Bank recommendations Options

[Spectatrix]

I'm going to be getting a new checking account soon and wanted to see what recommendations people might have on banks. I'm going to be in Austin, so either big chains or local Austin banks are viable. I've had a Wells Fargo account in the past, which has been ok, but I won't be eligible for their college checking account and thus can't get free Bill Pay.

I'm looking for:

• Free online banking
• Free bill pay
• No account fee (or waived with *small* balance)
• Provides Visa-backed debit card (pretty much everyone)
• Don't give a flip about savings, because I already have my ING Direct account for that
• Don't care if it's interest-bearing, because those interest rates are always tiny anyways
• Preferably good customer service, but lack of crazy hidden fees is a higher priority than that

This post has been edited by Spectatrix: Dec 8 2006, 10:46 AM

[GOB]

wells fargo is the probably your best bet, but maybe check out washington mutual or capital one if they have those in austin. i think they both have free online bill pay, but i'm sure they charge some sort of fees

[jwttu]

I'm going to be getting a new checking account soon and wanted to see what recommendations people might have on banks. I'm going to be in Austin, so either big chains or local Austin banks are viable. I've had a Wells Fargo account in the past, which has been ok, but I won't be eligible for their college checking account and thus can't get free Bill Pay.

I'm looking for:

• Free online banking
• Free bill pay
• No account fee (or waived with *small* balance)
• Provides Visa-backed debit card (pretty much everyone)
• Don't give a flip about savings, because I already have my ING Direct account for that
• Don't care if it's interest-bearing, because those interest rates are always tiny anyways
• Preferably good customer service, but lack of crazy hidden fees is a higher priority than that

hey i would look into frost bank. they are pretty big in Austin and known for their customer service.

https://www.frostbank.com/cgi-bin/ecomm/por...;action=summary

[jonathan83]

kookmin bank

[DaveFireDancer19]

I think BofA and Wachovia and WaMu all do that...(not sure though)

i know you didnt want tips on savings..i still have my ING account as well...but there are now savings accounts that have over 5% interest...check out bankrate.com I've just been too lazy to switch

[Billy]

Wells Fargo is by far the worse bank, period. Some of the nonsense they pull I think borders illegal. America State Bank is also a bank I wouldn't recommend, however, hands down is better than Wells Fargo.

I think the only reason why people use Wells Fargo is because it's hip and those using them haven't had much experience using any other banks.

I do not know if this bank is in Austin, but definitely check out City Bank if they are. They are fast (and honest, unlike Wells Fargo) for online banking. I do believe they have free checking (in fact, in the past and possibly now, they'll pay you to open up an account with them). I have had nothing but a positive experience with them.

[Spectatrix]

Thanks for the recommendations. Billy, I presume you meant Citibank, not City Bank, right?

[Aaron]

I have Bank of America... they keep my money safe and don't let midget steal it.

So I give them an A+.

[Seussninja]

Compass Bank is pretty good too, check em out.

[Spectatrix]

Any particular bank other than WF that you guys would NOT recommend?

[The Fanatic]

I use american state bank and enjoy it. But, for where you are I would suggest either wells fargo or bank of america

[Billy]

Thanks for the recommendations. Billy, I presume you meant Citibank, not City Bank, right?

City Bank may be Lubbock only. So I also vote for America State Bank.

[Throwdown]

bank of america fucking sucks.

it took 8 days for two debit charges to hit my account. 8 fucking days!

they held my paycheck for 5 days without any reason

they held a 5 figure check for 3 WEEKS before letting it clear. the check was drawn from a boa account and deposited into another boa account

they tried to charge me $200 in fees because i opened a savings account and never made any deposits, because i realized how shitty their service is. i just finally sent a response letter telling them to, in effect, go fuck themselves.


First State Bank in austin is excellent

[Hartmann]

Isn't America(n) State Bank West Texas specific?

[FORSAKENR320]

I have Bank of America... they keep my money safe and don't let midget steal it.

So I give them an A+.

is the plural for midget "midgii" or "midgets"?



i like midgii better

[impala454]

i've used bank of america since 1996 (when they were called nationsbank). never had any problems with them and particularly like the availability of ATMs, awesome bill pay options, and no fees. they have everything in spec's list.

[Spectatrix]

Yes, ASB is only in West Texas. I had an account with them for a few months but switched to the Tech Credit Union when I realized that the folks at ASB (at least the campus location) were all rude as fuck.

[pysex]

If you have the ability to get into USAA then I would highly recommend doing that. Their banking system is one of the top in the U.S.

Free checking, free bill pay, free checks, free ATM...

in the past you used to have to mail in deposits....now it's really damn easy
if you have a scanner you just scan your check in, submit it through their website and the funds will be in the account the following business day...


USAA is for military, vets, and their families in case you were wondering



If you can't do USAA then I would recommend anything other than Wells Fargo.

[impala454]

edit: heh oops didnt realize the list would be so big on the post... lets just say, tons of ebill and payee options

[jwttu]

thanks for the super long reply

[Mommy]

Bank of America has a checking account that would meet all those requirements except the no account fee. However, the fee starts 3 months after opening an account and if you have direct deposit with your paycheck, the fee is waived. Only problem I have with them is charging a foreign ATM usage charge. In other words, not only do you get a fee from the bank whose ATM you are using, you also get a fee from BofA. Doesnt bother me much since there are Bank of America ATM's everywhere. I have had a ton of bank accounts and their online banking is far superior to any other online banking I have ever seen. They have awesome money management tools and have a ton of bill pay services that are free.

Compass Bank and Chase Bank run a bunch of cool specials for signing up for an account like a free portable DVD player or $75 free within 10 days of opening the account. They are awesome banks as well.

Stay away from Wells Fargo. I have heard horror stories about their online bill pay. Also, their online banking doesnt allow for money transfers to non-Wells Fargo account holders while Bank of America's does.

This post has been edited by Jessica: Dec 8 2006, 05:44 PM

[DaveFireDancer19]

bank of america fucking sucks.

it took 8 days for two debit charges to hit my account. 8 fucking days!

they held my paycheck for 5 days without any reason

they held a 5 figure check for 3 WEEKS before letting it clear. the check was drawn from a boa account and deposited into another boa account

they tried to charge me $200 in fees because i opened a savings account and never made any deposits, because i realized how shitty their service is. i just finally sent a response letter telling them to, in effect, go fuck themselves.
First State Bank in austin is excellent

stop bitching..go read info on regulation CC and do something about it if you arent happy with your banks..its not their fault you arent aware of a regulation/your rights.


thats the bank regulator in coming out...

[DaveFireDancer19]

i've used bank of america since 1996 (when they were called nationsbank). never had any problems with them and particularly like the availability of ATMs, awesome bill pay options, and no fees. they have everything in spec's list.

ditto..never had an issue...with anything..even checks clearing when they are supposed to (of course now i know when they are supposed to clear and what the bank can and cannot hold for however many business days)

[Mommy]

Honestly, I never had problems like Will did with BofA. My mom would send me personal checks of sometimes up to $800 and they would hit 1-2 business days later. There is a 30-90 day ( forget exactly) period after you sign up for the bank account that your deposits are subject to a longer hold (only happened once to me and they only held the check for 3 days), but thats the case with most banks because they want to protect themselves against fraud.

[DaveFireDancer19]

Honestly, I never had problems like Will did with BofA. My mom would send me personal checks of sometimes up to $800 and they would hit 1-2 business days later. There is a 30-90 day ( forget exactly) period after you sign up for the bank account that your deposits are subject to a longer hold (only happened once to me and they only held the check for 3 days), but thats the case with most banks because they want to protect themselves against fraud.

and they can legally do that with new accounts....nice of that to only hold it for 3 days...id hafta dig out my notes for the exact number of days..but i konw its longer than that for new accounts.

whenever i deposit anything with BoA i always get the first $100 immediatly and the rest the next day...that is whats legal...unless of course its a large check and/or a number of other things that allow the bank to hold checks longer..(its a long list of fairly common things..haha)

[Jwilly]

wells fargo and bank of america are good for simple stuff for that but you might have to charm bank of america into perqs

[Seeker]

Good:
Texans Credit Union (This is what I use, sorry you're not in Dallas.)
CapitalOne (These guys are pretty good, I plan to open an account there.)
Guaranty Bank (They give you American Airline miles if you keep so much money in your checking account.)
Hibernia (They we're good, I think they merged with CapitalOne though.)

Piss:
Wells Fargo
Bank of America
Citibank
Citybank
Compass
Chase (Can you say swastika logo?)

[Mommy]

and they can legally do that with new accounts....nice of that to only hold it for 3 days...id hafta dig out my notes for the exact number of days..but i konw its longer than that for new accounts.

whenever i deposit anything with BoA i always get the first $100 immediatly and the rest the next day...that is whats legal...unless of course its a large check and/or a number of other things that allow the bank to hold checks longer..(its a long list of fairly common things..haha)

whenever I deposit my paycheck through the ATM, I get $500 of it immediately into my account and the rest hits the following business day at midnight. I can actually deposit my check into the ATM, run home, and see the extra $500 on my online banking. Its cool. Thats a hell of a lot better than any other bank I have used.

[Throwdown]

stop bitching..go read info on regulation CC and do something about it if you arent happy with your banks..its not their fault you arent aware of a regulation/your rights.
thats the bank regulator in coming out...

go fuck yourself?

debit charges with other banks i've used hit at midnight, sometimes two days for certain situations. not 8 days

payroll checks i deposit everywhere else hit at midnight the day i deposit them and allow me to fully cash them if i wish. boa held mine for for 5 days and didn't give a reason even though i spoke to a branch manager and wasted 45 minutes on their 800 number.

i've never once heard of any bank holding a same bank-same bank check at all, let alone for 3 goddamn weeks


so yeah, go fuck yourself

[GOB]

never had a problem with wells fargo or their bill pay or online banking. you are all inferior for having had such problems.

[Spectatrix]

I may just open an account with Randolph-Brooks FCU again. I used them when I lived in San Marcos and loved the customer service. I didn't do checking with them, though, so I'm not sure how that is.

[Tygriss]

wells fargo = bad. opened up an acct with them, it's been 4 months and no debit/atm/visa card.

opened an acct with bank of america and got mine in less than a week. can open accounts online even. i disputed a charge with time warner, boa credit me back that day and dealt with time warner for me.

their myaccess checking account has a special going on right now for no monthly fees. no direct deposits. no minimum balance. i just opened a second account.

[Rocky]

never had a problem with wells fargo or their bill pay or online banking. you are all inferior for having had such problems.

Same...everything works fine for me.


Only complaint i've ever had was when I went to a branch in Lubbock, requested they update my address information, and they didn't after 2 weeks.


I went online, changed it there, and it was updated within 2 hours.


I can live with that one instance though. I get my direct deposits always in a timely manner, and when I've had to call them about stuff they've been fine.

Y'all just suck at banking. Fags.

[chook]

still got my Lackland FCU

Probably change from ASB to wf when i leave lubbock.