I can't believe people still go to banks.

lol Only whan I have someone that pays me in cash! 

In the last 10 years, the only time I've entered a brick and mortar bank is to get a document notarized. Yet the less I use them, the more new ones seem to pop up. Strange paradox. 

What a bunch of crybabies!!! 

Yet the less I use them, the more new ones seem to pop up. Strange paradox.

I think that too. I assume on line banking and direct deposit has greatly increased in recent years...yet in Kingwood every othe new builds seams to be a bank. Most odd.

AND I love B of A. I still keep my original account in California which i have had for 25 + years. ?They don't put a hold no any check forme . If I have a problem I know I can get it resolved by a phone call to my branch. I think maybe we are "good" customers rather like all the loving that goes to top tier FF in the airlines or mucky mucks in the hotels! I don't get any charges either. Maybe I'm grandfathered....cos I'm not rich!!!!! 

Twicke and I will never agree on Amegy. We have talked IRL at great length, and I guess she hasn't talked to DW about it yet. Boy, are you in for it when you do! When we drive past an Amegy branch she points it out and starts talking like a jihadist. You should have seen what they put us through trying to get them to honor one of YOUR checks last year. DW went WAY up the Amegy chain chewing butts about how the teller AND manager at one branch didn't understand that a signature guarantee and an endorsement guarantee are the same thing (WLH), and the teller AND manager at ANOTHER branch didn't even know what a signature guarantee was (KW dr @ Royal Forest). Good grief! By the time we got off the phone and got to branch #3 (Atascocita) the sh!t had rolled back downhill and the branch manager fell all over himself turning the check over to a cashier's check for us. I wish I could remember why we needed to turn that check over, because we deposit GAP checks at Woodforest a few dozen times a year without turning them over first.

I banked at Klein bank before they merged with SWBT and became Amegy, which was shortly before I got married. Sifi's post must have been written by a major member of a CU or an upper manager of one, because it's mostly rubbish. Members with tiny shares are just dirt on the CU's shoes, but one comment was accurate: major banks rely on fees as a major revenue source and jump on any opportunity to impose them.

As newlyweds struggling to pull a new life together with no money (we were nearly 30, but I had retired to life in a hammock and she had never left home), Amegy held CASH deposits for FOUR DAYS sometimes while paying drafts and bouncing checks in the interim, then overdrawing our account with a plethora of fees, which resulted in further overdrafts and returned items and the cycle continued into overdraft hell, along with now-unpaid bills and the fees/charges that went with those. Banks that operate like that have the power to plunge families into financial ruin and threaten their basic necessities like groceries and electricity, all to pursue their fee-based revenue model. Eff 'em.

Our personal Woodforest account draws interest, has no minimums, no fees except for returned items (which I can count on one hand since 2005), and no charge for replacement debit cards or boxes of checks. They actually pay us for the privilege of having our money on hand to lend out to other customers and charge interest on, which is what the business model of banks started out being and should still be.

We have had a business account with them since PC Supreme's inception in 2006, and it is almost as good. It draws interest and we only pay for checks, debit cards, and a pittance of a monthly fee. 

So 2 pages of bank bashing....... From a simple question......
I sense A LOT of anger in the community. 

Sifi's post must have been written by a major member of a CU or an upper manager of one, because it's mostly rubbish.


No, it's not. Huge banks suck. Sorry it's just the truth. And you said customer service is better there? That's just funny.

Here's what Consumer Reports says about huge banks vs. small community banks and credit unions:


Consumer Reports-The Move Your Money campaign spearheaded by blogger and pundit Arianna Huffington urges consumers to switch from big corporate banks to local ones. Too-big-to-fail banks took taxpayer bailout money and then, the argument goes, repaid that generosity by cutting home-equity loans, raising APRs on credit cards, and refusing to refinance mortgages.

Although smaller banks emphasize service and community ties, national banks generally have more branches and better online and mobile banking. That said, there are great deals at local banks and especially at credit unions. Among the benefits:

Better credit cards

According to July 2009 data from the Pew Charitable Trusts, credit unions offer interest rates that are 20 percent lower than those of banks, plus lower late fees and over-the-limit fees ($20 on average compared with $39 at banks). Federal credit unions can't legally charge more than 18 percent interest, even if you're late paying and end up with the default APR. Small banks, including Simmons and IberiaBank, offer cards with some of the lowest APRs in the U.S.

Higher yields on savings

Local banks often charge lower fees on checking accounts and offer high-yield checking accounts with interest rates of up to 4 percent. The amount you can deposit might be capped at $10,000 to $50,000, though, and you generally must set up direct deposit, make 10 or more debit transactions per month, and manage your account online. Find banks offering those accounts at CheckingFinder.com.

Low-rate loans

Community banks and credit unions might be less likely to take a cookie-cutter approach in evaluating borrowers for mortgages, auto loans, and personal loans. Local banks that avoided exotic subprime mortgages might have solid balance sheets and offer low-rate mortgages and refinancing. They could also be more flexible in lending to people with blemished credit scores.

Bottom line

If you're sold on moving your money, look for a small bank at www.moveyourmoney.info/find-a-bank. Also go to www.creditunion.coop/cu_locator or www.findacreditunion.com. Qualifying for credit unions is easier than it used to be. For instance, you can join the Pentagon Federal Credit Union, which offers good credit cards and low-interest loans, by donating $20 to the National Military Family Association.

Be sure your chosen bank is covered by federal deposit insurance (go to www.fdic.gov/edie) and is financially strong (see Bankrate.com's Safe & Sound Ratings). If you use direct deposit or automatic bill payment, see whether the new bank offers a switch kit to transfer all your accounts.