Basic (free?) checking: Washington Mutual or Wells Fargo?

[chaska]

I need to open a new checking account today. Which is better, cheaper, more politically progressive, etc.

I am finally going to be rid of those evil bastards, Bank of America.

[trotsky]

1. Do you have any local banks to choose from?

Or can you join a credit union?

[2Design]

2. find a credit union -

[el_gato]

9. yes, Find a Credit Union

[flyingfysh]

3. if you don't mind internet-only

First Internet Bank (www.firstib.com) works just great for me. Free bill pay, no fees (with $500 average balance), etc.

[NV Whino]

4. Avoid Wells Fargo at all costs

It may seem free, but those suckers charge you every time you blink.

[Tempest]

11. Give an example

I've banked with them for 5 years and the only fee I ever paid was for a certified check I purchased.

And the fee on the check was less than all the other banks quoted me.

[Amich]

17. I paid a bill on the due date and they charged me $20.00 or 25

for it being late. why be cause they take 3 to 5 days to post. I went off on them. showed them that it was payed on time. got my money back and moved to a credit union

[NV Whino]

22. Wells Fargo example

My mother's account is there. WF charges $3 for the privilege of downloading account info into Quicken. My bank does not. WF has cancelled my mother's and mine (joint account) ATM cards for lack of use. I have used it to buy her meds on line and order clothes for her. But they are happy to charge $18 a year for the (non) use of her crdit card.

There are other examples that I have removed from memory from when I used to bank with them years ago. Oh yeah, one was a bounced check. My deposit got lost somewhere. Within a day, I had my client cancel the first check and issue a new one, which I deposited. Two weeks later, they are still bouncing checks and charging me for every one. Had to make a trip into the bank each time. The last trip I closed my account and damned near broke their glass doors on the way out.

[miss_kitty]

23. Wells fargo asshat example

they bounced a $5 check back to my employer twice when I had $10,000 in my savings acct, same acct #. There were 10 other $30 or less bouncers. They had never bounced a check in the 10 years previous to that point. And I had not written an NSF check in years. Since I worked on the check desk at Nordstrom at the time, I could have been terminated. When I asked for a printout of my checking activity they incuded the acct #s and balances of two other customers.

[Ediacara]

5. Wells Fargo

WaMu is a huge national bank (like Wells) but WaMu acts as though it's some rinky-dink operation that can't do anything complicated...

[CitizenRob]

6. Wells Fargo.

Go with -any bank- other than Washington Mutual. I've had some crappy treatment as a WaMu customer... but that's not why I'm recommending you go elsewhere. If you bank with -any bank- other than WaMu you'll be able to use not only -your banks- ATMs for free, but also WaMu's ATMs for free. That means you have twice as many banks ATMs that you can use for free!

Rob

[aquart]

7. I wouldn't touch Washington Mutual with a ten-foot pole.

Their expansion has been frighteningly rapid. I don't know where the money is coming to pay for it.

[flamingyouth]

8. Between those two, I'd say WaMu

BTW, I found a copy of "Pretties For You" the other day! :D

[chaska]

12. Hey FY! Can I borrow it? ;^)

[Tempest]

10. Washington Mutual laid off 10,000 workers in the last year

I wouldn't go to them if they were the last bank on earth.

I've been with Wells Fargo for 5 years and haven't had a single problem with them.

[LisaM]

13. I've had Wells Fargo for years and NEVER had a problem

Also, they make it very easy for you to access your account balance by phone.

[chaska]

14. Wow, you guys are on the ball this ... it's still morning here.

Bank of America is the king of ATM fees - the most expensive and they get ya comin' and goin'.

I wish I could find a credit union around here. But I'm new to CA and I need the new bank this week. No time for research.

[2Design]

18. there are credit unions in every city - do a search - phone book or

call chamber of commerce or just go talk to someone - it is worth the money you will save and the interest you earn is higher - no fees on most everything and not these high minimum balances -

[Beaverhausen]

15. WMU really is free checking- Wells Fargo is not

I'm happy with WMU. No need to have a balance to get the free checking.

[Tempest]

19. I haven't paid one dime on my free WF checking account

If you're happy with having your bank lay off 10,000 workers, more power to you.

[Beaverhausen]

20. but do you have to keep a large balance to get that free checking?

When I was with them I did. I didn't know if that had changed or not.

Yes it sucks that they are laying people off but when you can't keep $1000 in your checking account you have to choose the other guy.

[Senior citizen]

16. Credit union. Credit union.

Catherine Whatsername Fitts has this site:

http://solari.com

It advises that we get all our money out of corporate banks and into small local ones.

My credit union doesn't charge me for anything, and there's no minimum balance in savings or checking. They're accessible online, and most of the people at my branch office know me by name. When you use a credit union you can save money and also feel good about where your money is.

[Downtown Hound]

21. Go for a credit union

I belong to both Wells Fargo and a credit union. The credit union is way better. Wells Fargo takes forever to post a check, and there are a lot of places online that won't accept their Visa/check card because Wells Fargo gives them too many difficulties. The only reason why I still bank there is because it does pay to belong to a bank that is in every city in the country. If they weren't, I would have left them long ago.

[theoceansnerves]

24. you're in california?

then i'd suggest union bank of california.

[miss_kitty]

25. Oh and in addition to the wells fargo thing

check into how much Washington Mutual SAVINGS charges you to keep a savings acct. more banking asshattery

[Piperay]

26. Washington Mutual SUCKS

they treat customers like crap and even worse they make big mistakes with their accounting and almost lost my cousin thousands of dollars.

[LeftyMom]

27. Credit union

I've had Wells Fargo (they're so rude!) and my employer uses WaMu (rude and long lines, but as a business account customer I can usually skip those) and I dodn't care for either. I'd say a credit union picked at random is probably a better choice. If you're in the Sacramento area by chance I wholeheartedly reccomend SAFE credit union.