This is less a post than a request for help. I bank exclusively online at NetBank. Recently, they were bought out by ING and, honestly, the service has sucked ever since. In fact, in January, my ATM card is going to be cancelled, and I will have to switch to an ING account which, in my opinion, is something they should be facilitating. But whatever. Do any of you use a super-fantastic bank you can recommend? I was thinking of opening a Charles Schwab checking account because they have no fees and refund all ATM fees you may be charged. Thoughts?
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Dreggas
Eh, I use Wamu and have been pretty happy with them overall.
Zifnab
My Compass Bank account has been generally trouble-free, although I mostly just use it for Checking and Savings. They’ve got a overdraft protection on my Debit Card, so it auto-draws money from my savings when I go over. This is cool until I abuse it and invoke the “You can’t make more than six deductions a month from your savings account” rule. That said, my money market savings account gives me a 5% APY interest payment. That’s half as good as just shoving my money in the DOW and praying we don’t hit a recession and there’s absolutely no risk.
Cinderella Ferret
Got to the Motley Fool website use their online tools to evaluate your best options. I personally use TD Ameritrade for banking and brokerage. Have been with them since it was TD Waterhouse and always get good service online and on the phone. Nothing like some good phone service. OK that was juvenile and not helpful!
Michael D.
Cindarella: On behalf of all Canadians, I thank you for funneling your money into Toronto Dominion! :-)
oracledba
i’ve been with ING for several years and they’ve always been fantastic – the best overall has to be USAA –
Svensker
WaMu and BankAmerica (blech, blech, blech) have both been fine with me. WaMu’s been in the news more with exposure to the sub-prime mess (altho I can’t imagine BofA will escape…) Anyway, much as I dislike BofA’s giantness, it comes in handy when it comes to ATMs, even around the globe. WaMu charges less fees tho if you do fancy stuff, like wire transfers, etc.
LarryB
I use Wells Fargo, but then I live in California. I dunnoh if they are out East. They’re not super cheap, but they are full service and, in my experience, competent. They have a very decent online banking portal where you can do just about anything to any of your accounts from a single landing page. They have electronic bill pay too, but I don’t use it.
ryan
Just to get it out of the way, ’cause I’m sure it’s coming: yes, USAA members, you have the best freaking bank ever. Now quit rubbing it in the noses of those of us that can’t join.
Cinderella Ferret
I thought TD Ameritrade was HQ’d in Nebraska? Oh well, I guess it doesn’t really matter, as long as I can spend it.
Cinderella Ferret
Oh, I just got it. Must be this Tequila, because I am a little slow on the uptake. Well not on the Tequila obviously! Yah-tah-hey.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Bank of America has treated me fine.
andante
No experience with them myself, but I’ve had Emigrant Direct recommended highly by a number of people.
Davebo
After years of having both corporate and personal accounts at the behemouth that is Chase, I moved both to a local bank. It only has 4 or 5 branches, but I love it.
Then again, are there many small local banking institutions left?
Zifnab
I got the hell out of WelsFargo because they treated me like trash. They were constantly discontinuing my accounts which cased service prices to spike, they were never helpful over the phone, and they generally offered poor pain-in-the-ass service. But maybe that was just my branch.
DR
Welcome to the joys of unregulated capitalism. Banks are under no obligation, and certainly no customer pressure, to offer adequate services to chumps like you and I. Most of the banks will make just as much money with or without your business. Retail banking is simply not a profitable business. So most banks only offer retail services in the hope that you’ll take out a loan with them, which is when they make the real money…
So if you want good service from a bank, take out a loan with them…
Doubting Thomas
Find a credit union or small local bank, you’ll never go back to the big boys!
Libby Spencer
Best bank in the entire USA is Florence Savings Bank in lovely downtown Noho. I’ve used their bank card all over the world with nary a fee. Unfortunately you have to live in the Happy Valley to bank there and I’m now with Bank of America. I don’t love them but they’re competent enough.
Doubting Thomas
Whoops, disregard! You were talking ONLINE banking…
ninerdave
Join a Credit Union. Fuck (oops did I say that out loud?) the commercial banks.
Credit Unions are generally linked together, so going into any CU’s branch is the same as going into yours. The interest rates are better, customer service is better, and both of mine refund ATM fees.
Frank
Check with ClarkHoward.com. He’s got great advice on all sorts of consuming/spending decisions.
Abe Froman
Credit Unions are way better then banks if you can get in one. But I’ve never had a problem with Ing. Of course I only have a savings account with them that I link to a different banks checking account.
Ted
Who needs a bank without a range of services online anymore?
I haven’t set foot in my bank’s branch office in the four years since I opened the accounts.
Zuzu
I have a good experience with Wells Fargo online banking, do all my bill pay, credit card stuff, etc. through linked accounts easey peasey. But yep, I’m a west coaster too.
I also like my Charles Schwab One account, use it for checks and online transfers to WFB, haven’t used the ATM card.
My son switched from Bank of America to USAA online banking, loves it but the deposit and ATM functions seem a little complicated for me.
babyinthecorner
You’re in the exact same fix as I am. Only I just learned that my debit card will stop working at the end of this month. And I won’t be able to write checks after Dec. 7. Would’ve been nice if they had told me that before I bought another box of checks, assholes.
NetBank folded because of the subprime mess.
I’m still not sure whether or not I should stick with ING or set up another online account.
jnfr
We have most of our accounts with a local credit union, including our mortgage and a car loan. They’ve been wonderful to deal with, even holding my hand during a recent bout of identity theft that required a lot of paperwork and annoyance. I can do most of my banking online through their web site, including paying bills and getting statements and so on.
But we do keep a savings account with ING online because it offers such a great interest rate. And just to be bizarre, we have a small savings account at Banque Laurentienne, because my husband and his family are Canadian and for various reasons it’s useful to have some money there.
Michael D.
Can I do Bill Pay from ING? I can’t find anything on their site about it.
Geoduck
I agree that a local bank is the way to go, if you can find one that satisfies your online requirements. If there’s a problem, you’re more likely to be able to get action.
ArchPundit
Michael, Yes-you can. It’s really hard to figure out until you open the account. I just finished the transition and I’m finding it quite pleasant and easy to use.
You send checks from online so you don’t actually have to order them or anything as well. Give it a try–I was pretty reluctant at first and I’m finding it far more pleasant once I signed up and started using it.
The information at the beginning sucks–but if I’d known all that I know now, I’d have switched as soon as it was possible.
jim
I use and dig and recommend WaMu. They’ve been great to me for years.
jake
Dude, stay away Charles Schawb. Stay away from anyone or anything with the initials C.S. They have issues.
I agree with people who say go local. If it is bigger than two branches it should have on-line banking and many of them are in networks that allow fee-free ATM use (my bank uses Allpoint).
Fledermaus
I’d recommend checking out you local credit unions first.
Zuzu
Jake –
What about CS?
Tayi
I’ve had very bad experiences with Bank of America. Despite the name, which implies a bank that is, you know, national, if you open an account in California or Washington, and then move to Missouri, your account will be completely unaccessible to the people in your new local branch office. A few days after I moved this summer, I went into the bank to deposit a check and make a payment on my BoA credit card, and it took almost an hour for the clerk to find my account information. I had to open up a brand new account, without all my earned ‘longtime customer’ benefits, just so I could access my money on a regular basis.
Of course, if you don’t live on the West Coast, and don’t ever plan on moving or traveling, then this might not bother you.
Psycheout
Whatever happened to Balloon Juice? I can’t even get angry reading this site anymore. It’s a great big pile of “meh.”
Recipies, beer blogging and banking advice? Man, what’s next? Homemaking hints? Knitting projects?
This is becoming the gayest site on the net. It’s too bad BJ had to come out of the closet after they already suckered enough people to vote for them in the weblog awards.
Is this place going to be all fruity all the time? I think I’ll seek enlightenment at the Chiquita banana website from now on. It’s probably more interesting.
VERY DISAPPOINTED.
Psycheout
BTW, there’s forums for self indulgent crap like this. Try forums.iamboring.com.
Anyone know any good stores to get yarn and fabric?
incontrolados
Zifnab, IIRC you are in or around Houston, no? If so, we’ve had the exact same experience. I left Wells Fargo several years ago (I went to the branch at Main and Elgin) for some of the same reasons. I have happily been with Compass ever since — I’ve haven’t paid one penny in fees and get a decent rate on savings.
laneman
hmm, I have had an ING account forever along with mine netbank
the transition seems to be unknown with the worker bees on teh phones. I have 3 times and received 3 different ‘what’s gonna happen’ talks
So, pre-emt and get a new atm card, I am really curious what that ‘check’ thing they talk about is…….
John Cole
I suck with all things financial. I am always forgetting to pay shit until it is late, and the only really smart thing I do financially is that I have a substantial portion of my income invested before I ever see it in a pay stub.
I would love nothing more than for a nice woman to fall in love with me, marry me, take care of all things financial, and give me an allowance every week. They can even dress me, because I don’t care about clothes, either.
I clean the gutters, cook, and handle whatever you don’t want, you deal with the finances and shop. The offer is open to any interested women.
PS- Package deal- I come with a really fat cat.
Randolph Fritz
I’d say look for a good local credit union–they’re usually a better deal than banks, and their service is usually about 100 times better.
global yokel
John,
Put your $$ into one of those savings and loans that has close ties to the Bush family. When the shit hits the fan and the USA goes belly-up, you can be sure that the Republicans will push some kind of legislation thru Congress than protects the privileged.
incontrolados
John, does your university have an ESL program? If so, I suggest prowling for a Russian young lady, or better yet, Kazak/Russian. Well educated (if they are here studying), generally attractive, and mostly finance/econ/law majors.
Not pimping nor suggesting anything negative. Just sayin’ based on my personal knowledge.
metalgrid
I use ING for my CDs and savings accounts. Service has been excellent for the past 10 years.
I use Wainwright Bank (hellooo gay bank!) for my checking account and for online bill pay – there are enough SUM network ATMs around where I live and work that all ATM transactions are free as a result.
Jan
I would recommend spending a little time figuring out which is the best independent community bank in your area. Ask people, and when you hear one recommended several times, that’s probably the one. Community banks are really into customer service; that’s how they differentiate themselves from the big network banks.
incontrolados
Oh, and I would have applied myself, but I like cleaning the gutters, cooking, remodeling, and I don’t care about clothes or finances much at all, so you wouldn’t get much out of the deal.
ImJohnGalt
Reason 1: the CAD is opening a huge can of WHOOPASS on the USD! Whooo!O!O1OoooO!O!O!O!OO!!Eleventy!!111!
Reason 2: Coloured money. So funny, but easier to recognize when you’re drunkenly paying a cab at 3:00 in the morning.
Reason 3: Ummm…contingency plans in case of a Giuliani Presidency?
ImJohnGalt
Oh man, I hate that the posting script strips out l33tsp3ak.
That “Whoo” had a whole much more bangs and eleventys in it.
ghost of zorro
Here John- this is your salvation-
At a time when national currencies are proving vulnerable to ill-considered
government policies and fluctuations in the global economy, how can regions
establish some degree of economic sovereignty? Local currencies provide a
tool for local economic stability in otherwise unstable economic times.
In its early stages BerkShares, a local currency issued in the Berkshire
region of Massachusetts, is a simple buy-local program. However it is
designed to evolve into an effective citizen tool to foster new
import-replacement businesses and grow the local economy in a way that is
responsible to the people and landscape of the region. At its full
potential as an independent locally-based medium of exchange, BerkShares
will calculate exchanges according to a non-inflationary local standard of
value.
srv
All ur crappy banks charge me $3 to use my USAA ATM card.
So USAA reimburses me.
That said, they just lost a 5 figure transfer between two of my accounts there, but I have like zero worries one call will get their asses in line.
jake
Still hoping for those 40 virgins?
John Cole
Well, I got hosed on the check, and I bargained down from 72 virgins to 40 and still don’t have shit to show for my Democratic registration.
Cuddlywill
I switched from Citibank and ING to Etrade bank, and have been happy with them. Their ATM fee refund policy is superwonderful and immediate.
incontrolados
John you are ignoring my suggestion because I called the Mona for what she is — a John Bircher.
Fine. Your loss.
John Cole
Hunh? I went through shots of top shelf tequila tonight like Mark Foley goes through pages and viagra. I am sure I missed a lot of shit.
Vlad
“Well, I got hosed on the check, and I bargained down from 72 virgins to 40 and still don’t have shit to show for my Democratic registration.”
If you’re willing to turn gay, I think I can get you a toaster.
ImJohnGalt
Funny, I’ve considered most of your posts to be a cry for help.
Thank you, I’ll be here all week. Try the veal.
DR
Funny how many people are suggesting a Credit Union here… John might have turned against the GOP guys, but he’s not yet made the leap to true rational thought. And Credit Unions are by far too much of a leftist (Anarcho-Syndicalist, to be exact, not Marxist) concept for a libertarian like John…
Michael D.
Thanks all. I think I’ve decided to stick with ING Direct, and will assume the crappy service I have received is just growing pains through the transition.
Let’s close this thread down now. Don’t want Psycheout to have a brain hemorrhage.
Tim C
Michael, Kevin and I are definitely dumping ING. I’ve banked with Netbank since 1996 (Atlanta Internet Bank) and was very happy with them. I now have a letter from ING telling me my ATM card stops working on Nov. 23. I haven’t been told about when they’ll stop honoring checks, but I assume it’s coming. My big problem with ING is that they do not have any mechanism for paper checks, and I still have to write 3 or so a month (cleaning lady, dry cleaner, haircut, etc.), plus any time you go to a political fundraiser, they’d like you to bring a check. I’m looking at Everbank, but their lack of ATMs is a problem (they’ll reimburse you $6 a month but you have to mail in your ATM receipts), and Bank of Internet USA (they’ll reimburse $8 – haven’t figured out the mechanism yet and their checking interest is better than ING). Netbank was a truly full service internet-based bank, and most of the others just are not.
Barry
global yokel Says:
“John,
Put your $$ into one of those savings and loans that has close ties to the Bush family. When the shit hits the fan and the USA goes belly-up, you can be sure that the Republicans will push some kind of legislation thru Congress than protects the privileged.”
The only problem with that is that the legislation will protect *them*, not us. It’ll probably simply relieve them of any obligation to give depositors their money back.
Charity
That’s funny you say that: I also had Netbank accounts, and read a news story about them being taken over by ING Direct. I’ve actually ported over to ING, and I have found their customer service to be prompt and helpful, setting up accounts to be quick and easy, their website attractive and even fun. In the last week, I’ve moved my paycheck to our joint account, “wrote” a check to my mom, and invested in a 6-month CD at 4.8%. I’m earning way more interest than I was at Netbank. And the moving money between linked accounts for FREE is fantastic. If I wanted to put money in our family account, I would have had to write a check and deposit it old-school, or pay $15 for a wire transfer. Now I can do it with two mouse clicks.
I hope your experience improves. I have only been content with ING Direct so far.
The Other Steve
The downside is you have to put up with “In Europe, men treat women like princess” comments. but if you just laugh and ignore those, the upsides are quite nice. :-)
The Other Steve
I do my regular banking at Wells Fargo, and I like it very much. I have a combination of benefits working to my advantage, and I got their super premier extra-duper-super, deluxe checking. Apparently just because of where I work, and/or how much money I’ve got sunk with them. So I get free money order, cashiers check and bill pay. It’s very nice. I also have my credit card through them,and a HELOC with them as well. All my banking is available on the web. I can pull up credit card statements, pay bills, transfer funds, etc.
Investment accounts are held at Fidelity… I highly recommend these guys for setting up an IRA, Roth, whatever.
Online banking… I have a GMACBank account, but it’s solely for savings, because they pay like 5%. my girlfriend uses Capital One for same purpose. I’ve heard good things about ING Direct.
But I’ve never looked into a online bank which gave an ATM card and such.
Jon H
Citibank has online-only banking, which recently offered 5% in their savings account (no minimum). Plus they have actual branches in some areas, and ATMs in 7-11 stores.
Dave in ME
I am in your same boat.
I am trying to close my damn accounts with NetBank/ING and cannot get a single fucking person on the phone.
I opened up checking/savings accounts with Bank of America and have been happy so far.
mrmobi
John, several others here have advocated a Credit Union, and will heartily second that. Service is the main reason. You get the kind of service at a Credit Union that you get if you are a rich guy at a regular bank. Ours has online banking, and recently helped us stop an identity thief who had fraudulently gotten access to our debit card information.
If it’s an option for you, I think it’s the best one.
stickler
I’d like to second Barry’s comments regarding this:
I tried this a while back with Enron. They were nice and tight with Bush and the whole Texas Republican establishment. “What could go wrong?” I told myself.
I bought at $70; I sold my shares when they were down to $15. Glad I did, but man was that a learning experience.
Bill H
Let me see if I have this right. You’re happy with the fact that you don’t have to pay any fees, but you’re unhappy with the poor service. And you don’t see any connection?
My credit union has really high fees, $5.00 per lifetime. Good online services, good in house services, nationwide atm which costs about $2 per use when I travel out of state. The atm fee is robbery, of course, but I can stay home if I don’t want to pay it, or I can pay for things with a credit card when I’m out of state.
Michael D.
Or you can do what I do – go to Kroger, buy the pack of gum you were going to buy anyway, and get $50 cash back.
Jess
Well, here’s another anarcho-syndicalist pimping for the credit unions. I’ve been researching the same question recently (just moved from the west coast to the east, and there’s no Wells Fargo’s here), and I did a search for complaints against the banks around here, and boy did I hear some sick stories! So I checked out the credit unions and was very impressed with not only what they offer, but their lack of the all-too-pervasive determination to screw the customer lurking behind the cheery facade of the typical bank. Credit unions are definitely the way to go–I can’t believe I didn’t go with them from day one.
Shell Goddamnit
My old credit union would transfer money between accounts – separate accounts held by linked persons, even – with just a phone call. The old one and the new credit union both have great online access too. Credit union is def the way to go. It’s really easy to join one these days, too…just requires a note from your employer, most times; and some have no requirement at all.
benr242
Etrade has always been great for me. All of the services you could ask for, and when I need to call for something, I’m usually on hold for less than a minute
incontrolados
incontrolados
block quotes worked better for me when I didn’t have the shortcut
Aaron
Bank of America for business sucks monkey balls if you have a low balance account.