I Need a New bank...Help...

A credit union might work for you....

I don't know if you have TD Bank in Ohio - but their customer service rocks..

I would AVOID Bank of America like the plague...

Check your local Credit Unions. They will usually have more customer friendly accounts as they are non-for profit. Trust me, I worked in the banking industry for ten years, four of them at a Credit Union.

I got pissed off after the government bank bailout and switched EVERYTHING over to a small local bank, even the credit cards. In order to stay competitive they offer lower fees, more flexibility, plus they are involved in the community on a local level. I've had it with the huge banks.

:)

I would let Chase know I would be moving my account and why. Who knows, they may be able to give you a better account, and they may even refund some of the fees to keep your business. They have done that for me. If they don't work with you, then I would go eleswhere, ask people in your town who they bank with and do they like them.

Credit union, credit union, credit union!

I would get out the phone book and call each and every bank to see what fees and charges they do. It's not fair of them to steal from people who can't afford to keep thousands in storage.

My husbands bank drives me nuts. I keep telling him he needs to change. If he uses overdraft protection they charge him something like $40 then they charge him a daily fee that is nearly $10. I have banked at several other banks in our town and they all charge just one fee, when the check comes through they do the overdraft fee, one time. It is our money that he is wasting. We don't use it very often,maybe twice a year and only if something happens to the kids child support. If I don't get a deposit at the end of the month then hubby has to buy some groceries. We pay a lot of stuff out of his SSDI check for the kids and I use the child support deposits for the groceries and kids spending money during the rest of the month.

I enjoy Citibank, I have no fees and no min, however I did open the acct while I worked for Citi so that may have something to do with it but I love this bank and I have been thru a few (bofa, wells, wamu) my fav has been Citi.

Hate chase and bank of america. We have wells fargo and so far so good. There's no minimum balance or anything. That's who I suggest. Good luck!

I have a Commerce account that has never taken money out for a minimum balance for anything but bouncing a check, and I love that I can check it online.

Do you have a UNion Bank? They have no checking account charges and no minimal fees.
Also go the the credit unions.
Does your husband work for the government, at any branch of service or is he a DOD employee? Navy Federal is wonderful. it's a credit union.

Check with your small local banks. From my experience they usually don't have high fees or monthly fees. Most of them don't require much to open either, usually around $25. Just call or go online and look at your local banks to see what they offer.

Call the banks and ask about their fees. If you think you've found one that suits you, check their website for any fees the bank employee may have "forgotten" to tell you about.

Wells Fargo had my IRA. When I wanted my money they charged me $25 to get it. I had a dollar bill that was torn. Wells Fargo wouldn't let me deposit it. They said I had to send it off to the Bearu (sp?) of Printing and Engraving to get a new one, then they would deposit it. I'll never have an account with them again.

All of the banks are bad. They just don't care about the little account. I opened my first account for a nickle or a dime, and there were no charges. They wanted me to still bank with them as an adult. Now banks don't care.

With banks now paying $2 per year on a $1000 account, I'd buy a small safe and bolt it to the floor in your bedroom and put your money there. I've seen the one cubic foot safes go for less than $50. That way you don't pay any fees. OR get an internet bank account and a debit card.

Good luck to you and yours.

You have to inquire about fees... banks are not going to be upfront about that... it is your job to research those facts.

That said, we use BOA and Chase. BOA has the majority of our business accounts and all personal. Never any fees of any kind. We keep minimums which are pretty high.

Chase is another business account we use and never a fee there either.

You can negotiate what type of accounts are best for you with any bank. Make sure you read the fine print. YES, all banks are using the nickel and dime procedure just like may businesses to get that extra dollar. It is up to us as consumers to figure out the best deal.

Exmaple.. I have completely free checking on my business account at BOA. ALL I have to do is use the debit card for any amount whatsoever and the monthly fees are waived. I just go out around the 16th of every month and have 2 separate transactions for about $1 each and I have free checking for business which is a huge benefit for me.

That said, we also collect numismatics and we have a noce huge safe that is bolted to a safe area of the foundation in our home (it is not going anywhere....) and we keep a small stash of cash there just in case something really goes wrong and we can't get to our money right away at the bank.

We used to use Firstbank. I had them for over 20 years and my whole famliy used them. My dad was a known face and had great connections at our local branch, but by year 19, I hated them! They made several online payments after I canceled them and after taking 3 weeks to review decided there was nothing they could do about... over $400 gone.

We switched to USAA and we have never been happier. They are a military bank that has recently openned to the public. Their website is full of free information about everything from investing to basic loans and they even offer free financial consultation. You can get quotes about anything you need online or you can call a talk to a real person. There minimum for a checking account is $50 and a savings account is $25.
We use their mobile deposit so I can deposit my checks with my phone and the money is available in less than a minute.... lol I sound like a commercial.

Cannot say enough about USAA. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

Try a credit union. They are much easier to deal with and the one I use to get free checking I have to have at least 7 atm/debit card transactions per month, and have either 2 direct deposits or online bill pays per month. And I only have to have a mininum balance of $50. I hate the big banks like wells fargo & bofa they are like the airlines, they will find a way to charge you a fee. My sisters both work for bofa and they dont even bank with them do to the stupid fees and restrictions. Says a lot about bofa if their own employees dont even trust them!