unions.

This!

I do have a small Chase account, just in case I find myself someplace with no credit unions someday. It has $1500, the minimum to maintain the "money market savings" account without losing money to fees. Last month, my interest income on that account was...$0.01!

 

[aceO07]

Chase, for their numerous ATMs. BOA, for their ATMs.

 

[yoyomamama]

credit union and I love it.

 

[Svnla]

For my main monthly checking account, I am using Chase mainly because they have a main branch about 1 block from my work place.

But I also have several other checking accounts for the reward checking (accounts with 3% or higher interest).

 

[Baked]

Had a BofA account since I got my 1st paycheck job in high school. I had a variety of accounts with them and I've never had a problem with them. I use it now to pay all my bills online, it's great.

 

[SparkyJJO]

USBank. No stupid fees, never a problem with them, great service when I've needed it (like when someone stole my CC info somehow)... No complaints at all.

 

[Brainonska511]

Citibank, since I wanted ATMs at school and at home (Chicago & NY, respectively) - never really had any problems; though, the day they start trying to charge me fees for something is the day I close my account and go to the NYU credit union.

 

[chusteczka]

Select a bank in this order of priority:

1. military credit union
Military credit unions are by far the best banking experiences available in the U.S.

2. local credit union
Local credit unions treat customers as well as they can and often have some crazy membership requirements. I remember hearing a requirement for a specific branch that all a customer needed to do was state they shopped in a certain geographical area. Others require supporting a local charity. Each credit union and each branch of those credit unions will have different requirements.

Credit unions tend to provide the services and lack of fees that I used to expect from banks until I learned that banks do not care for their members.

3. local small bank
Local small banks need customers and are willing to treat them better than large banks.

4. local large bank
Big banks always smile and state their customers are receiving the best possible service while charging high fees for services that should be free or low cost. Large banks basically bend their customers over without lube or the courtesy of a reach-around.

I actually had a very nice local bank that was purchased by National City. Then PNC received bailout funds from the federal government and purchased National City. This meant my account with a friendly local bank was moved to the fifth largest U.S. bank. This upset me since I do not have a good impression of PNC or any other large bank.

My brother and father use Bank of America and like them. But then neither of them are well financially educated, are both stubborn, and both are unwilling to accept my offer to use my veteran status for an account with Navy Federal Credit Union or USAA.

 

[yhelothar]

Credit Union of So. Cal.
I just transferred over from BofA during the Nov. bank transfer day.

BofA used to cost me $12.99 a month. CuSoCal is free.
I'm still getting adjusted to finding ATMs though. But reputedly, there are more ATMs for the credit union than BofA.

 

[RichieZ]

Fidelity:
- like many internet banks they pay for all atm fees.
- i also keep my brokerage account there.
-i am able to deposit checks up to $10K via their iphone app and can also drop by their local offices if for some reason have a large check to deposit.
- i have an amex platinum charge card (technically deferred debit) that is tied to my brokerage account, this card is the physical manifestation of my total net wealth. this is kind of cool

 

[kranky]

Fidelity:
- i have an amex platinum charge card (technically deferred debit) that is tied to my brokerage account, this card is the physical manifestation of my total net wealth. this is kind of cool

Just a tip - I remember reading a story from someone with the same setup. He paid his Amex from his Fidelity account and didn't pay attention, accidentally putting in a payment amount of $22,000 instead of $2,200. Fidelity cheerfully sold securities from his account to raise the cash and paid the $22,000. Had he used a regular bank account, the payment would have simply been declined due to non-sufficient funds.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I've been feeling like I should switch banks for awhile now... I've been with the same bank since I was 18, and their primary selling point back then was that I didn't have a car and they were the only bank in walking distance of my parents' house. hah.

but I get no real perks, their online banking sucks, and more and more, I feel like they're nickle and dime'ing me to death. the latest and most egregious is the $12 surcharge I saw on my statement today. no clue what it's from; the only other activity it coincides with is a direct deposit on that same day. I'm going to call tomorrow and find out wtf the deal is, but this is probably going to be the straw that breaks the camels back unless they've got a really good explanation for it.

so, any suggestions?

I usually only write 1 check/month (rent) and have to physically deposit maybe 3-4 checks/year (Christmas/birthday gifts from older relatives). my average balance in my checking account is usually in the $1,000-$1,500 range, with another $3-4K in savings.

I've heard great things about credit unions in general, but have no clue how to find one... I've also heard good things about Charles Schwab, PNC, and BoA (though I've also heard plenty of terrible things about BoA too).

so, where does ATOT do its banking, and are you satisfied with them?

So, you find your current banker is sucking, and ask advice from people on ATOT, but you afford us the ignorance of your bad experience and will gladly allow any one of us to go bank with them. Nice.

You want to know who we bank with, but you do not say who you are banking with.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I recently switched to using eTrade's online bank, free checks, and they refund any ATM fees as they have no native machines.

I use those damn ATMs that charge $3/transaction all the time now

 

[dmcowen674]

I get no real perks, their online banking sucks, and more and more, I feel like they're nickle and dime'ing me to death. the latest and most egregious is the $12 surcharge I saw on my statement today. no clue what it's from; the only other activity it coincides with is a direct deposit on that same day. I'm going to call tomorrow and find out wtf the deal is, but this is probably going to be the straw that breaks the camels back unless they've got a really good explanation for it.

Any update on the $12 surcharge?

 

[nageov3t]

So, you find your current banker is sucking, and ask advice from people on ATOT, but you afford us the ignorance of your bad experience and will gladly allow any one of us to go bank with them. Nice.

You want to know who we bank with, but you do not say who you are banking with.

it's a regional bank that I've never heard mentioned on AT before, but Valley National Bank if you're super curious.

 

[nageov3t]

Any update on the $12 surcharge?

yup, changes were pushed through in August that you need to have an average daily balance of $1K in checking (whereas prior, it was an average balance of $1K in combined checking/savings)

granted it's all my own fault because I let my account go under where it usually sits so I could pay off my credit card before Christmas shopping, but still... I think it's a sign for me to GTFO of this shitty bank.

 

[bruceb]

For now it is Chase .. been with them through all of their name changes.
They started as Anchor, then Dime, then WAMU, now Chase ... all at the same location. And at the time it was the branch locations that mattered most, as there was one near my home and also where I was working, so it was convenient if I needed to use it. Credit cards are mostly with Citibank

 

[nickbits]

I have no complaints with boa.

 

[Old Hippie]

Bank of Internet USA has been my choice for the last 9yrs.

It's online only banking.

 

[her209]

Local credit union. At one point I was using BoA but I closed that down when they started charging me for not having enough in the bank. With my credit union, I can walk into any 7-Eleven and pull money from their ATMs fee free.

 

[alienb]

I highly recommend USAA if you have any relatives that can get you in. Been with them for years and I've had the best customer service with them.

This. USAA is the best bank you'll ever find if you can get in.

 

[alienb]

yaay drug dealers. Feds are parsing your EXIF data and are on their way.

<edit> What the fuck currency is that anyway?

 

[xanis]

I'm with a local bank. I was with Wachovia/Wells Fargo for years until I started getting hit with extra fees and charges. My bank is pretty no-frills; online banking is basic and they don't have many branches, but they're extremely friendly and helpful, and they serve my needs perfectly. This is the bank for anyone who's interested.

 

[MotionMan]

For those of you who use USAA, do you get free ATM usage?

Can you do deposits by snail mail?

(My father-in-law was in the Coast Guard and I have been thinking of switching to USAA instead of our current bank and insurance since I have heard such good things about it.)

MotionMan