Which bank to open a new account with in NOVA (Burke: credit, home)

[jasper212]

I will be moving to NOVA in the coming months and was wondering what banks were in the area.

I currently have an account with Bank of America, but Im not really a fan of theirs. Can someone recommend a good bank down there. Im hoping to open a 'checkings and savings' and a 'credit' account. They dont necessarily have to be with the same bank.

Or should I just stick with Bank of America?

Which banks do you use, and what are your experiences with them?

[CaliTerp07]

I use ING direct (online bank) for my savings account. It holds my emergency fund. It has slightly higher rates than any brick and mortar bank.

For checking accounts, we have two. One is through bank of america for the convenience factor (for those few times you have to go in in person to get foreign currency, or whatever), and one is with USAA. USAA is another online bank, which is great. I can use anyone's atm, and they refund me, and I can deposit checks by mail or through scanning them into my computer. We're satisfied with both.

If you explained what you didn't like about BofA, it might help.

[ChristineVA]

I use Bank of America. Mainly because they seem to have the most conveniently located ATMs for me, where I work, and where I live. Since I don't do a lot of "active" banking, I don't really have an opinion on whether BoA is better or worse than any other bank. I suppose if I was someone who needed to do a lot of in-bank transactions, I might be able to form an opinion. I haven't spoken to a teller in years. Of the two problems I've had over the past few years, they were solved over the phone in minutes. I think I would look at where you are going to live and work and see what banks seem to be the most convenient for you.

[cdmurphy]

I've used Chevy Chase Bank for 12 years, with no problems. They were recently bought by Capital One, and as of this month they've officially switched over to the Capital One name and branding. Their big advantage in the DC metro area is convenience - their branches and ATMs are everywhere, including some Metro stations.

[LynchburgLover]

We've had excellent experiences at BB&T. Recently we were on a trip and found out our account had been frozen! I freaked out until I found out they had quickly stopped some fraudulent charges on my account. I still had the card in my hand but, apparently, someone had made a dummy card and stamped my number on it!

They had tried to call my home number but we were out of town. I've now changed the emergency contact number to my cell, in case this happens again.

I'll stick with BB&T.

[The Dissenter]

I worked in a big bank and a credit union in the DC area for 3 years. The best ones with my opinion are:

Burke and Herbert
M&T Bank
BB&T
Navy FCU (if eligible)

[Flamingo13]

We are w/BB&T locally for checking and a little savings, as well as the Visa/Debit Card, I've also heard great things about Burke and Herbert. I read recently that Bank of American was going to start charging for all kinds of things (i.e., tellers, statements, etc.), you might want to check into that.

[BallstonGALLy]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

We are w/BB&T locally for checking and a little savings, as well as the Visa/Debit Card, I've also heard great things about Burke and Herbert. I read recently that Bank of American was going to start charging for all kinds of things (i.e., tellers, statements, etc.), you might want to check into that.

I heard about that too. Like if you have paper statement sent to your home, they will start charging for that too. They do a lot of hidden fees and require you to have a certain balance and also charges you if you withdraw over a certain amount. Ya Im thinking of changing my bank of america account too... they dont have that great of a customer service.

[weezycom]

Burke & Herbert now has online banking as well, where you can scan in deposits, get refunds on non-B&H ATM fees, etc., so having fewer branches is not much of an issue. I've banked with them since the early '90s and they're a good, solid bank with good service.

I have to say though, I just did a re-fi and went with Fairfax Co. Credit Union b/c they had a fabulous rate and low fees, and the whole process went very, very smoothly. Open to any FxCo resident or anyone who does regular business in Fx Co.

[Teebyrd86]

I swtiched to BB&T from a local bank that isnt in this area when I moved here a year ago and Have had nothing but great service from BB&T they are pretty good in my opinion and have lots of locations not just in the dc area but all over!