What Bank do you like/work with?

ThatSwissIMGuy said:
Monthly Fees on every account regardless of balance is $3
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I have an HSBC checking account which requires a minimum, or you set up direct deposit for the account. I stopped keeping the minimum in the account and send a bit of paypal to keep it free. They changed the terms since I opened the account when they were bending over backwards (and gave me $50 for opening), but what I have now is the Choice Checking:

Checking
 


Well the incoming fees, sucky phone service and overdraft fees worry me more then the $3 fee per month.

I'm looking for a bank with good service and decent fees I don't mind paying monthly fees for that.
 
S M W said:
i need a bank that does free wire transfers...
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I remember seeing some ads on TV a few months ago, I'm pretty sure it was for Wachovia, they were advertising free OUTGOING wire transfers, which is huge. It might have been Wamu too, I can't really remember, started with a W. I never got off my ass to switch over, don't know if the offer is still on, but you can always ask.
 
Also, look into your small local banks for business accounts. They tend to have much better customer service. There aren't too many left tho after the buying sprees the bigger banks were on... Also make sure you've got your money in interest-free business checking or some other fully federally insured acct, 82 banks failed this year and a new one every week it seems.
 
Okay just called up Schwab Bank, and they sound excellent:

Phone service: Had somebody on the line in less then 10 seconds, he was American and excellent.

Montly Fees 0

Wire In Cost 0

Overdraft fee: 25 per transaction

Their Visa Card has an automatic 2% Cashback program

All in all they sounded great, looks like I found a very good candidate.

Thanks for mentioning it!
 
That'd be awesome I transfer money from Switzerland to the US on a regular basis so that'd be great.

Are there any disadvantages in dealing with a more investment type bank (which Schwab seems to be) that I should know of?
 
I have also called Schwab Bank back in the day and considered them before going to Chase.

The only thing that turned me off was the fact they only have 1 branch for their bank and it is in either Reno or Las Vegas ( dont remember ), not that I mind going there... but that is no where near me atm.

They also had really high daily spending on their cards as well.
 
My banks are USAA and BoA.

For BoA, they have a program where you can put some spare funds in your savings account and it acts as a buffer if you were to hit overdraft. Might be worth it to keep a grand or so in there just as a safeguard.

I also have credit cards with Amex as well who I used to love, but I'll never get another one again because of the way they've treated me ...
 
eliquid said:
I have also called Schwab Bank back in the day and considered them before going to Chase.

The only thing that turned me off was the fact they only have 1 branch for their bank and it is in either Reno or Las Vegas ( dont remember ), not that I mind going there... but that is no where near me atm.

They also had really high daily spending on their cards as well.
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Well they DO have the investment branches in a lot of cities and I think you can use those for basic banking too. (I'll call them and ask about it).

The no ATM fee worldwide really makes up for that though!
 
ThatSwissIMGuy said:
On second thought, anyone work with any Swiss banks in the US? So UBS, CS etc for personal banking, not investing?
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My parents both work for UBS- albeit in their wealth management and investment banking departments.

For what it's worth- neither of them chooses to bank with them (although both have investment portfolios with their employer). That tells me all I need to know.

But, if you want to take a gander, their banking info (for individuals) is here: UBS - Banking
 
phillian said:
My parents both work for UBS- albeit in their wealth management and investment banking departments.

For what it's worth- neither of them chooses to bank with them (although both have investment portfolios with their employer). That tells me all I need to know.

But, if you want to take a gander, their banking info (for individuals) is here: UBS - Banking
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Thanks for the Info!
Do you know the reasons why your parents don't bank with them?
 
sgtryan said:
Bank of America (business) & Wells Fargo (personal). Relatively happy with both but not a huge fan of the BoA interest rates I am getting.
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B of A provides a lot of online info re: transactions and their ATM take cash and can scan checks and put the copy on your receipt at the ATM. Keep the change helps save and it's a little extra money every year.

Local credit unions usually have the best interest rates
 
ThatSwissIMGuy said:
Thanks for the Info!
Do you know the reasons why your parents don't bank with them?
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Couldn't tell you why his parents don't bank there ;) but a guy I know who works there also doesn't bank there.

My take on it is they market themselves towards high-end clients & upsell them on money management services. They don't have as many local branches as the other retail banks, and they don't go out of their way to entice Joe The Plumber type customers. So you probably won't see anyone here banking with em.


ThatSwissIMGuy said:
Are there any disadvantages in dealing with a more investment type bank (which Schwab seems to be) that I should know of?
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They're more likely to offer you money market checking, which is technically more dangerous, though most of those funds are being very conservative with money right now. You are less likely to see that offered from a standard bank.

Schwab started as a discount stock brokerage, so their banking fees are reasonable. Unlike E*trade, they stayed out of the loan / credit derivative biz, so they're pretty safe. You should definitely stay the hell away from E*trade though.


Just know as a non-US citizen (you're not, right?) you're fucked if your bank goes bankrupt.
No FDIC insurance for you!
 
Oh I was not aware that I (non US citizen) wasn't insured. As always it's great to be discriminated against. You can't fire fat people, retarted people etc. but foreigners?? Fuck them! ...

Well I suppose financial strenght will be an issue then too.
 
blingo said:
Couldn't tell you why his parents don't bank there ;) but a guy I know who works there also doesn't bank there.
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Ahem. I am a girl. (Ref. line above my avatar).

blingo said:
My take on it is they market themselves towards high-end clients & upsell them on money management services. They don't have as many local branches as the other retail banks, and they don't go out of their way to entice Joe The Plumber type customers. So you probably won't see anyone here banking with em.
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I called my dad at work. In his kindest work friendly voice, he casually mentioned that if you aren't banking north of half a mil per year or won't be giving their IB / WM departments a large lump sum to manage on your behalf, expect to be treated like hired help. End quote.

ThatSwissIMGuy said:
Thanks for the Info!
Do you know the reasons why your parents don't bank with them?
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See above.
 
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