(no subject)

[usernamenumber.livejournal.com]

Hello all,

I've looked through the "banking" tag and don't see anything that specifically addresses this, so I'll go ahead and ask: I'm currently with Wainwirght and I like a lot of things about them, but I depend upon a lot of online features that they just don't have, which unfortunately has me considering changing banks. I'd consider switching to a bank that had all of the following:

• Free billpay that consistently deducts money when the check is cut, not when it is cashed


• Online statements going back indefinitely (or at least more than a month or two)


• No charge for transferring between multiple checking accounts


• A decent online banking interface


• A branch and ATM somewhere within 5ish miles of the Davis/Porter sq area

Wainwright meets, at least arguably, the last three requirements, but not the first two as far as I've been able to tell.
Does anyone know a bank that meets all these criteria and that they've been happy with in terms of customer service and all that? One that still has the progressive hippie-fu of wainwright would be nice, if such exists.

Comments

[cowhockey.livejournal.com]

i like citizens, but i don't use it for automatic bill pay

[alphacygni]

I've never seen any bank that had online statements going back indefinitely, or even longer than about six months.

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

Isn't the first one actually a negative? You want your money gone *sooner*?

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

Sovereign.

Free bill pay, my statements online go back pretty darn far, the site is easy to use, easy to transfer money between accounts and there are a lot of ATMs around especially in all the CVS's. They have always been very helpful and all around nice.

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love Boston Private Bank, which is outside of your location range (their in Kendall) but fullfills all your other requirements (except bill pay is $5 a month I think). They are incredible professional and don't bother their customers with lots of paper work. They have a very fancy look (marble interiors, brass teller station), but are really friendly to me everytime I show up in dirty jeans and sweat-stained T's. If you don't want to have to go there all the time to deposit checks you can get free envelopes from them to mail in checks. Anyhoo, I've also used Wainwright and I feel like everytime I've had to do something out of the ordinary it has been sort of a hassle -- this has never been the case with BPB.

[laryu.livejournal.com]

Bank of America meets those criteria. I know it's not popular on this board, but they satisfy all five items.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

cambridge savings bank, maybe?

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

I don't think you're going to find another bank that has the progressive hippie-fu of Wainwright's locally. I had an account here years before I lived here because they had the best politics of any bank in the country at that time.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this post. I too am looking to abandon Wainwright because of the things you and the other posters have mentioned. It makes me sad, because I want to support such a nice hippie progressive company, but I also want good service, alas.

[natef.livejournal.com]

Keep your Wainwright as your local account, and get another account with good online service (like ING). You can link the accounts and control everything from the online account, so you login and billpay on one account, use branch and ATM with the other (nice to be on the SUM network for that).

[teko.livejournal.com]

I've been using VirtualBank (http://www.virtualbank.com) for about 5 years now, and been quite happy with them.

They have free billpay (though I can't vouch for the timing of deductions; you'll have to check on that), YEARS of online statements downloadable in many formats, and decent customer service.

They don't have any ATMs near here (I think there's one downtown somewhere), but since they reimburse ATM fees, it doesn't matter; you can use anyone's ATM.

The one big drawback is that you can't deposit via ATM. You have to use direct deposit or mail in your deposits to their HQ in Florida.

[whodameg.livejournal.com]

I've been using e*trade bank since 2000, and I've been very happy with them. My ATM's are everywhere (they refund fees of other ATM owners). While they don't have a branch, it's never been a problem for me...you can call them and talk to a human at any hour (i.e. 3am near Fenway, an ATM gave me a receipt deducting my $$ but didn't give me any cash...I was able to call the bank on the spot and talk to a person). Deposits are a quick via mail (in your account 2-3 days). Another great thing I love about it is that if you leave the country, they do not charge you any fees to get money from foreign banks (I've head horror stories of BofA charging up to $35.00 for a foreign transaction).

[hiddenbear.livejournal.com]

You seem quite comfortable with having many checking accounts. What about setting up a fifth one. Transfer money into that to use for each bill when you need it. Then it doesn't matter when they record the money as having been deducted. You just consider that that account never has money that is usable.

A though

[aki.livejournal.com]

I'd recommend seeing how much of the auto bill pay type stuff you can do with an Orange ING checking account. Their savings accounts pay far higher interest than anything else around and you can just have a BoA account that you keep $5oo in for ATM purposes.