Hi Christine,
I love my bank! FROST BANK. Before I switched I was with Chase. Fees and customer service were not the best. One time I was over drawn by one penny-yes one penny, and that evening after midnight my husbands auto deposit from his job went through, just as it had done for the past year, yet they still charged me $35.00. Frost is a Texas bank and you feel more like it's a family operation. When I first opened my account I had many times where I really goofed. I was never charged any fees, and my personal banker was watching my account and on several occassions call me to check to see if I was able to make a deposit and not get a fee. He now has moved up to a different department but everyone there is extremely nice and helpful. I have since opened up 2 accounts for my sixteen year old and now my husband uses this bank as well for his auto deposit from his job. I just can't say enough about how my experiences at Frost are always positive. Hope you'll have the same!! With this being a Texas bank there aren't as many locations as some others but I now know where the locations are that suit my needs and it works great for me! Take care, Sandra
Where do you live? we bank at Datcu and American National Bank. Am Nat is on 1171 across from almost across from Parker Square. I really like them both!
We've had trouble with Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
However, we love DATCU. We've been with them for over five years now. They've got great clubs and savings accounts for kids, too. My kids love taking their pennies on Fridays to get popcorn and stickers. Plus they get other events, like a free swim day at the Waterworks park in Denton soon.
Hi Christine -
We have been with Capital One for 7 years and we also have an account with Wells Fargo. I like these 2 banks because you can basically do everything online includung opening the accounts you need. I rarely have to go inside the branch to conduct business. One thing that I love about Capital One is the Bill Pay Online. i also lik ethe fact that they reissue your MC debit card after a certain period of time to protect you from fraud. Have not had any problems with receiving my direct deposit on time and no off line issues either. Also Wells Fargo has what they call pay day advance which allows you to borrow up to $500 for a small fee until your next payday just for being an account holder with direct deposit which is awesome for emergency purposes.
we've used merrill lynch for years. it has everything that you are looking for - online banking, lots of atms, low fees, etc.
I like Wells Fargo. I've been with them for over 6 years and have always received great customer service and help, along with the other items you mentioned.
Chase Bank! Been with them over 10 years. Lots of ATMS and rewards for using your debit card.
Bank of America. Been with them 15 years and very happy overall. Very convenient. I once had my debit card number stolen and someone charged $2K on it. I called and BOFA stopped payment immediately and I didn't even have to fill out any forms.
Wells Fargo is great. I love their bill pay and online banking services.
We hate Compass they are very out dated and the service was always slow. We love our credit union, you ought to check into one such as Advancial or City credit union. Small and people know you there and they have everything you could need that a big bank would have. Good Luck.
Gina M.
I currently bank with American National & have been mostly satisfied. I felt though that more than anything I should warn you about Bank of America. I had problems with them quite a bit during the 10 years that I used them. If you intend to keep a large sum of money ALL THE TIME in your account, then you will probably be fine, but if not just beware that they will charge fee's every chance they get. For instance, I had trouble with them holding my direct deposits & running charges through first (charges that would have gone in the next day AFTER my direct deposits were made) which would cause me in some cases to overdraft which would cause 'FEES'. They would simply choose to post some things before others so that they could collect on fees. They also allowed a satalite company to withdraw over $600 from our checking account without notifying us. We had set up with a local satalite company to provide wireless internet service at our home, but when they came out to do the install, they could not make it work due to tree's on & around our home, so we immedietely cancelled our agreement with them. Our original agreement was that they would do a automatic withdraw for $80/month from our checking account. When they failed to be able to provide the service, we cancelled. They turned around & took a lump sum out of our account & was allowed to do so by Bank of America without any notification to us until our account became overdrawn. Lessons learned... we don't allow automatic withdraws any more & we certainly dumped Bank of America. That was the final straw for us. Bank of America may seem like a perfect choice. They do have wonderful online banking & bill pay, but if you do choose to bank there beware... they are not a bank that is going to look out for you & your money honestly. They are in the business of making as much money off of you as they can.
Who do you bank with? When I moved here last year from the UK it was a huge shock and adjustment at how behind the banking industry is with regards to technology but also the charges!!! I opened up a basic account with Chase bank so I don't pay any fees as long as there is a positive balance and I love the fact that there are ATMs just about every corner and no charge if you use the Chase ATM. I also love how I can deposit a cheque at the ATM and get a receipt with an actual copy of the cheque which can also be viewed online once processed.
I don't have experience with other banks here but haven't had any problems with Chase.
Good luck with finding the right bank!
I really love Guaranty Bank. I'm not sure about ATM fees and locations as I don't use them but you can get overdraft protection for pretty cheap and I've never had an issue with other odd charges with them like I did with Bank of America. Their locations are not as prevalent as some of the major banks but their service is excellent and their loan rates fair and they are always looking for ways to improve their service but not the fluff. If I was not going to recommend companies (Bank of America, CitiBank, Washington Mutual (which I think went under), and Capital One I'd avoid at all cost. I find that Credit Unions are awesome as they are non-profit, but you have to find out what the requirements are. (There are one's for specific types of people military, teachers, etc). Otherwise FDIC protected small banks are usually good to look at.
Independent Bank in McKinney is great! Locally owned by two brothers who do things the right way. If you go to the branch on Craig drive in McKinney make sure you tell them that The Fetrow Team sent you.
Stephanie Fetrow
Fetrow Team Realtors
RE/MAX Four Corners
214-566-8277
I love Bank Of America! We have been with them for 18 years. The fees are usually waived if you have a small savings account and use their atms. We have had our ID stolen-actually our checking account numbers and they were the ones that called me! They have a lot of ATMS all over the US. We have used free ATMs From California to Florida-which alwys seem to be convenient to where we are traveling. Very professional and I love their online services.
We really like USAA. There are no physical locations; it's all online. You will be charged a fee at the ATM but it is rebated every month My favorite thing is deposit at home. You can scan your checks to their website and deposit them from your home.
We like Chase Bank.
I've used Bank of America for nearly 20 years and have been very pleased. Their online banking is one of the best I've seen. I've used their banks and ATMs all over the country and they have lots of locations locally.
The only real downside is the interest they give you on your savings-it's pretty puny, but right now that's probably similar at other banks as well.
In looking for the best bank for you, a lot will depend on what kind of balances you keep. What we have done is set up our account with the minimum requried for an Advantage account. We pay no fees, the checks are free and we even have a second free checking account.
We took the majority of our savings and moved it to ING Direct, an internet bank. It is part of ING, a NYSE listed company. It pays one of the highest rates out there, but even that has dropped in recent months.
I would recomment looking at www.bankrate.com for information on banks. You can click on "compare rates", enter your zip code and you can get info on minimum balances, rates and fees for banks in your area.
I love Wood Forest bank! They are in most Wal Marts and have great hours - even Sat and Sun hours. At the location I frequent, they know my name and know I'm a Realtor so they even promote me to others. The wait is never more than a couple of minutes, but usually there is no wait whatsoever.
The mega banks are great...until you have an issue with them.
Wood Forest even removed overdraft fees when I went in (after they called to let me know) and deposited a check. Now that is customer service!
I'm a small-town girl and love shopping and using services where people know me. Wood Forest wins my Bank of the Year Award!
Terri "Ta-Dah" Camp
www.dfwhomesrealty.com
www.tadahmom.com
www.terricamp.com
Hi Christine, Yep, I'm very happy with my bank. I used to use Gateway always a problem with balances.I left them a few yrs. back, and started fresh with the New bank in my area, Bank of America( on Cartwright/Bruton RD @ Beltline RD. Mesquite.(this location has the photo area, for your personal Check card with picture) They are friendly, honest, prompt to serve, and you don't have to use a deposit slip when you go there. Love that part. Their drive up ATM's you can deposit a ck, or cash into money slot and see it on screen, and get a printed receipt with your name on it.I have a SD box and the entry into the chamber is a hand print to buzz you in, privacy. (I wear a ring ,they say a different ring will keep me out) Atm's used to be free in all Shamrock stations. Don't know now, as they were taken over by Valero. don't use them , sorry. Plus the Main Bank Of Amer.down town,near courthouse, has the entrance for the underground mall. Lots of neat places to eat,closed on weekends, open during banking times.
Oh and I also use online banking , bill pay, and also can get it on my cell phone.( mobile banking, with all same features) If you need to consult with them for any reason, you can do so online and get an answer , and alert of email from bank on my phone or email.They dont chg. fees if you have auto deposit, and a small savings account. I use their keep the change for my savings. If I use debit card anywhere and its say, 10.08 for purchase, $0.92 goes to savings. Easier for me to balance my ck. book. I'd deduct $11.00 .
Sorry for rambling on, hope this helps you, I like my bank.
BF :-)