Heads up! Is your bank on the list for cheating their customers most often?
I don’t know about you, but I refuse to give my business to a bank that illegally rips off their own clients! Why should I when there are honest, ethical banks in town?
If your bank is on the Worst List, I suggest you scrutinize your bank statement every month for errors and balance it with your own checking log. If you’re happy with them, fair enough; but if you see high fees, double charges, and over-charges, you can take your business elsewhere.
WORST BANKS
- Bank of America has the highest number of complaints for their checking/savings accounts. Their fees, terms and conditions, and policies earn them the title, #1 blood-sucking bank vampire. Even worse, BOA was caught charging overdraft fees for overdrafts caused by their own overdraft fees!!! *
They also have the most complaints for their mortgage loans. As a mortgage broker myself, I have long refused to do business with wholesale BOA because of their horrid underwriting. I will not put my clients through that angst. - Wells Fargo is #2 for most complains for their bank accounts. In addition, they were caught opening accounts in people’s names without their knowledge or consent. They were fined $185 million for that identity theft scam; and yet, they’re still in business. *
BEST BANKS
Every bank with top records for customer satisfaction, treating people fairly, and having good pricing was a small or mid-size regional bank. There are literally hundreds of good banks across America. Banks such as Bank of the Ozarks, Cathay Bank, CIBC, First Republic Bank, and UniBank.
When choosing a bank, pay attention to the terms, including monthly fees (many banks offer $0 fees if you keep a certain minimum balance), and see if you can earn interest on the balance. Admittedly, interest is really low right now, so if your balance is high, you might consider opening a Certificate of Deposit or consulting a financial advisor about investing. Overdraft fees should not apply to you — I don’t want anyone reading this to write a bad check, ever!
Financial responsibility includes creating a good credit record and a good banking record.
It is easy to do a Google search of complaints + (bank name) to see what people have to say about a particular bank.
*Source of complaints: RewardExpert.com