Which bank should I open an account with?

Just don’t use Bank of America! We’ve had so many problems with them!

Have you looked at Ally? Worth a look.

Why don’t you identify the things that are important for you, then research the banks (this can be done online) to see who offers the best deal on the services that are most important to you.

Has anyone had a bad experience with chase though?I’m leaning towards them.

Ally has no fees, and pays a larger return. Chase is very big, and doesn’t make its money in retail banking.

No, it’s a bad choice. Really, this depends on where you live and what you need from your bank. I live in an area with lots of independent local and regional banks, therefore lots of competition. Every checking account is free and pays interest. I used to live in a market dominated by Bank of America, and you couldn’t get a fee free checking account without a large daily balance, and forget about interest. I assume Chase is the same way.

If you are unfortunate enough to live in an uncompetitive banking market, then unless you really need the convenience of a brick and mortar bank or fee free ATM access, then I would consider an online account. You can get free checking or high interest savings all with no fees and usually much better rates.

I have had less than great experiences with Chase plus they stink on the whole as a company. I only have a credit card with them now but the customer service is still awful.

I’ll be the CU hag here. Seek out a Credit Union if you can – a much better place to put your money (and borrow).

If you or your family has ever been in the armed services (my father was in the Navy), I would highly recommend USAA. They have really nice people on the phones. They are always helpful. When there was some kind of decent interest on savings and checking accounts, their levels were always competitive. And I have my car and house insurance with them,—very reasonable, and they are excellent. If I get a mortgage, it will be through them as well.

I think ING, Suntrust, and PNC all offer free interest-bearing checking accounts. Plenty of banks are also starting to refund all ATM fees from other banks. If you can get all that stuff for free, you shouldn’t just settle on a normal checking account, especially if they require you to keep a minimum balance.

I have not heard good things about Chase in general.

Find a place that is convenient, has a true no fee account (meaning no minimum balance & no per check charge. Some fees like on cashier’s checks, wire transfers, etc. are hard to avoid.), and one where the staff makes you comfortable. If you’re an ATM person, look to see if their ATMs are near where you live and work. If you plan to use online banking and bill pay, find out how much lead time you have to have for a bill to be guaranteed to be paid. (My bank is two business days, others can be 5 to 7.) Ask about their check hold policy. If you come in with a large item or something other than your usual paycheck, find out how long it will be until you can access your money.

Heck No!

Chase bank is known for harassing it’s clients. Seriously. We’ve had some really bad experiences with them and in doing so I did some research online and found many others did as well.

Now local credit unions have always been the best bet for me.