1. You have chosen to ignore posts from WhirledPeasPlease. Show WhirledPeasPlease's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 11:39 AM EDT

    Whatever you do, avoid Citizens. I've never had so many problems with one place. Sovereign's a good bank. No fees (depending on what you're doing) and they're accessible. 
     

  2. You have chosen to ignore posts from kargiver. Show kargiver's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 11:46 AM EDT

    Here's  the site we used to choose our current bank, Athol Savings.  It's probably not near you, though.  Another bank we are considering (to diversify, not because we are unhappy with Athol) is Country Bank.

    http://www.bankrate.com/rates/safe-sound/bank-ratings-search.aspx
     

  3. You have chosen to ignore posts from pinkkittie27. Show pinkkittie27's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 11:57 AM EDT

    I use Citizens and like them a lot, I haven't really had any problems with them. I also hear good things about TD Bank, but their checking accounts either have to have a minimum balance or a fee. My in-laws use Wachovia and adore it, although I think they just merged with another bank?

     

  4. You have chosen to ignore posts from PugsandKisses. Show PugsandKisses's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 11:59 AM EDT

    I'm not sure if you have one near you, but I love Rockland Trust.  No fees, and they even have an Eco-savings program where you earn 10 cents for every purchase over $10 that you make using your debit card.  They were also incredibly helpful in providing me with all the banking history info I needed when DH and I bought our condo.
     

  5. You have chosen to ignore posts from cicirose. Show cicirose's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 12:20 PM EDT

    I've been a sovereign customer for years and never had any problems.

    I also used to have an account with BOA but closed that when they started depositing and withdrawing some random person's money from my account and couldn't explain how or why it happened and took MONTHS for them to straighten it out.

    You might want to check out this website if you are looking for interest checking accounts https://www.checkingfinder.com/



     

  6. You have chosen to ignore posts from kargiver. Show kargiver's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 12:29 PM EDT

    The website I listed ranks the banks by strength of assets.  We made sure to choose 4/5 star banks.  I'd plug in my choice to see what it has to say before putting money in there.  If it's a one or two star bank...even a 3 star, I'd pick something else.


     

  7. You have chosen to ignore posts from lucy7368. Show lucy7368's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 12:34 PM EDT

    I've never had any problems with BofA, but I have OCD when it comes to my checking account.  My favorite bank is my credit union back in CA, which probably wouldn't work for you.

    One thing you might want to consider is the online banks like E*Trade or Charles Schwab.  The Schwab checking account has a lot of good features.  They'll send you postage-paid envelopes to mail in deposits, and they reimburse fees for using other bank ATMs, which means you can withdraw money anywhere you happen to be.  I've been thinking about making the switch for awhile, but I'm just too lazy to change banks without a good reason.

    PK, Wachovia just merged with either Wells Fargo or Washington Mutual. 

    I worked for Wells Fargo during a huge merger a few years ago, and I can say that in the middle of a huge merger is probably a bad time to get a first impression of a new bank.  It was chaos for several months.
     

  8. You have chosen to ignore posts from spinningwheel. Show spinningwheel's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 1:46 PM EDT

    Thanks for all the suggestions!  A couple I just thought of are Wainwright (heard good things, but just 3 stars on the site kargiver posted) and Eastern (5 stars).  Any experience with those?  They seem to have convenient locations.  Also, anyone have personal experience with those mail-in banks?  I'm a USAA member and they have that and the reimbursement of ATM fees (they also have a feature where you can deposit by scanning and emailing your check -- cool, but scares me!).  They are 4 stars....

    I totally get being too lazy to switch!  I've pretty much had the same bank account since I was a kid -- though the original was swallowed up many mergers ago.
     

  9. You have chosen to ignore posts from lucy7368. Show lucy7368's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 1:51 PM EDT

    My best friend has USAA.  She's done the scan and e-mail thing many times, and she's never had a problem.  I think it's super cool.
     

  10. You have chosen to ignore posts from Scorpio75. Show Scorpio75's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 2:03 PM EDT

    I had BOA didn't like some of their policies so DH and I agreed that we would do our joint account at Sovereign since that is where he had his account.  We were not happy with them at all, they would not explain things to us, were rude when I asked questions (we went in person) and then they lost our checks.  They mailed them to an outdated address for my DH, he had  not been at that address in over a 1.5 years and they had our current address as the address of record for him.  They could not explain why they went to the old address even though their form listed our current address.  And they were not helpful regarding our concerns about theft since they could not trace the checks to see if they were returned and destroyed or if they were returned and opened etc, so we did not feel comfortable at all, for all we knew someone had our account number via the missing checks.

    I have to say I am loving USAA right now, which is where we went after the Sovereign fiasco.
     

  11. You have chosen to ignore posts from lucy7368. Show lucy7368's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 2:17 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Kinda OT - banks:
    They mailed them to an outdated address for my DH, he had  not been at that address in over a 1.5 years and they had our current address as the address of record for him.  They could not explain why they went to the old address even though their form listed our current address. 
    Posted by Scorpio75


    If the person who places the order isn't paying attention, the checks will automatically go to the address the last order went to.  So, for people who don't order checks very often, it could go to a very, very old address.  They probably just hit "reprint," and the checks printed with, and shipped to, the old address.

    I can't believe no one could explain that.  It happens more frequently than you would think.
     

  12. You have chosen to ignore posts from pinkkittie27. Show pinkkittie27's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 2:21 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Kinda OT - banks:
    I've never had any problems with BofA, but I have OCD when it comes to my checking account.  My favorite bank is my credit union back in CA, which probably wouldn't work for you. One thing you might want to consider is the online banks like E*Trade or Charles Schwab.  The Schwab checking account has a lot of good features.  They'll send you postage-paid envelopes to mail in deposits, and they reimburse fees for using other bank ATMs, which means you can withdraw money anywhere you happen to be.  I've been thinking about making the switch for awhile, but I'm just too lazy to change banks without a good reason. PK, Wachovia just merged with either Wells Fargo or Washington Mutual.  I worked for Wells Fargo during a huge merger a few years ago, and I can say that in the middle of a huge merger is probably a bad time to get a first impression of a new bank.  It was chaos for several months.
    Posted by lucy7368


    thanks, I couldn't think of who they'd merged with. Hopefully their customers stay happy.
     

  13. You have chosen to ignore posts from cosmogirl. Show cosmogirl's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 2:44 PM EDT

    I have no complaints with BOA.  I have my paycheck direct-deposited and there are no monthly fees. 

    Being an ATM-er, I like that they are everywhere. 
     

  14. You have chosen to ignore posts from Peonie. Show Peonie's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 2:47 PM EDT

    I am a BOA user as well, and like Cosmo, like that they are EVERYWHERE. I used to have Watertown Savings and loved them, but couldn't stand that I had to pay fee's anytime I wasn't near one of their ATM's and needed to withdraw money.
     

  15. You have chosen to ignore posts from laryan. Show laryan's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 3:19 PM EDT

    alot of these banks (boa/citizen's/sovereign) waive their monthly fees if you sign up for direct deposit 

    i love citizens and have never had any problems with them.  I love the fact they have branches in stop & shop, and are open sundays if I need a teller... 
     

  16. You have chosen to ignore posts from trex509. Show trex509's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 3:39 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Kinda OT - banks:
    I have no complaints with BOA.  I have my paycheck direct-deposited and there are no monthly fees.  Being an ATM-er, I like that they are everywhere. 
    Posted by cosmogirl


    Ditto. 

    My original account (from like middle school!) was with the old Bay Bank.  They got swallowed over and over again in the 20 or so years since then, so that now I'm with BOA.  I've never had a problem and I like their online bill pay.  But since I've never used anyone else, I have no point of comparison.  Good luck!
     

  17. You have chosen to ignore posts from spinningwheel. Show spinningwheel's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 4:26 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Kinda OT - banks:
    My best friend has USAA.  She's done the scan and e-mail thing many times, and she's never had a problem.  I think it's super cool.
    Posted by lucy7368

    That's very good to know.  I did recently open an account with them but haven't done anything more than the initial deposit because I'm lazy and chicken.  Maybe that's the way to go....
     

  18. You have chosen to ignore posts from Peonie. Show Peonie's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 4:28 PM EDT

    Remember Fleet??
     

  19. You have chosen to ignore posts from lucy7368. Show lucy7368's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 4:37 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Kinda OT - banks:
    alot of these banks (boa/citizen's/sovereign) waive their monthly fees if you sign up for direct deposit  i love citizens and have never had any problems with them.  I love the fact they have branches in stop & shop, and are open sundays if I need a teller... 
    Posted by laryan


    I don't have direct deposit, and I have no monthly fees with BofA.  I get the fee waived because I opened the account online (which I would have done, anyway).

    For someone who is determined to avoid fees, and willing to spend some time on it, you can usually find a way.

    I also love that BofA is everywhere.  I chose them because I was looking for a bank that had branches both here and in my hometown.  There were two options, and the other one had exactly one branch in my hometown.  For the past three years, I've been pretty happy with them.

    I also like that there's a branch half a block from my office (for when it's snowing), and one half a mile from my office (for when I want to get out for a bit).
     

  20. You have chosen to ignore posts from jasmine09. Show jasmine09's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 6:51 PM EDT

    I suggest using different banks for your savings account than your checking account. Almost none of these retail banks offer any sort of decent rate of return on your savings account. You can earn about 1.3% APR (subject to change) from any of these online accounts, and set up free electronic transfers between these high yield savings accounts and your regular checking account.  They are FDIC insured, so your money is safe, and it is available for transfer at any time.

    We chose our checking acct bank on the basis of its convenient ATM locations and no-fee service, and then we use a free online savings account to get a bit of interest on our savings.
     

  21. You have chosen to ignore posts from rysmom. Show rysmom's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/2/2010 9:39 PM EDT

    We really liked Watertown Savings when we were in the area.  My DH worked for Fleet at the time and many of the people that worked there actually banked at Watertown savings.  Currently we use a credit union for our primary bank and have a couple of accounts at BOA.  We really like using the credit union but where we live there are tons of options for ATMs that are partnered with the credit union.  They are more available than the more major banks (BOA, Sovereign, and Citizens).  
     

  22. You have chosen to ignore posts from cicirose. Show cicirose's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/3/2010 8:10 AM EDT

    I agree with Jasmine to look into online banks for savings accounts. We use Ally, ING and HSBC which all have higher rates than the typical bank. The only disadvantage is if you need to transfer money immediately because it takes a few days. Usually you can get an ATM card for emergencies but then you are subject to the daily ATM withdrawal limit. I used my HSBC ATM card a few times and was reimbursed for the ATM fees charged by the other bank (no fee charged by HSBC).

     

  23. You have chosen to ignore posts from kargiver. Show kargiver's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/3/2010 8:19 AM EDT

    CD rates vary widely, as well, bank to bank.

    I have an ING savings account, and I really like that.  Not sure what the rate is right now, though.  It was 4.3% at one point, but long gone are those days, I know.
     

  24. You have chosen to ignore posts from lucy7368. Show lucy7368's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/3/2010 10:40 AM EDT

    I agree that it's a good idea to have a savings account at an online bank that will pay you higher interest - eTrade was paying close to 6% at one point (although, I'm sure it's much lower now).

    However, you should also have a small savings account linked to your checking account to cover you in case of any problems.  Accidents happen to the best of us (and, even if you're as OCD as I am, the bank can make mistakes, too, and it's easier to prevent the problem with overdraft protection than to deal with a bunch of returned items later).
     

  25. You have chosen to ignore posts from cicirose. Show cicirose's posts

    Re: Kinda OT - banks

    posted at 8/3/2010 11:39 AM EDT

    Does anyone have an online only checking account?  There are some that offer no fees and 3-4% interest right now. Would be nice to have one of those, but what do you do if you need to make a cash or check deposit, especially if it's urgent??? I don't know anyone that uses one of these accounts but would be interested in hearing more about someone's experience with them.

    I am considering switching to Newport Fed since they offer 2% on checking accounts with similar requirements and benefits to the online accounts and they are semi-local. Although only ranked 3 stars by Kar's website they are FDIC insured so not sure if it's a big deal.

    http://www.newportfederal.com/checking7.html