Most Bank Branches in PGH area.... (mortgage, credit, travel)

[By~Tor]

Hi, Kids!-- Just me again, with a question:

Which of the following Local Banks would be my best (checking acct.) option if I were looking for (in order of importance):

* Most Branch Locations

* Low or No-ATM fees for using other banks' ATM's...

* Most ATM locations

* ATM / Branches inside Giant Eagle Store (or other store) Locations

* BEST account plans for "No Minimum Required"

We will be opening our bank account this weekend, and need to know from "the locals" which of the majors are the best for our needs.

So far, it looks like National City has the most locations, but PNC and Allegheny look good, too... their websites are all pretty generic, so I'm looking for personal experiences to help sway our choice.

Thanks again, for all the help you guys have given us so far!!

-Mike

[BrianTH]

I'd hesitate to recommend PNC for retail banking (they are more of a corporate bank that does some retail banking, and I personally think it shows). In contrast, National City is very much a retail bank, but they also got hammered in the recent mortgage crisis so may be a takeover target. On the third hand, these days no bank is really immune from being a takeover target, so they might be your best bet anyway.

[Bong477]

I'd recommend PNC... atms & branches all over the place & have a much bigger national footprint than National City which helps if you ever travel. They have a good basic free checking plan that refunds any ATM fees if you keep an average (note not minimum) balance of $2000. You also get visa rewards which aren't huge but add up if you use your check card for everything. Their service has always been fine on the rare occasion I've needed it (such as when our checkcard number got stolen and was used for like $2000 in unauthorized charges).

Honestly, I doubt it matters all that much.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Bong477

Honestly, I doubt it matters all that much.

I wanted to note that while we disagreed mildly about PNC, this is certainly true: the standards for retail banking are pretty well-established these days, and unless you do something like join a credit union, the experience is going to be pretty similar overall.

[By~Tor]

What about the number of locations? Here in NYC, we use Commerce for their 7-day service (never closed!!!) and the sheer number of locations they have... which would you guys recommend between PNC or National City?

Which ones are located inside the Giant Eagle stores, maybe?

[Bong477]

Both have plenty of locations in terms of branches or atms... which is more if you add them up? I don't know, but both are more than adequete for any normal consumer. To make them even more similiar, both PNC and National City have branches inside Giant Eagle. You'd have to check the one you'd be using most often to see which branch (if any) is in that location.

Like I said, I don't think it matters significantly... both are fine.

[PeterRabbit]

I've been with National City I guess since they first came to town, whenever that was. My free checking account earns interest and there's no minimum balance or charge for checks via Deluxe, you can order online. They sent a debit/Visa card which has been free. They started giving points when you use your debit card. They have online banking. You can email or call them after hours (until midnight) if you have any questions. In my experience they are very customer oriented.

[nynjmapa]

You may want to look at Citizens as well.

[By~Tor]

Okay . . . . can you say as to WHY I should "look at Citizen's"??? Everyone else has provided a few reasons. . . . . IJS. . . .

Originally Posted by nynjmapa

You may want to look at Citizens as well.

[suzeeq521]

I don't know why the previous poster suggested Citizen's but I will tell you why I do...I myself just recently opened an account with them.

First of all, it is the bank that has locations inside Giant Eagles. The in-store locations offer 7 day a week banking. Also, because of this relationship, the ATMs in Get-Go (gas station/c-stores) are also Citizens.

As far as branches go, it seems like there is one in nearly every neighborhood. So, there is one in the neighborhood I live, one near my work, one near my doctor's office, one near the post office I use, etc. Very handy.

I opened their ordinary Green checking account. No minimum balance and no fees. I get access to my account on-line and my choice of paper or on-line statements. I also signed up for the Green savings account and the Steady Save program, which does an automatic transfer from checking to savings (I set mine up for once a month, but there are lots of options for saving.) Pretty much a no-frills account, but really, it is what I wanted.

My understanding is that they do have some "upgraded" accounts, but you would have to contact them to get the details.

From what I understand, the take-over situation with National City isn't so much a question of if, but a question of when.

And the "national footprint" of PNC isn't really a draw for me. My family used them and thought that would be great when they were traveling. Until my mom got to the west coast and found out PNC charged her ATM fees to use a PNC ATM machine, because she "was out of her service area." Also, I found customer service to be extremely lacking with them when I did have accounts there.