how is key bank?
January 22, 2007 10:52 AM Subscribe
How is Key Bank? I'm not very happy with Bank of America.
In my personal opinion (I'm no expert) BofA sucks monkey balls.
In my personal opinion (I'm no expert) BofA sucks monkey balls.
They all suck monkey balls. But BoA (a disgruntled insider tells me) sucks the hairiest, monkeyest ones. Keybank isn't so bad - they're pretty responsive when there's an issue, but they're still a gigantic faceless financial institution.
Is there a locally owned bank or credit union in your area? They're usually a little more invested in keeping you a happy customer.
Here in the PNW, the Boeing Employee's Credit Union is an awesome alternative to "regular" banks...
posted by Aquaman at 10:58 AM on January 22, 2007
Is there a locally owned bank or credit union in your area? They're usually a little more invested in keeping you a happy customer.
Here in the PNW, the Boeing Employee's Credit Union is an awesome alternative to "regular" banks...
posted by Aquaman at 10:58 AM on January 22, 2007
All banks suck monkey balls. Credit unions included. Don't let some delusional sack try and tell you that credit unions are wonderful, because they also suck.
Actually, of all the banks I've had, Bank Of America has been the best. Decent in-branch customer service, plenty of locations, well staffed locations so I rarely have to wait more than 2 minutes, etc.
posted by drstein at 10:59 AM on January 22, 2007
Actually, of all the banks I've had, Bank Of America has been the best. Decent in-branch customer service, plenty of locations, well staffed locations so I rarely have to wait more than 2 minutes, etc.
posted by drstein at 10:59 AM on January 22, 2007
Oh, and by the way, there are several credit unions in Portland.
posted by koeselitz at 11:00 AM on January 22, 2007
posted by koeselitz at 11:00 AM on January 22, 2007
drstein: "All banks suck monkey balls. Credit unions included. Don't let some delusional sack try and tell you that credit unions are wonderful, because they also suck."
This is debatable. Like I said above, it really depends on what you're looking for. B of A is harshly institutional in several of its policies; they have been sued several times for various manifestations of this harshness. They are a business; they have to make money somehow.
Credit unions, on the other hand, are a little slower, but usually eager to help when they can. They're not out to make any money, so they don't tend to be as aggressive with fees and such.
posted by koeselitz at 11:07 AM on January 22, 2007
This is debatable. Like I said above, it really depends on what you're looking for. B of A is harshly institutional in several of its policies; they have been sued several times for various manifestations of this harshness. They are a business; they have to make money somehow.
Credit unions, on the other hand, are a little slower, but usually eager to help when they can. They're not out to make any money, so they don't tend to be as aggressive with fees and such.
posted by koeselitz at 11:07 AM on January 22, 2007
I've used Key Bank my entire life and my family has been with them much longer. IMO they're wonderful (but I think this may vary from branch to branch). With my local branch (Stone Ridge, NY), they are always eager to drop everything and help me whenever I need it. I moved to NYC three years ago and still use Key Bank even though everyone suggested I get a bank in the city, cuz honestly I cant imagine finding a bank as user friendly as Key. A few times I've had to call their national headquarters and the customer service there has been great too. If you ever make little mistakes like being a couple days late with your credit card payment, they're always very understanding and willing to work with you. I do a lot of banking online and their website is really easy to use. So yeah, Key Bank. I love them. End of commerical!
posted by silverstatue at 11:09 AM on January 22, 2007
posted by silverstatue at 11:09 AM on January 22, 2007
I was considering asking the same question, but with US Bank instead of BoA, and Local St. Louis Banks instead of Key Bank...
I've decided I'm tired of being condescended to by employees of large banks.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 11:11 AM on January 22, 2007
I've decided I'm tired of being condescended to by employees of large banks.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 11:11 AM on January 22, 2007
Does Key Bank still charge you for online banking? I remember they did a few years ago, which I found shocking in this day and age. I've been pretty happy with Bank of America, but I never do any business with them in person. It's all online.
posted by longdaysjourney at 11:16 AM on January 22, 2007
posted by longdaysjourney at 11:16 AM on January 22, 2007
They didn't charge for online banking when I had an account with them last spring.
posted by Darke at 11:33 AM on January 22, 2007
posted by Darke at 11:33 AM on January 22, 2007
I keep hearing how BoA sucks balls and I keep never having a problem with it, going on 15 years (Fleet customer that got ported over in the buy out). Now that they have "free" stock trading, I have even less to complain about. Can we get some details on what you don't like?
posted by spicynuts at 12:01 PM on January 22, 2007
posted by spicynuts at 12:01 PM on January 22, 2007
I second the praise on Key Bank and it's customer service. Online banking is free for most type of accounts; the info is available on their site.
posted by xena at 12:10 PM on January 22, 2007
posted by xena at 12:10 PM on January 22, 2007
I like Key Bank. One problem, however, when I first moved to them I deposited a certified check from another bank (not the easiest way to do it probably). They wouldn't let me access it for awhile. The flipside of that is that I think Key's security is pretty rigorous.
posted by nameless.k at 1:53 PM on January 22, 2007
posted by nameless.k at 1:53 PM on January 22, 2007
I don't know anyone who likes BoA as a personal bank. They're a good corporate bank, but they could give a rat's ass about their smaller customers.
No one I know has an account at Key Bank, sorry.
There's a lot of YMMV with banks. One friend loves Wells Fargo. Another one ran for their life from them. There does seem to be universal derision for BoA.
I've been at WaMu since the mid-1990s, and they were pretty good until they started consuming every thrift they could get their hands on. Suddenly, customer service was teh suck. Fees on everything. I was told I would have to pay $4 per transaction if I made more than three on my savings -- which meant that if my wife and I both transferred money there each semi-monthly paycheck they'd take $48/year from us. And getting a real person to talk to you got hard. And getting an answer besides "Sorry, we can't do that, corporate says so" became impossible.
But we've stuck with them out of inertia, not really liking the other options in Seattle, and without a free-for-credit-unions ATM in reasonable distance from home or work. Free checking there is still freer than other banks.
I had a hard time with the credit union when I was in college. I left for the summer, and they closed my account and took all the money in "fees." Apparently, I had to give them a letter saying I was going to Africa for three months so please don't close my account.
posted by dw at 1:55 PM on January 22, 2007
No one I know has an account at Key Bank, sorry.
There's a lot of YMMV with banks. One friend loves Wells Fargo. Another one ran for their life from them. There does seem to be universal derision for BoA.
I've been at WaMu since the mid-1990s, and they were pretty good until they started consuming every thrift they could get their hands on. Suddenly, customer service was teh suck. Fees on everything. I was told I would have to pay $4 per transaction if I made more than three on my savings -- which meant that if my wife and I both transferred money there each semi-monthly paycheck they'd take $48/year from us. And getting a real person to talk to you got hard. And getting an answer besides "Sorry, we can't do that, corporate says so" became impossible.
But we've stuck with them out of inertia, not really liking the other options in Seattle, and without a free-for-credit-unions ATM in reasonable distance from home or work. Free checking there is still freer than other banks.
I had a hard time with the credit union when I was in college. I left for the summer, and they closed my account and took all the money in "fees." Apparently, I had to give them a letter saying I was going to Africa for three months so please don't close my account.
posted by dw at 1:55 PM on January 22, 2007
city national bank of taylor texas kicks ASS. they refund your atm frees & give you around 4.3% interest on savings/checking. i switched from boa and have never looked back.
posted by jcruelty at 5:19 PM on January 22, 2007
posted by jcruelty at 5:19 PM on January 22, 2007
sorry, 4.03 on checking, 4.3 on savings. this is with 'reward checking'
posted by jcruelty at 5:19 PM on January 22, 2007
posted by jcruelty at 5:19 PM on January 22, 2007
"This is debatable"
No, it is not. You're going to have a hell of a time finding a bank that has never had a customer say "X Bank sucks balls" about.
B of A is a good example. I've had accounts with US Bank, Seafirst Bank, Washington Mutual, Travis Federal Credit Union, and Golden One Credit Union. I still have the Golden One account just because it's a credit union. They treat me like complete SHIT. My main bank is Bank of America and they have always been very helpful and easy to deal with. Never had any big problems with them at all.
posted by drstein at 5:20 PM on January 22, 2007
No, it is not. You're going to have a hell of a time finding a bank that has never had a customer say "X Bank sucks balls" about.
B of A is a good example. I've had accounts with US Bank, Seafirst Bank, Washington Mutual, Travis Federal Credit Union, and Golden One Credit Union. I still have the Golden One account just because it's a credit union. They treat me like complete SHIT. My main bank is Bank of America and they have always been very helpful and easy to deal with. Never had any big problems with them at all.
posted by drstein at 5:20 PM on January 22, 2007
In Seattle-Portland, I recommend First Tech Credit Union, but you must meet one of these requirements to join.
posted by GaelFC at 5:36 PM on January 22, 2007
posted by GaelFC at 5:36 PM on January 22, 2007
drstein
Agreed.
For all the horror stories I've read about Bank of America on the BoA sucks forum, I have never had a problem with them that was not eventually resolved to my satisfaction. Then again, I'm probably more conscientious with my money than most.
That's not to say that BoA is right for every purpose or every individual; your average high-yield Internet MMSA will blow any of BoA's deposit products out of the water.
posted by The Confessor at 5:57 PM on January 22, 2007
Agreed.
For all the horror stories I've read about Bank of America on the BoA sucks forum, I have never had a problem with them that was not eventually resolved to my satisfaction. Then again, I'm probably more conscientious with my money than most.
That's not to say that BoA is right for every purpose or every individual; your average high-yield Internet MMSA will blow any of BoA's deposit products out of the water.
posted by The Confessor at 5:57 PM on January 22, 2007
You're going to have a hell of a time finding a bank that has never had a customer say "X Bank sucks balls" about.
USAA. Hands-down the best in the U.S. If you are eligible, by all means use them.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 7:08 PM on January 22, 2007
USAA. Hands-down the best in the U.S. If you are eligible, by all means use them.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 7:08 PM on January 22, 2007
Holy crap, USAA lets you deposit checks by scanning them at home. How can that even be sane?
posted by kindall at 2:24 PM on January 23, 2007
posted by kindall at 2:24 PM on January 23, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
My advice? Seek out your local credit union. The people who talk to you will be actual human beings, and they're not out to make a profit.
posted by koeselitz at 10:56 AM on January 22, 2007