Which bank do you prefer?

I am thinking of switching banks and was wondering which ones you all prefer to use?
I currently belong to Chase but I am not thrilled with their customer service.

Friends and banks have one thing in common: they show their true colors when you're in a bind. I went through an identity theft debacle last year and Bank of America came through with flying colors. Prior to that their customer service was always courteous, helpful and on-point. I really don't have any complaints. (I can't believe I'm raving about a bank...jeez. One of the first signs of old age, I guess.)

Keys speaks true words.
I cant recommend Citibank. They cut down my limit on a credit card by 50% because I was too close to maxing it out.
Hows that gonna help me? And they wouldnt budge or change it.

haven't had any troubles with Sovereign (used to be Independence). BTW, am i the only one who noticed the subtle irony in the name change?

I've had Citibank for over 25 years ... hell even some of their stationery said First National City Bank back then... and have never had a problem. Effecient service when I needed it. Truly no-fee checking. Due to nationwide expansion, branches in Burbank as well as Brooklyn.
Even ATM's in 7-Eleven's around the country are now Citibank's.

i know there seems to be a lot of animosity towards them, but i've been with commerce now for about 3 or 4 years and have had no problems whatsover. i was with citibank, which i found to be horrible. commerce has great hours, free checking and if you keep a reasonable miniumum balance, they credit a certain amount of atm fees each month. not bad.

Also had ID theft with citibank and guy I worked with, Matthew Spaminato, at 7th Ave was GREAT. Their overdraft and fee structures are much more forgiving than Chase.....

My union credit union is the best of course, but only has branches in Manhtn.....

Having had credit cards with both BofA and Citi in the past, Citi is WAY better.

THe sad reality of bank choice is ATM locations. There just aren't enough Commerce ATMs or WamUs for me to switch!

kaiserkai wrote: Keys speaks true words.
I cant recommend Citibank. They cut down my limit on a credit card by 50% because I was too close to maxing it out.
Hows that gonna help me? And they wouldnt budge or change it.

That IS helping you!

:shock:

No it isnt.
I lost my job, so I needed to live off credit for a bit, I was at about 80% to the max on the card, never missed a payment and they cut down the limit to about 50% of what it was hitting me with 20% overdraft fees and asking me to pay immediately.
That sure doesnt help.
I am with Commerce now, granted i now have a stable job and all is well, but I would never ever recommend Citibank.
They screwed me at the worst possible time.

Damn, kaiserkai. That was rough. No, I take that back: what they did to you was despicable. Lowering your limit so they could charge you overdraft fees?! WTF??!!!
I guess you REALLY understand what I was talking about with the banks and friends analogy. Whew!

shishkab, thanks for pointing that out. I wonder if THERE IS something behind the name change. Hmm...

Aside from willfully neglecting security issues and becoming a glaring focal point for crime, I have heard no complaints--and plenty of raves--about Commerce.

kaiserkai wrote: No it isnt.
I lost my job, so I needed to live off credit for a bit, I was at about 80% to the max on the card, never missed a payment and they cut down the limit to about 50% of what it was hitting me with 20% overdraft fees and asking me to pay immediately.
That sure doesnt help.
I am with Commerce now, granted i now have a stable job and all is well, but I would never ever recommend Citibank.
They screwed me at the worst possible time.

Why didn't you just transfer your balance to some other bank's card? It seems like every other day I get a transfer advertisement in the mail, even though I don't carry any balance. The credit card industry is overflowing with transfer offers--couldn't you have moved your Citi cards' balances elsewhere? If not, then it wasn't just Citi that was tightening the screws on you.

escap wrote:
Why didn't you just transfer your balance to some other bank's card?

Thats what I did. When I inquired with Citi why they did that, they told me that this is exactly the reason. They saw no income and balances rising, so they pulled this on me to make sure "they get paid first".

It wasnt a big deal in the end, but it showed me that Citi is a shit bank, just as keys said they leave you hanging when you most need em.

Subject: ING

I can't speak highly enough of ING. Go to ingdirect.com to find out how to open an account and read the FAQ page, it answers everything. Also the customer service has been out of this world for me whenever I've called.
They have 4.5% on savings and 3% on checking, I think you have to have a savings account before you can open a checking, but 3%!!!!
I should buy stock I love this bank so much. The ATMs are everywhere too because you can use any allpoint ATM. So in this neighborhood there are a bunch by the F stop on 7th, both Key Foods, several on 5th near 9th, one at C-town...
I am so happy with them that I want all of my friends to try online banks.

I would recommend Wachovia. I have never had any problems except there are no branches or ATMs in Brooklyn. I really wish they would hurry up and expand their branches into the other broughs. [-o<

i would recommend citibank, i've had them forever and i've never had any problems with them. they've never charged me fees for my checking account and their customer service is great.

i would avoid astoria. it's just terrible.

I definately do NOT recommend Greenpoint/Northfork bank--I am currently shopping around as well because they recently somehow misplaced about $700 worth of deposit I made into an atm and when they found it and corrected for it two days later they spoke to me as if I should be greatful (also guilted me about using the atm for deposits despite ridiculously long lines and not getting a reciept from the deposit) and I have also at least twice withdrawn $20 and nothing comes out and I've had to go inside (luckly both times the branch was also open), wait for them to get paperwork, yada yada yada--the whole point of an atm is that it is fast and convienent
oh, and they charge for atm withdraws at other banks (I think 1.50) on top of whatever that atm charges you for use

I've had one BofA account all my adult life. They are ok, but the service center on 5th ave sucks hard. Really unhelpful and incompetent. Other BofA's I've checked with have be sooo much better then the one here. But, what can you do? I don't know any other bank that's better.

I've been banking with Washington Mutual for a couple years now. They have been a pleasure to deal with in terms of customer service. Free checking, free checks (not that I write many of those anymore - but free is free) and a money back program on your debit card puchases.

I also have a savings with ING and LOVE it. It is quick and easy to transfer to and from any checking and you can't beat the interest rate.

Wamu has a location on Flatbush near 7th Ave. near the Q stop.

Subject: Re: ING

Harry F. wrote: I can't speak highly enough of ING. Go to ingdirect.com to find out how to open an account and read the FAQ page, it answers everything. Also the customer service has been out of this world for me whenever I've called.
They have 4.5% on savings and 3% on checking, I think you have to have a savings account before you can open a checking, but 3%!!!!
I should buy stock I love this bank so much. The ATMs are everywhere too because you can use any allpoint ATM. So in this neighborhood there are a bunch by the F stop on 7th, both Key Foods, several on 5th near 9th, one at C-town...
I am so happy with them that I want all of my friends to try online banks.

Citibank has the e-Savings account - they are offering 4.75% right now. Pretty sweet and better than ING.

Damn, looks like interest rates are falling. It was 5.00% just a couple weeks ago. But still decent.

HSBC has a similar online account deal.

Whatever you do, don't use Astoria. They are notorious for delaying deposits so they can charge you overdraft fees. They do it repeatedly to a woman I work for, all the debits go out first then the deposits go in. After literally 10-15 times of this happening I can't believe that it's a coincidence. That is one of a number of reasons why I closed my account there.

Citibank works for me. Can't argue with free checking and 4.75-5% p.a. on the e-savings account.

interesting.

when I moved to NYC, Chase was the only 'big' bank I could find in Harlem. amusingly enough, the place where I eventually became employed banks at Chase and all employees get free fancy accounts and, of course, immediate deposit of all direct and paper checks from our employer. kinda handy. also, frankly, Chase hasn't pissed me off. yet. but it's been 6 years, so I figure we're all good.

commerce! been with them for over 10 years when they took over my old bank. only had a problem with them once, but i couldn't find a better bank at the time and don't remember what the problem was, so...

Really dumb questiuon but....do you have to have automatic deposit for an ING account? What is their overdraft protection?

Citibank DOES have the e-savings but you have to have a checking account with Citi to open it. ING you can open by itself.

basic checking: commerce
basic savings: ing or emigrant

nothing else makes sense

For basic savings, emigrantdirect.com has the best rate, 5%. ING is also good, 4.5. No basic minimum for either one.

Subject: ING

You do not have to have direct deposit on ING for either checking or savings. The overdraft is great. They give you $1000 credit line that is just like a credit card with regular credit card rates (I forget the exact) also you can transfer money instantly from savings so that you don't need an overdraft protection.
Sure other banks have slightly higher savings rates, but do they offer 3% on checking? That is what blew me away! And the ATM's are everywhere.

I'm not sure if 3% on checking really makes that much different when you can transfer funds instantaneously online from savings to checking and back. A savings account that yields 5% is not the equivalent of a combination of a 3% svgs and 2% checking. 5% svgs is still better than 4% svgs and 4% chkg, b/c again you can just keep nearly all your money on savings. Fine, there is a minimum balance most people like to keep in checking "just in case", but that 3% rate strikes me as a bit of a bait-and-switch.

Also, whatever you go with, you should definitely just stick with one bank. Not only is the convenience much greater when it's all together, but if you have any investments your total assets combines to hit break points that reduce fees.