Best bank in Austin?

[calel]

On top of not charging a fee, my credit union refunds ATM fees from other banks (up to a $25/month limit I think). Some online banks, like Ally, offer the same no ATM fees/reimbursement perk. I dropped Chase like a hot potato when they stripped off everything that was good about my grandfathered Washington Mutual account, including that no ATM fee perk WaMu had.

[senormatt]

Charles Schwab

No fees, use any ATM for free, Bill Pay, mobile check deposit, good smartphone app, great service, good for brokerage/investing/IRAs (good $0 fee index funds), etc.

For savings get a separate high interest account, several options (at least 0.8%)

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by senormatt

Charles Schwab

No fees, use any ATM for free, Bill Pay, mobile check deposit, good smartphone app, great service, good for brokerage/investing/IRAs (good $0 fee index funds), etc.

For savings get a separate high interest account, several options (at least 0.8%)

That's who I use (in Dallas). Very few branches, but I have direct deposit so don't ever need to visit.

[New_to_DFW]

For ATM reimbursement (so you can use any ATM for free), Charles Schwab or First Republic, but they don't have local branches in Austin.

[cp102]

I truly love RBFCU, their rates are normally the best. It easy to deposit with your phone or ipad. I love online banking but when i need it I like to be able to go to the bank in person. I have always found excellent customer service.

[passionatearts]

I switched from Bank of America to UFCU and am very happy with the switch. Yes, there aren't as many ATM's in other cities, but I don't use cash that much anyway, so that hardly matters. UFCU has great customer service, and they don't nickel and dime you to death with fees like BoA and the other big banks.

[ericsami]

if number of locations is your deal then you will need to go with one of the three mega banks that is present in Austin and all through out the U.S.

That is Bank of America, Chase, Wellsfargo.

unfortunately that will mean that if you don't have 1500 bucks you will get penalized 12-15 dollars monthly. in many cases if you get with direct deposit.
but the upside is you can do business with them throughout the country. you can even do international money transfers because they are part of the international swift system.

but if you don't care about any of that stuff (which you really should not unless you own your own business with lots of cash flow). then any of the credit unions mentioned here in austin that have 5+ locations should be fine.

They normally let you open an account with 100 minimum deposit and normrally a 25-50 dollar membership fee that give you back when you close your account.

there are upsides with credit unions the fees are lower. you can get free cashiers checks for free. ..... you can talk to a manager that has more flexibility.

but their technology infrastructure is not as uptodate as big banks. alot of credit unions also give you a credit back for you ATM fees at other ATMS if you have direct deposit with them.

most jobs that offer direct deposit allow you at least two accounts that you can deposit into. you can open accounts at two different banks that way you have better accessibility to banking when you are driving through the city and you have a random need.

[pop251808]

There are still quite a few small BANKS in the area, as opposed to Credit Unions, and some of them will treat you like a person. So, if you ever want to start a business, use credit to do something meaningful (not just to buy you some stuff) and expect to be talked to like an adult, by an adult, you'll need one of them. Credit Unions can't do it, and national chains are worthless and care even less about you than you do about them.
Me, I use Ozona National in San Marcos (they're the real deal); buy stuff with credit cards, pay vendors with online Billpay, and keep a little cash in Randolph Brooks FCU. After you get jerked around one too many times by big banks, you'll come around. If you saw them talking at a congressional hearing, they're no good.

[curmudgette]

I've been with UFCU for 30 years (joined back when I was a grad student) -- it's superb.

[rocknrollinhoneybadger]

BTW - thanks for the recommendations on this thread. It was a massive help for my wife and myself after moving here.