Is US Bank any good?
January 14, 2010 5:59 PM   Subscribe

Anyone have any experience with US Bank? ( http://www.usbank.com/ )

I reside in Arizona and use Desert Schools Federal Credit Union as my main personal bank... and I hate them. (The final straw is that they are not a supported bank by Mint.com.)

I want to move to a new bank but I want to avoid the three "big" banks: Wells Fargo, Citi, and Chase.

I'm considering US Bank. Are they any good? Are there any other banks I should consider?
posted by cowmix to Work & Money (24 answers total)
 
i have been with US Bank for about 7 years - no problems, great service.
posted by wocka wocka wocka at 6:04 PM on January 14, 2010


You might do a search on here for US Bank. I remember reading someone else's experience and it wasn't a good one. Personally, I think traditional banks can't be recommended. Online banks and credit unions offer more features and better protection. And they won't dock you insane amounts for overdrafts which is a popular discussion here at AskMeFi.
posted by VC Drake at 6:21 PM on January 14, 2010


I use US Bank. They're a little quirkier compared to a B of A or Wells Fargo, but mostly they're pretty uneventful. Fine billpay, but not spectacular. Fine offers, but not spectacular. They're boring, but totally fine.
posted by Gucky at 6:23 PM on January 14, 2010


I've had 'em for years with no problems to speak of, and the one time I needed customer support (lost card) they seemed pretty much on the ball.
posted by eggplantplacebo at 6:28 PM on January 14, 2010


The small company I work for uses them. They're okay. We did just get a new fees schedule in the mail stating that they will start charging for various little things (like depositing a roll of coins) in 2010, but it's possible other banks are making the same changes.

I use (and like) a small credit union for my personal banking so I can't make a good comparison. My credit union recently began partnering with FinanceWorks, which I think is similar to Mint.com. You may want to look into that as an additional option/tool.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:32 PM on January 14, 2010


I've had an account with US Bank for about ten years now, and I'm happy with them. I only use a few basic services (free checking and a credit card), and I've never had any real problems. If they do make some kind of mistake on your account, they'll fix it and give you $5 for your trouble (even if they caught it themselves and you never noticed it).
posted by cosmic.osmo at 7:07 PM on January 14, 2010


We use US Bank, but not for much longer. Excessive "foreign" ATM charges combined with the usual big-bank trickery when we were short on cash last year ($45 in the account, several small debits one day for a total of about $40, one $50 debit the next, which happened to be payday. Guess which one of those happened to be processed first and which one came last...).

They used to give you $5 every time you had to wait more than 5 minutes to see a teller or found an ATM with a problem. I made $50 in one month due to that program, but they did away with it a few years ago.

While it may not be as big as the three you mention, it's frigging huge. I'd see what other, more local options you have before going with them, but that's just me.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 7:12 PM on January 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


I have US Bank. I've been with them for 7 years. They're ok. If I moved somewhere where a US Bank branch wasn't close by, I wouldn't hesitate to look for a better bank though. US Bank is fine, really, but I can't help thinking other banks do a better job of offering online banking. US Bank certainly isn't bad at it. I guess I just view US Bank as adequate.
posted by 2oh1 at 7:14 PM on January 14, 2010


"They used to give you $5 every time you had to wait more than 5 minutes to see a teller or found an ATM with a problem."

Apparently, I'm not the only one who could always count on $5 for my wait in line at US Bank. That was a weird deal because they didn't advertise it (at least, not in Portland), but whenever I was in line waiting for a teller, someone else in line would start mumbling about it to other people in line, as if making sure everyone in line got their five bucks was a way of sticking it to US Bank! It happened every time and it always cracked me up.

I was sorry to see that deal come to an end because the wait for a teller never got any shorter. HHhmmmm... I guess I foolishly assumed understaffing was unique to my US Bank branch. They *NEVER* have enough tellers there.
posted by 2oh1 at 7:19 PM on January 14, 2010


Agree with OK but not awesome. My bad experiences;

* Some of their ATMs will charge you $1 for getting a mini statement without telling you

* On my type of account, they said they wouldn't charge for using a foreign ATM, and did anyway (in addition to the operator's fee)

* One time they refused to cash a check with my name misspelled (but endorsed!)

* Their Web site locks you out if you get one of your security questions wrong, ever. Then you have to wait on hold for half an hour to get it reactivated.

* Their Web site doesn't have any of the nice features (like pie charts of where your money goes) that some of the other banks have.

That said, none of these issues actually bothered me that much, so I've stuck with them.
posted by miyabo at 7:26 PM on January 14, 2010


I use US Bank and have been relatively happy with them, but they're a pretty big bank, so if you're avoiding big banks, you shouldn't use them.
posted by scottreynen at 7:30 PM on January 14, 2010


We've had mostly good experiences with US Bank.

My daughter, while in college, overdrew her checking account and came back to her dorm to find a pile of overdraft notices from US Bank. She went down to the bank, talked to the manager, and they waived all the fees but one. I think that is pretty awesome in this day and age.
posted by daneflute at 8:08 PM on January 14, 2010


I've been with them for 8 years, no issues to speak of, having my debit card numbers stolen and used once, and losing my card once, they took care of both issues in no time at all.
posted by deezil at 8:12 PM on January 14, 2010


I've been with US Bank for about two years. I like being able to call my branch and speak to someone who can often help. And my branch manager made an unusual transaction that could have been difficult and time-consuming into something short and easy.

When I needed to call the 800 number once - an ATM didn't give me my money, but took the money from my account - my wait time was surprisingly short, and the problem got resolved within a few days.

I don't remember what my foreign ATM charges were; if they are out of line, that's certainly a strike against them.
posted by jeri at 8:16 PM on January 14, 2010


My husband used US Bank for several years and was miserable with them. Lots of hidden fees and charges, he said.
posted by srrh at 8:30 PM on January 14, 2010


Nthing US Bank just being boring. I've never had a bad experience with them and the teller lines are never more than two people deep (but that has to do less with the bank and more with the geographical area you live in). Additionally, they were the only bank out of my traveling group who actually paid attention to the "I'm going overseas" phone call and didn't lock out my debit card upon first use out of the US.
posted by theraflu at 8:49 PM on January 14, 2010


I've used US Bank for something like 6 years now. I haven't had any problems with them, but I can't say I've ever had any exceptional customer service experience with them either. It's been just fine, average.

The one thing I do hate about them is their idiotic KeyPhrasePassPic whatever that they use for logging into online banking. But so many banks are doing that now, it's hard to avoid...
posted by joshrholloway at 9:26 PM on January 14, 2010


My US Bank account has not worked on Mint for about 6 months. Might want to confirm, but I'm pretty sure it's because of the stupid log-in security they instituted that joshrholloway mentioned.
posted by one_bean at 11:35 PM on January 14, 2010


Mint works fine with US Bank for me.
posted by Sfving at 12:00 AM on January 15, 2010


I have US Bank.

1) Their website sucks. Straight outa '2000. In fact, it looks almost exactly like when I first signed up for internet banking around 2000.
2) I did get $5 once because their ATM was broken. But they have charged me more then that in fees, I'm sure.

Anyway, I don't like it.
posted by delmoi at 4:27 AM on January 15, 2010


I wouldn't use US Bank. I have a mortgage with them and their service does not meet my standards. Their website is worse than useless.

I use Wells Fargo only to make ATM check deposits and stuff, and then transfer all that money to my main bank (USAA). I'd recommend you do something similar, or at least take a look at other small banks and credit unions. US Bank may not be in the big 3, but it's a long way from a community bank. And of course, USAA isn't small either, but they have fantastic service and treat me like they actually want to hold my money and do business with me -- I haven't paid more than $10 in fees (total) in the 10 years I've had accounts there, and they refund other banks' ATM fees too.
posted by Chris4d at 7:37 AM on January 15, 2010


i've been with them 15 years, and i'm looking to get out and go local. i too have had trouble with them processing debits in an order that benefits them for overdrafts. as someone who lives close to the chest and monitors my money by the penny almost daily, i have been taken more than once by them.
posted by RedEmma at 8:51 AM on January 15, 2010


US Bank is my primary bank. The service is generally pretty good, but as mentioned above, the website is really, really old.

Some things just don't make sense in online bill pay. It took me about half an hour of puzzling around to figure out how to do some sort of common task. Don't remember what it was, but I do remember thinking that it should be much easier.
posted by lalas at 10:43 AM on January 15, 2010


US Bank is great. I have been using them since I started working full-time (2004). Here are the best points:

1) Intuitive, informative, manageable online banking. You can easily see your history, balance, available balance, view old checks, etc.

2) Simple application for extra lines. I added a credit line and could see it compared to my checking/savings, transfer money online, etc.

3) Never had any issues, and I monitor it fairly closely.

4) But: watch out. If you might move somewhere outside their range, I'd be careful. I moved to the southeast and there are none to be found. I can still do my stuff online, but there are no ATMs.

For what it's worth, I had a friend work for Wells Fargo and advise me never to bank with them.
posted by dervish at 12:36 PM on January 15, 2010


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