MM: What would make you switch banks

mzovoce

With so many banks getting away from "free" checking, would you switch banks if you were required to have direct deposit or a minimum balance, in order to maintain a free account?

christenm

possibly, it would depend on how much I loved the bank.  I love our bank, we know the bank president so any issues we have are taken care of pronto and the rest of the people who work there are all really nice too.

The only thing that sucks is that it's a local bank so there aren't a bunch of ATMS everywhere.

MrsSpell

Direct deposit wouldn't bother me but a minimum balance might (depending on how much it is). It takes a lot for me to switch banks but that's mostly because it's such and a hassel. I also tend to go with bigger banks purely b/c I like having lots of branches/atms to choose from.

tigerfan06

I changed banks last year because i really hated Capitol One.

I switched over to Campus Federal which i love. but like christen, we only have like 2 branches and a few ATMs. I rarely use the ATM but when i do use a non CF, I dont get charged the fee  so that is nice. and their online banking is the absolute best. your deposit goes in immediately.

Mike and Rachael

I hate Capitol One also; DH just refuses to switch since we've been with them so long.  As for op, if they started getting away from free checking, then I think we'd definitely switch to another bank. 

ShoeFanatic614

For me, it would take a lot for me to switch banks.  I've been with Campus Federal for years and have never had an issue.  They always go above and beyond my expectations.  I wouldn't be thrilled if I had to pay for my checking account but I don't know if it would be enough to make me switch.  I've heard so many horror stories about the bigger banks.  Like Tiger said, the only downfall is the lack of branches but since they are part of a Credit Union, I can still do banking at other Credit Union Service Centers.  So I just use the Keypoint Federal by my office.

tigerfan06

ShoeFanatic614:

For me, it would take a lot for me to switch banks.  I've been with Campus Federal for years and have never had an issue.  They always go above and beyond my expectations.  I wouldn't be thrilled if I had to pay for my checking account but I don't know if it would be enough to make me switch.  I've heard so many horror stories about the bigger banks.  Like Tiger said, the only downfall is the lack of branches but since they are part of a Credit Union, I can still do banking at other Credit Union Service Centers.  So I just use the Keypoint Federal by my office.

REALLY??? i did not know this! 

ShoeFanatic614

tigerfan06:

ShoeFanatic614:

For me, it would take a lot for me to switch banks.  I've been with Campus Federal for years and have never had an issue.  They always go above and beyond my expectations.  I wouldn't be thrilled if I had to pay for my checking account but I don't know if it would be enough to make me switch.  I've heard so many horror stories about the bigger banks.  Like Tiger said, the only downfall is the lack of branches but since they are part of a Credit Union, I can still do banking at other Credit Union Service Centers.  So I just use the Keypoint Federal by my office.

REALLY??? i did not know this! 

Yup.  It's great!  Not every single credit union participates in it but most do.  Here's a list of all the ones in LA for you:

http://www.cuservicecenter.com/ServiceCenters.aspx?state=LA 

abearjph

My experience was not with the bank so much as the staff.  I switched from Capital One after they bought Hibernia because they were basically now a credit card company trying to be a bank. Mostly I switched because my banker switched over to Chase. I have followed her from Capital One to Chase and followed her when she moved branches. She always helps me out with everything I need and it's done right away. So in the end, as with most thing, it's the staff and the customer service that I take most into consideration. Paying for the checking isn't that bad. I pay for my business account anyway.