Finding a decent commercial bank in Southern California?
January 31, 2011 1:24 AM Subscribe
What would be the "best" commercial bank, credit union, or other financial institution for a college student in Southern California?
My reason for asking this question on AskMeFi is to see if I can get some more objective opinions on which banks are better than others and why. I am a struggling college student who currently does not have a checking or savings account and need to have one for my financial aid disbursements coming next month. I know that this can be a loaded question and that I'm basically trying to pick the lesser or a few evils, but it would be really helpful for me to get some perspective. I'm looking for something with lower to no fees and that allows me to easily manage what little money I have conveniently. A bank that would allow me to carry a zero balance would also be ideal. This is my first question on AskMeFi, so please bear with me and my etiquette or lack thereof. Thank you all in advance for your input! =)
P.S. If you have any suggestions to help me better my etiquette for future posts, I would love to hear that too!
My reason for asking this question on AskMeFi is to see if I can get some more objective opinions on which banks are better than others and why. I am a struggling college student who currently does not have a checking or savings account and need to have one for my financial aid disbursements coming next month. I know that this can be a loaded question and that I'm basically trying to pick the lesser or a few evils, but it would be really helpful for me to get some perspective. I'm looking for something with lower to no fees and that allows me to easily manage what little money I have conveniently. A bank that would allow me to carry a zero balance would also be ideal. This is my first question on AskMeFi, so please bear with me and my etiquette or lack thereof. Thank you all in advance for your input! =)
P.S. If you have any suggestions to help me better my etiquette for future posts, I would love to hear that too!
Best answer: I know that Chase (WaMu when I opened it) and BoA both had student account options when I opened accounts with them. They would waive the minimum balance requirement each month (therefore saving on the fees there). I believed it was good for 5 years and can be extended if you can show proof that you're still a full time student. I haven't had any exceptionally bad experiences with either of the two, but YMMV.
Another thing to consider is whether or not you need the convenience of ATMs. There are a lot more BoA ATMs where I went to school. If you're going to be taking out the entire balance every month, though, that might not be something you need to worry about.
posted by mittenedsex at 7:34 AM on January 31, 2011
Another thing to consider is whether or not you need the convenience of ATMs. There are a lot more BoA ATMs where I went to school. If you're going to be taking out the entire balance every month, though, that might not be something you need to worry about.
posted by mittenedsex at 7:34 AM on January 31, 2011
Best answer: Seconding Chase. Chose them recently for my son based on no fees for the college student account and the availability of branches/ATMs in SoCal.
posted by doctord at 7:46 AM on February 1, 2011
posted by doctord at 7:46 AM on February 1, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I think I'll go open up a Chase account today! =)
posted by mtomanelli at 11:53 AM on February 1, 2011
posted by mtomanelli at 11:53 AM on February 1, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by zengargoyle at 1:32 AM on January 31, 2011 [2 favorites]