Where do you do your banking and do you like it?

[Planogirl]

I'm with the evil Bank of America and I'm fine with them. They covered me once when I somehow miscalculated my balances and they paid for something that should have bounced. I appreciate that but now I'm way more careful!

[jlewisinsyr]

One note about credit unions, most are part of a national network of credit unions, so you have access to their branches, ATMs, etc. I'm in NC now and still bank with my credit union back in NY, but I do all my branch deposits at a network credit union about a mile from my office and home.

[Ciao Mickey]

Originally Posted by njmom47

I too use Wells Fargo (have had them and all the predecessors going back to, um, 1977 ) and really like them. The local branch where I bank (maybe in person every other month or so) has great tellers and "desk" people alike.
Our company credit union is not a full-service cu and therefore is mostly useless (except for savings) so that is not an option for me.

ETA OP, you wanted to make a withdrawl from your savings account? I don't have a savings account with WF but can't you use an ATM card to make that type of withdrawl? I think it gives you the option of choosing which account to make the withdrawl from.

I was taking money out of my checking and putting it into my savings. I forgot to write a check for the withdrawal (real duh on my part) but was able to use a withdrawal slip instead.

What made me mad is the woman refused to give me any extra withdrawal
slips. I never had a problem getting them when I had Wachovia.

She said they consider withdrawal slips *blank checks* I have never heard that before and don't know if this woman knows what she's talking about or if it's the bank's policy.

If it is the policy of Wells Fargo, that means that any time I want to withdraw money from my savings I have to wait on line for a teller and ask for a withdrawal slip and then go make it out and then I have to get back on line to get my money which doesn't sit too well with me.

I don't have an ATM card nor do I want one, I use cash or credit card.

[anc876]

We are military and bank with USAA. They seem to have a more liberal policy for who can use their services nowadays. Switched over from a credit union. Didn't like their fee structure and
lack of 24-hr support. When we had fraudulent activity on our account, they were closed - no one was available to help in person, online or by phone - and we had to stand by and watch as almost a thousand dollars was stolen. It was eventually replaced, but we felt uncomfortable without round-the-clock service.

One con: no brick-and-mortar branches. Everything is done by phone or computer. That hasn't been a problem for us except in the rare instance we sell something and have a lot of cash on hand that we'd like to deposit.

Free checking and savings accounts, checks, billpay, ATM fee reimbursement, instant check deposit by phone or scanner. We also have insurance policies and a credit card through USAA. Great customer service.

Worked out well for us and was very easy to switch over.

[Ciao Mickey]

Originally Posted by cbg1027

I work in a local bank.

There could actually be many reasons for refusing to give you more than one withdrawal slip. The first being the branch could be short on supplies and they needed conserve so they don't run out. We try to anticipate things best we can, but sometimes things happen we can't control.

Banks are having to cut back. We are told not to give huge stacks of deposit slips to our clients. But we can certainly give a few out at a time. Every bank and individual branch is run differently though.

The teller told me they consider them blank checks and wouldn't even give me ONE extra slip!

Also, I've seen the WellsFargo withdrawal slips and my guess is they're a lot more expensive to produce than their deposit slips. Sounds like they're trying to control cost by not putting the withdrawal slips out where people can take a huge stack with them.

At my branch both of the slips were made of the same paper.

At my bank, we don't have checking withdrawal slips. You have to write yourself a check to cash. We stock blank checks for this purpose, but right after I started working there, the bank imposed a $1 fee for a single blank check. Trust me, these fees suck for the employees too. We don't want to make you angry, and I think these fees are absurd (they even charge us the fee!).

I don't know how easy it is to switch banks, but I do have some advice about choosing a financial institution.

Consider your needs - do you travel a lot? Do you tend to stick in the same neighborhood? What features are important to you? Do you care about customer service? Do you go to the brick and mortar building often or is almost all your banking done electronically?

For someone who travels or moves frequently, then a large national chain like BOA or Wells is going to be a better answer. You probably won't get the personalized customer service of a small local bank or credit union, but a large chain will offer convenience and they are usually the first ones to roll out new technologies like remote deposit (sending and image of your check).

If you plan to stick in one place and want personalized attention, than a local bank or CU would be a better option. But due to size, they are not always on the forefront of new banking technology. The pluses of a local bank are usually in the relationships you can forge. And you never know when that can work to your advantage. I'm a teller, and I will let the clients that I am familiar with and know their banking habits get away with a lot more than some person I've only seen three times in 6 months, or someone with a new account. So it can pay to stick with a place you're momentarily unhappy with. A client with an long-time account usually gets more consideration when you're wanting rules to be bent.

Let me let everyone in on a little secret. Those policies and bank rules? Most are not completely steadfast. Some are federally regulated and there is nothing we can do about them, but most things are guidelines and we can exercise our discretion on what to do. But with every transaction we take, we are risking our jobs - you never know when a check may be a fake, when a client has been scammed, if a check will charge back as non-sufficient funds, etc. All of that goes against us and a single transaction done in error could cost us our job.

So make a point of getting to know your tellers. Make conversations, learn our names, and we will try to do what we can for you.

Shop around, ask your friends, and don't hesitate to walk in places and have them explain their account structure, services, and fees.

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice.

The only thing I need is for the bank to be in South Florida and NJ.

[sookie]

We just fired our bank and switched our primary checking to a local credit union!!! Love it. I am surprised we didn't do it sooner, but we had that bank account for over 10 years - so I was worried that financially it would be "bad" to change accounts. But when the bank wanted to start to charge us for our account, plus billpay, plus checks - I was done. I kept thousands in that account - and they wanted to charge us? No way. I do feel that everyone needs a local checking account.

Anyway, I hear good things about USAA and PenFed credit union for banking at a distance. I frequent a big board on finances and I hear good things about both. We also have used Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU). DCU is probably the best hands down! They have a lot of nice perks - credit scores each month, their rates on vehicles are prime. They are easy to deal with from a distance because if you have a credit union service center or actually, any affiliated credit union, you can just walk in and do business in that center like you were in an actual branch. I actually can walk into my primary credit union right now and do any business with DCU that I need to do in that facility. I don't live anywhere near a DCU branch.

Hope that helps.

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I guess I am confused why not giving you a withdrawal form means you need to go back to the end of the line.

You needed a withdrawal slip today because you forgot your check, so the bank kindly gave you a replacement. But do you always forget your checks? If so, what makes you think you'd remember the withdrawal slip?

As for it being a "blank check" it is something that you substitute for a check. It's blank in that it doesn't have your info on it like a regular check, otherwise it is a replacement for the check you left at home. Banks have a reason for wanting to control checks.

Finally, why would you go to the end of the line with your withdrawal slip? It takes a few seconds to fill in, why not do it at the window?

[DisneyDanielle85]

I use Bank of America and Chase w/ the Disney Debit and I love them both!

[Kathi OD]

Originally Posted by Mickey'snewestfan

I guess I am confused why not giving you a withdrawal form means you need to go back to the end of the line.

You needed a withdrawal slip today because you forgot your check, so the bank kindly gave you a replacement. But do you always forget your checks? If so, what makes you think you'd remember the withdrawal slip?

As for it being a "blank check" it is something that you substitute for a check. It's blank in that it doesn't have your info on it like a regular check, otherwise it is a replacement for the check you left at home. Banks have a reason for wanting to control checks.

Finally, why would you go to the end of the line with your withdrawal slip? It takes a few seconds to fill in, why not do it at the window?

At our bank, there are tons of withdrawal slips available for savings & money market accounts, but not for checking accounts. So if you need to take money out of your checking account, like I will admit I've done, you need to get in line and ask the teller for a checking withdrawal slip. I always fill it out right there. Never have I left the counter to fill it out and then get back in line...haven't been asked to either.

[dsneprincess]

Originally Posted by Kathi OD

At our bank, there are tons of withdrawal slips available for savings & money market accounts, but not for checking accounts. So if you need to take money out of your checking account, like I will admit I've done, you need to get in line and ask the teller for a checking withdrawal slip. I always fill it out right there. Never have I left the counter to fill it out and then get back in line...haven't been asked to either.

This for me too. I fill it out at the window.

[Ciao Mickey]

Originally Posted by Mickey'snewestfan

I guess I am confused why not giving you a withdrawal form means you need to go back to the end of the line.

You needed a withdrawal slip today because you forgot your check, so the bank kindly gave you a replacement. But do you always forget your checks? If so, what makes you think you'd remember the withdrawal slip?

As for it being a "blank check" it is something that you substitute for a check. It's blank in that it doesn't have your info on it like a regular check, otherwise it is a replacement for the check you left at home. Banks have a reason for wanting to control checks.

Finally, why would you go to the end of the line with your withdrawal slip? It takes a few seconds to fill in, why not do it at the window?

No, I don't forget my checks. That was the first time that happened.

I wanted some extra withdrawal slips in case I want to withdraw money from my *savings account.*

Is it really necessary for a customer to have to ask for a withdrawal slip and then stand there and have to make it out while people are waiting in line behind you?

What if you want to make out the withdrawal slip in the privacy of your own home?

And what *favor* did the teller do for me? It's her job. All she did was provide me with a withdrawal slip.

[Ciao Mickey]

Originally Posted by Kathi OD

At our bank, there are tons of withdrawal slips available for savings & money market accounts, but not for checking accounts. So if you need to take money out of your checking account, like I will admit I've done, you need to get in line and ask the teller for a checking withdrawal slip. I always fill it out right there. Never have I left the counter to fill it out and then get back in line...haven't been asked to either.

Thank you for answering my questions.

So it's not some new policy that banks can't put out both deposit and withdrawal slips for their customers.

[Kathi OD]

Originally Posted by Ciao Mickey

Thank you for answering my questions.

So it's not some new policy that banks can't put out both deposit and withdrawal slips for their customers.

So you're saying that they don't have the withdrawal slips for savings accounts out either? I thought it was just for the checking account.

[RitaE]

Originally Posted by Ciao Mickey

Thank you for answering my questions.

So it's not some new policy that banks can't put out both deposit and withdrawal slips for their customers.

I can't imagine why there would be a policy about it one way or another. All deposit and withdrawal slips are is little slips of paper. There's nothing all that special about them until you start writing your account numbers and signature on them.

[MichelleVW]

Originally Posted by Ciao Mickey

my *savings account.*

Is it really necessary for a customer to have to ask for a withdrawal slip and then stand there and have to make it out while people are waiting in line behind you?

Lol...it's not like it takes hours to fill one out. I would never go to the end of the line to fill something like that out.

I"m at Wells Fargo and I don't think I even knew Withdrawal slips existed, but I guess that's because I use a deposit slip to get cash back if it's a check and if I just want cash I'm going to the ATM rather than stand in a line. I pretty much do all of my banking online though...only time you catch me in a bank is if I have to deposit a check.