Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm doing a service program through my university that will have me in Camden for the next two years. I won't have any really useful access to my current bank. What bank would be best for a rather uncomplicated checking/savings combo (my income and expenses should also be rather uncomplicated), and for relatively easy access to my money even when I'm home in Indianapolis or visiting my boyfriend in St. Louis? Thanks!
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,816 posts, read 34,769,215 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by indyINgirl
I'm doing a service program through my university that will have me in Camden for the next two years. I won't have any really useful access to my current bank. What bank would be best for a rather uncomplicated checking/savings combo (my income and expenses should also be rather uncomplicated), and for relatively easy access to my money even when I'm home in Indianapolis or visiting my boyfriend in St. Louis? Thanks!
I don't know what banks are in Indianapolis. Wells Fargo/Wachovia might work for you.
If you want one that serves all three, you will need a national bank. That will generally limit your choices to Bank of America, Wells Fargo and PNC. I quickly googled all three for the two cities you listed (I know they all have branches around here) and PNC and Bank of America were the two that showed multiple branches. As far as I can tell Wells Fargo doesn't have any actual branches in Indianapolis and St. Louis, which makes sense as Wachovia was East Coast and Wells Fargo was West Coast.
So, if you want to be able to go to a physical bank it seems your choices are PNC or Bank of America. Of the two, I would personally pick PNC. It's a shame there aren't any Wells Fargo locations out there as I have been really happy with them since the switch from Wachovia.
Another option if you haven't considered it is online banking. Chase and ING are both heavily into internet banking and offer checking and savings accounts. You need to sort of adapt to using an online only system as they are definitely different than a regular bank, but you can get to them and your money anywhere anytime.
You can join a credit union and access it nationally through the Credit Union Service Centers (other credit unions that are part of a network that offers reciprocity to members).
I think the best bank in the area is probably TD Bank, but I don't believe they exist in the midwest.
I've used TD (formerly Commerce) for about 10 years. They are not as good as they were when they were Commerce, but I still appreciate the convenience of their extended hours and the cleanliness of the branches. The bank (at least the US portion) is HQ'd in Mount Laurel NJ.
I have all my personal and business accounts at PNC. I even worked part time there in West Chester when I was going to college. Basic accounts, free online banking, wawa atms are free. They are a national bank so funds clear faster when I deposit checks. 800 number is in Pittsburgh. Never had an overseas call center. I don't even know of they have them. (they might so I can't say for sure). Managers actually have the power to fix errors without waiting for approval.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
