General

I use a credit union and would recommend a credit union local to you that has some branches and a decent ATM network.

I have accounts with BoA and chase. Both are mostly fine. BoA tends to cancel my debit cards (very sensitive / automated security?) frequently on Friday morning and that pisses me off.

Yeah I use the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union and love it.

BucketofJustice wrote:

What is it about credit unions that make people recommend them so much? I know they generally have good rates for loans, but what makes them a good choice for checking? Is it just that it gets your foot in the door as a member, so that you can then get loans from them in the future?

They do what I want, basically. I want them to get my paychecks, give me a debit card and leave me alone. The time I had a bank, I was getting a bunch of ads for extra services I didn’t ask for and don’t want. I also had to do anything before like 1PM on any given weekday, otherwise it would be counted for the next day. I’m sure things have gotten better since I left that bank in like 2005, but that left a sour taste in my mouth. I only left the credit union I had in Vermont because I moved to Oklahoma, and I got another credit union account when I got here and I still have it. I tried a bank down here to see if it was better, and I didn’t like it so I stuck with a credit union, and I probably always will.

Scott wrote:

No minimum deposit amounts, no direct deposits need to be set up. You can have $0 in your account and not be dealt any fees. Credit unions are "owned" by the members, so they benefit the members and don't have shareholders to report to.

I personally bank with NFCU and have had no complaints.

I have a checking account with Fidelity Investments.

Feeb wrote:

That saved me the one time I put my card in a skimmer at the gas pump

Scott wrote:
After they switched to Truist, what changed that you don't like?

EclipseLion wrote:

It’s definitely appreciated. Lots of baddies out there; especially gas stations.

Scott wrote:

I've been screwed by traditional banks too much to trust them. In college, I caught Capital Scam sitting on my payments sometimes for over a week so they could post them late with a late fee. Bankrupt America delayed my cash deposit from posting so they could an overdraft fee.

Credit unions, I've not seen one yet that pulls these shady actions. I am getting annoyed at my current one for flagging my debit card for fraud EVERY time I try to make an international purchase, even a merchant I've done plenty of business with before.

F Off from Bank of America.. I've had my Credit card and checking account stolen so many times from there it's insane.. It was like 5 times over a 3 year period.. I finally peaced out from them.. We use PNC and they are fine..

nonamesleft wrote:
For me it was they closed 2 locations and kept the crappy one open with... The only free ATM was the one at there location... They changed the amount I needed to have in free checking for it to remain free after I moved my direct deposit... I had to have 5 debit card transactions a month to keep free checking and they twice change the date I had to have the transactions done by. So I would have to go down there to prove that they kept changing the terms and it was exhausting.... I moved to Suncoast Credit Union and ont once have I had an issue and Free checking is actually FREE... I have 20 local ATMs I can use for free which helps because I like to flea market, yard sale, estate sale and do so in a retirement area where cash is king... I also can get replacement cards in 5 minutes opposed to waiting 2 weeks for the mail... Overall it's just a better experience

BlueJava wrote:
I like the 20 ATMs thing you said, regarding going to yard sales/etc. Convenient to have them nearby :)

I use Wells Fargo. Hardly ever use their customer service but their website and app are pretty good. You can track your deposits and withdrawals pretty easily. I haven’t had to deal with any fees either.

I have Chase for business and residential accounts.

They're extremely slow processing transactions. I can deposit money and it won't show up in my account for 5 days. I can't tell if this is bad bank branches or overall a slow system. Online bill pay can take up to 10 days before the bill hits USPS mail, which after all is said and done a payment doesn't reach destination until a combined 2 weeks. Its very annoying.