Citizens Bank Opinions

[mskaggs]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

[rjm1cc]

I would say who cares who owns the bank. It has to follow the same rules as all other banks.
Consider keeping your current bank and use your phone for deposits and the ATM for getting cash. Of course I would be sure my bank, and it does, picks up the other banks fee.

[Velvet]

My family has used Citizens First Bank since the early nineties. I, myself, have since 2019. Very happy with the bank. In some ways it’s closer to a trust company than a regular bank in terms of what they do. They also have ATMs around the neighborhood pools which is very handy for cash etc. I love the service.

[Arctic Fox]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

Always been very happy with Citizens First.

Are they owned by The Villages? I thought they were just the only bank asked (in the early days) who agreed to operate here, so got the job.

[Toymeister]

There are several credit unions to choose from, most with excellent service.

The Villages has a number of data points on you or the potential to consolidate them. Such as how many TV homes that you own/have owned, water consumption, your golfing/recreation preferences. Many things that you tell a TV sales agent are recorded in the proprietary marketing database. Does the bank share data with it's business 'partners' probably. Is it the same data base, who knows. Does it matter?, Perhaps.

I use a credit union, call me concerned about privacy.

[Stu from NYC]

When we moved here last year visited with Citizens and they gave me their rates.

Found we had a much better deal with our Va bank so stayed with them. Also local credit unions did better.

[villagetinker]

I have found them to be very helpful and convenient, have been with them since 2013, and in 2013 I got a really good rate on the mortgage. I did find CBT had a better rate when I went for a home equity loan, but they were having a big promotion at the time, saved around $600. Also, lots of ATMs and branches.

[Altavia]

As others have said, very convenient and great service.

They are behind From a technology standpoint.

You can do better on savings interest rates else where.

[DAVES]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

Who owns what? It is interesting. Ford owns Jaguar. Fiat owns Chrysler and Peugeot, Pfizer
corona vaccines is owned by Germany, China, and the US. I think there is a fourth one Japan perhaps.

Our mortgage is with Citizens First. We had another bank, promises, promises. They approved the loan weeks after we closed with a loan from Citizens First. Aside we have a top credit score.

I think of this place as a company town. All the complaining- a horror would be if the inmates were running this place.

This place is well run. The reason we chose to live here and the reason why you want to live here. Perfect-it is not. In reality perfection is a figment of imagination.

[DAVES]

There are several credit unions to choose from, most with excellent service.

The Villages has a number of data points on you or the potential to consolidate them. Such as how many TV homes that you own/have owned, water consumption, your golfing/recreation preferences. Many things that you tell a TV sales agent are recorded in the proprietary marketing database. Does the bank share data with it's business 'partners' probably. Is it the same data base, who knows. Does it matter?, Perhaps.

I use a credit union, call me concerned about privacy.

Privacy? It is long gone. Look yourself up on the internet. Amusing, I filled out some kind of form. I never give correct information. Spokeo for a long time showed my age as well over 100 with more money than Gates, and Buffet combined. I think my aunt who is living in assisted living corrected the information as in terms of people I know she is the only one listed. I would not tell her but she has my age and my birthday wrong.

[Garywt]

Our mortgage is with Citizens First and insurance is with The Villages Insurance Co. Just the easiest to do at the time. Had to close within 30 days.

[Polar Bear]

Been happy with Citizens since we moved here. The people, services and technology meet our requirements.

[EdFNJ]

I figured I'd switch from Wells Fargo who I'd been with through probably 40 years in all their different incarnations of banks over to Citizen's a year or so ago because they were local with many branches. At the time I wanted to mess around a very little bit with Bitcoin. Wanted to buy $100 worth. I tried to buy bitcoin with their debit card from a major wallet provider and it was rejected. I called them and we conferenced with their debit card provider and they rejected it because "it was too risky." The wallet provider was and still is one of the top 3 in the world. This was a DEBIT card not CREDIT card purchase they rejected. It's my money and my $100 risk and it really p1ssed me off. WF and BOA never had a problem so I pulled out my money after 3 weeks and stuck with WF and BOA.

Other than that the employees were friendly and there is a branch every 3 blocks. Just annoyed me how they could tell me how I could or could not risk MY $100. It's been a year and maybe they changed their tune.

[Cobh521]

You do not have to use Citizens to close on a home. You can bring a cashiers check to closing. That is what we did. We did not want to open another account. I actually do not trust Citizens bank. They are not up to date on their technology and at times you are unable to use their debit card due to technical errors in the middle of a purchase.

[wachteldepew]

Citizens First Bank is probably one of the best financial institutions we’ve ever dealt with. You should have no hesitations if considering using them.

[Dotneko]

I put just enough funds in citizens to close on our home. We use mid Florida locally and tdbank for other things. I am distrustful of having all my eggs in the villages basket.

[Lil GTO]

There are other banks here and plenty of them.

We financed through citizens they do not sell your loan and refinanced with them to lower rate and now bank with them.

They are a very good organization with kind courteous and professional people operating their branches.

Give them a try you can always change but I feel confident that you’ll have no reason to.

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

[sdeikenberry]

We had Citizen's when we first moved here and found their technology to be behind other banks. We switched to CHASE and have been very happy for a long time now. CHASE has several locations in and around TV, all golf cart accessible.

[Janette1]

We have chosen to have Citizens Bank and another local bank. You absolutely can not beat some of the services that Citizens provides. Local ATM's are conveniently located, and their customer service is amazing. We do travel alot and that being said I didn't want to pay their fees for ATM withdrawals so we have enough money in another bank to provide that service free where ever we travel.

[jojo]

Bottomline - it's convenience vs. rates. I use an online bank for rates for savings. CB is perfect for short term transactions and of course the ATMs at the postal stations. They are closing the first weekend in June for a technology upgrade. Perhaps that will address some of the comments about outdated technology. They answer the phone immediately as opposed to the big banks too.

[Villages Kahuna]

It’s probably the friendliest, highest service level bank I’ve ever dealt with. They offer all the services you’d expect and their fees and rates are in line with other banks. Like any Bank it’s operations are highly regulated, so with FDIC insurance depositors have virtually no financial risk. If you like the way The Villages is planned and managed, you’ll certainly like dealing with Citizens First.

I’m a retired officer of a large international bank with several branches here in The Villages and I love the convenience of the CF branches and ATMs, and their unparalleled customer service.

[34gunner]

Just bought my second home in the Villages. Used Citizens Bank for my mortgage. Very easy and efficient.

[Bogie Shooter]

I put just enough funds in citizens to close on our home. We use mid Florida locally and tdbank for other things. I am distrustful of having all my eggs in the villages basket.

:what:

[mskaggs]

Many thanks for all your thoughtful replies!! :-)

[HoosierPa]

No problems. The developer knows how to run a business well so I have no problem using Citizens. 6 years banking there and not 1 issue.

[banjobob]

No problems with this bank , we have used them 8 years.

[bonrich]

Popcorn, bring on the popcorn!!

[noslices1]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

Citizens First is a great bank to work with. You can do almost everything online with them and there are ATMs at all the mail stations and safe deposit boxes are available.

[dfbauman65]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?
No struggle at all. Been with Citizens Bank for six years with no issues.

[PJackpot]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

As far as a checking or savings goes, Citizens does have the most ATM locations. As far as a mortgage goes, I found their closing costs to be extremely high. We financed with Vystar Credit Union, which has a local branch here and has a no closing cost program. And when I say no closing costs, I mean none, zip, zero. They even paid the appraisal fee. The only catch is you have to keep the mortgage for three years, or you pay a penalty. Beyond the three years, there is no penalty for early pay off. If you're interested, I would call them and see if they still have that program. If so, it's a no-brainer.

[J1ceasar]

Ford no longer owns Jaguar, Tata does.

[Mohawksin]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?
We bought four years ago and kept our bank in Northern Wisconsin. When we sold the Wisconsin home last year we became frogs. We decided to establish a local bank and picked Citizens for golf cart convenience. The very first transaction came when we opened our account and handed them a jar of coins and some paper cash. They CHARGED US to count the coins. I was appalled. We don't really use them now, but we have a local presence. We continue to use the WI bank as our primary bank.

[J1ceasar]

There are a lot of different banks around our area, credit Unions for one have the best rates on loans usually. I also tend to always think that if somebody is owned by somebody else you are not going to get a fair shake when push comes the shop even if they were federal and state laws you know what I'm talking about. There is no reason to use citizens especially if you want a bank with Saturday hours

[Phil D]

We have been useing The Villages bank from 2005 ,we believe it's a great bank and much safer than the large wall st. Banks.

[JoelJohnson]

Bought our first house here in 2012 and moved in December last year to a bigger house here. Tried to go with our big bank but they were hard to work with. Went to Citizens and found them very help and friendly. We recently did a mortgage modification to reduce our monthly amount and it took 5 minutes!
They have to follow the same rules as any other bank, no worries.

[NY2TV]

Just a clarification. It is not Citizens Bank. It is Citizens First Bank. There is a Citizens Bank in other states. Not the same and not affiliated.

[Bridget Staunton]

We choose a bank that operates nationwide. Citizens is only in TV and we stay away from Villages owned companies. Just our view

[starflyte1]

I went with Citizens because around where I live, they have an ATM at every postal station.

[jimkerr]

For a great credit Union go to Suncoast Credit Union. They are awesome!

[Wendy Bradley]

I haven't had any problems. They were more than helpful.

[mcwood4d]

We have an account with CFB for convenience. Better rates can be found at many other places. Cannot beat the convenience and friendly service (as many have stated).

[rmpm48@gmail.com]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

We feel this is a very good bank for all transactions.
Highly rate this bank

[mziewacz]

Who owns what? It is interesting. Ford owns Jaguar. Fiat owns Chrysler and Peugeot, Pfizer
corona vaccines is owned by Germany, China, and the US. I think there is a fourth one Japan perhaps.

Our mortgage is with Citizens First. We had another bank, promises, promises. They approved the loan weeks after we closed with a loan from Citizens First. Aside we have a top credit score.

I think of this place as a company town. All the complaining- a horror would be if the inmates were running this place.

This place is well run. The reason we chose to live here and the reason why you want to live here. Perfect-it is not. In reality perfection is a figment of imagination.


A little update required, Since 2008, Jaguar is owned by Tata Motors, an Indian-based automotive manufacturer.

[Larchap49]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

If you do the majority of your banking on line Citizens is good and ATMs throughout the villages is convenient. If you're still a go to the bank for everything person then you will be frustrated with the lines both inside and in drive through. They don’t make customers fill out deposit slips so the tellers have to do it and that makes for long wait times while tellers do the work the customers should be doing. There are branches of most large national banks close by so if you use on line banking then keeping your current bank may be a good option. Changing auto deposit and debits can be a pain in the butt.

[SacDQ]

This is on Wikipedia

Citizens First Bank is a community bank that was founded on July 1, 1991, and is headquartered in The Villages, Florida.[1] As of 2020, Citizens First Bank has 12 branches throughout Central Florida.[2] It holds more than $2 billon in assets and is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.[3] Citizens First Bank is the tenth largest bank in the state of Florida.[4] A 2014 report claimed that over 72 percent of residents in The Villages, Florida banked with Citizens First Bank.[5] As of 2018, Citizens First Bank had a market share of over 51 percent in The Villages.[6] The company has been noted for its customer service, particularly offering amenities such as lobby hosts and popcorn to customers.[7] The bank has a primarily older clientele, composed mainly of retirees and seasonal residents.[7]

[Carolynphelps]

I have been with Citizens First for over 13 years! Very happy with every aspect of their business!! Highly recommend!!

[meridian5850]

Who owns what? It is interesting. Ford owns Jaguar. Fiat owns Chrysler and Peugeot, Pfizer
corona vaccines is owned by Germany, China, and the US. I think there is a fourth one Japan perhaps.

Our mortgage is with Citizens First. We had another bank, promises, promises. They approved the loan weeks after we closed with a loan from Citizens First. Aside we have a top credit score.

I think of this place as a company town. All the complaining- a horror would be if the inmates were running this place.

This place is well run. The reason we chose to live here and the reason why you want to live here. Perfect-it is not. In reality perfection is a figment of imagination.

Ford sold Jaguar/Land Rover to Tata Motors 11 years ago.

[rmd2]

I like having a bank with locations everywhere in the US. Chase, BOA, etc.

[rmd2]

We bought four years ago and kept our bank in Northern Wisconsin. When we sold the Wisconsin home last year we became frogs. We decided to establish a local bank and picked Citizens for golf cart convenience. The very first transaction came when we opened our account and handed them a jar of coins and some paper cash. They CHARGED US to count the coins. I was appalled. We don't really use them now, but we have a local presence. We continue to use the WI bank as our primary bank.

I don't think ANY bank will count a jar of coins for you.

[koala]

We’ve used Citizens for checking since 2004 and have had no issues with them!

[sallyg]

We moved within TV after about 5 years. We didn't just drink the kool-aid, we jumped right into the bowl. We used their bank and their insurance. It made the process so easy and quick. Other banks and insurance companies are available if you want to change later, which we did.

[donfey]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

Since last year when we moved, we've been satisfied CFB users. The rates are fine - especially for vets - the people are friendly and, there is an ATM at my postal station.

[Lisanp@aol.com]

Tried to use Citizens, but they didn’t offer ARMs, only 15 or 30 fixed. We wanted an ARM thus were basically forced to go elsewhere. Upon researching other options, Citizens rates were not competitive. I’m sure the closing process would have been easier, though as we had an issue at the 11th hour with our bank and the way Villages Insurance would name insured on the policy. Please be aware that when you do speak to Citizens to get “pre-qualified”, they run a hard hit on your credit so your credit score will most likely be lower for the next bank you speak with due to this hard credit inquiry from Citizens.

[hal195z]

Why not have an account with Bank of America or Wells Fargo? Offices in and around TV and offices nationwide.

[John41]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

We use the Lake Sumter branch of Citizens bank. Beautiful interior and friendly staff.

[Smarlow55]

I find their system/technology pretty antiquated. No etransfer capability, bill payment is difficult. Nice and friendly but I don’t really want to have to go into the bank.

[yanksansky]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?
They will make it difficult to go outside of TV banks bc of the 15-30 day close.

[PugMom]

I have found them to be very helpful and convenient, have been with them since 2013, and in 2013 I got a really good rate on the mortgage. I did find CBT had a better rate when I went for a home equity loan, but they were having a big promotion at the time, saved around $600. Also, lots of ATMs and branches.

you hit it on the head, & your last line sums it all up: the banks are everywhere. if i need to use BOA, i have to travel from south of 44 to Pinellas area (466A) just to get to an atm. closest Fidelity branch is @ lake sumter area, but Citizens' branches are less than a mile away. i opened my account & was very pleased with the service & staff. if anything, open a small acct to cover any emergencies or cash needs you encounter in the squares.

[dewilson58]

I don't think ANY bank will count a jar of coins for you.

Free for WFargo customers.

[dewilson58]

Why not have an account with Bank of America or Wells Fargo? Offices in and around TV and offices nationwide.

Agree.
I've been in branches and used ATM's out of state more than I use TV branches.
(jus have no need to go into the bank)

[Polar Bear]

I find their system/technology pretty antiquated. No etransfer capability, bill payment is difficult. Nice and friendly but I don’t really want to have to go into the bank.
Wow. Are we using the same Citizens?

My experience is just the opposite. I do everything electronically with no problems. I almost never go into the bank.

[OhioBuckeye]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

No, we had no trouble with Citizens, but then again we paid cash for our home there, 2 homes in fact. They were good people to work work with.

[Marykess1802]

Popcorn, bring on the popcorn!!
I miss the apples!

[Leadbone1]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

Seriously? They are subject to all the same rules and regulations as any bank anywhere. Probably the friendliest and most courteous bank I have ever dealt with in 50 years!

[Leadbone1]

i find their system/technology pretty antiquated. No etransfer capability, bill payment is difficult. Nice and friendly but i don’t really want to have to go into the bank.

b s…

[BumpaOompa]

I have walked into Citizens six times over the past 12 months to try and resolve issues cased by them. Wrong info on checks, technology issues with ATM cards, typos on statements, …. We also checked on a HELOC with them and they were not even close to being competitive and we have stellar credit. I also found them to be unfriendly and rude. Especially the loan officer girl. I would recommend looking elsewhere.

[Kenswing]

We opened an account I took out a mortgage through them. It made closing a whole lot easier. During closing the Title agent asked for our account number then said I'll be right back. Five minutes later they had the money they needed to close. I probably won't keep a lot of money there but it's nice to have a hometown bank to go to. Their mortgage rates were within about a quarter point of most other institutions.

[DrBrutyle109]

The processes this bank uses......if it did it have the “captive” audience and they had to compete in an open market against big banks.....be out of business in a year, maybe two. Know an employee and she tells me they have “core values “!
But the one that says innovation and creativity........that’s just a falsehood. She said when you go to management with something that could possibly improve efficiency and be more accurate......they .look at you like “seriously” you think you know something we don’t. Like they already knew. Great bank that pats themselves on the back all the time. It’s a good and mean only good, local bank.

[emb2458]

Pays best interest. Changed to Chase for a year. Went back to Citizens. Best bank I have used.

[Rlheinz19@yahoo.com]

Sorry if I'm repeating what might have been said already. We currently have our checking with a national bank for bill pay etc. We have most of our savings with an internet bank because of the better rates. We will probably put some spending money in a new Citizens First account when we starting working. We do not feel the need to be all or nothing.

[thecinks1@gmail.com]

We kept our Wells Fargo accounts. Opened a checking account at Citizens First just so we could use the VERY CONVENIENT ATM machines at all of the neighborhood pools/postal stations. There is always one close by. The "photo deposit" option now makes it unnecessary to carry a check to the bank. We hardly ever go to the physical bank any more.

[New Englander]

:agree:Popcorn, bring on the popcorn!!

[wdst1]

I agree about technology. For the longest time they were way behind. Let’s hope this coming upgrade brings them into the 21st century.

[New Englander]

I've been with CFB for over four years and no problems at all. Always friendly service. Locations all over The Villages.

[TravelswithD&K]

We had the same feelings when we moved here a little over a year ago. We decided to keep our other bank accounts and open a Citizens First Bank account and keep just a little money in there for random things such as when we need to give a contractor a check (I don't want them to have my other bank info). It has been handy, but not enough to move all of our accounts there.

[Westie Man]

We bought four years ago and kept our bank in Northern Wisconsin. When we sold the Wisconsin home last year we became frogs. We decided to establish a local bank and picked Citizens for golf cart convenience. The very first transaction came when we opened our account and handed them a jar of coins and some paper cash. They CHARGED US to count the coins. I was appalled. We don't really use them now, but we have a local presence. We continue to use the WI bank as our primary bank.

and they wanted a 60% fee to accept them. 30 cent fee on a roll of 50 pennies

[jedalton]

I've used Citizens bank since 2005 and very pleased

[DALEPQ]

We are "Seasonal" 6/6 from WI.
We keep an acct. with Wells Fargo as they are National.
Also started an acct. with Citizens First, in T.V., no problems, great to work with.
Will continue with both, as it works great for us.

[Albec99]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?
We've dealt with Citizens since we moved 5 years ago Never had any issues with them & convenient . The bank still has to follow Federal Banking regulations.

[richs631]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

No struggle. Open an account and keep your other bank. Plenty of citizens banks and cash machines around in a pinch. Eventually you will find out that they are more competitive than the big banks

[revkev]

I had the very same concerns you have. But I will tell you, they have great service and it was seamless from beginning to end. Use them. You will not regret your decision.

We just closed on our house 3 weeks ago.

[ML Smith]

No problem with my mortgage with them. Because they work closely with the Villages closing was in the 30 window. I did keep my checking and savings with my original bank.

[mikeritz53]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

I am not totally sure, but I was of the understanding that Citizens Mortgage was Villages owned but Citizens Bank was not and is an independent entity.

[ednamae61]

Calm down, we have used Citizens for 23 years and they will meet all your needs and treat you like family. Highly recommend!

[Number 10 GI]

Citizens First is a bank, nothing exceptional about them. What concerns me is the high turn over rate of employees. At the Lake Deaton branch it seems like every time I go in there, which is not often, there are new people. I don't think there is one original employee there since we opened our account with them back in Dec 2018. Their mortgage management department can't keep employees and are currently under staffed. Not hear say, from the mouth of an employee family member working in the bank. High turnover of employees is the result of poor leadership and low pay.

[mskaggs]

Many thanks for all your thoughtful replies!!

[kcrazorbackfan]

Just me with another question! As we prepare for our move, I feel a little wiggy about using a Villages-owned bank. But it sure would be convenient—anyone else struggle with this decision?

One of the top rated banks there is. We’ve moved everything from Bank of America (actually Bank of Asses), after having been with them a long time, due to issues.

[Boilerman]

I don't think ANY bank will count a jar of coins for you.

Maybe not but every credit union I’ve belonged to will do it for free.

[DrBrutyle109]

I figured I'd switch from Wells Fargo who I'd been with through probably 40 years in all their different incarnations of banks over to Citizen's a year or so ago because they were local with many branches. At the time I wanted to mess around a very little bit with Bitcoin. Wanted to buy $100 worth. I tried to buy bitcoin with their debit card from a major wallet provider and it was rejected. I called them and we conferenced with their debit card provider and they rejected it because "it was too risky." The wallet provider was and still is one of the top 3 in the world. This was a DEBIT card not CREDIT card purchase they rejected. It's my money and my $100 risk and it really p1ssed me off. WF and BOA never had a problem so I pulled out my money after 3 weeks and stuck with WF and BOA
Other than that the employees were friendly and there is a branch every 3 blocks. Just annoyed me how they could tell me how I could or could not risk MY $100. It's been a year and maybe they changed their tune.

What you may not understand about that transaction is the Regulation E protection. If the transaction goes bad, the bank could be on the hook for the $100, AND not be able to get it back

[jjombrello]

We have been with Citizens First Bank since 1996 and have nothing but praise for it. Take time to check the growth of the bank and the great results they've had. I've dealt with many different banks of my 85 years and have found Citizens First to be near the top of the list.

[EdFNJ]

What you may not understand about that transaction is the Regulation E protection. If the transaction goes bad, the bank could be on the hook for the $100, AND not be able to get it back Whether I do or don't understand 2 other banks debit cards had no issue. THAT I did understand. :) Since I couldn't buy what I wanted with my debit card C.B. became of no use to me so I let my money talk and we took a walk.

[Topspinmo]

There are several credit unions to choose from, most with excellent service.

The Villages has a number of data points on you or the potential to consolidate them. Such as how many TV homes that you own/have owned, water consumption, your golfing/recreation preferences. Many things that you tell a TV sales agent are recorded in the proprietary marketing database. Does the bank share data with it's business 'partners' probably. Is it the same data base, who knows. Does it matter?, Perhaps.

I use a credit union, call me concerned about privacy.

Credit unions? How many of those have failed over the decades compared to banks?

[Snowbug]

As far as a checking or savings goes, Citizens does have the most ATM locations. As far as a mortgage goes, I found their closing costs to be extremely high. We financed with Vystar Credit Union, which has a local branch here and has a no closing cost program. And when I say no closing costs, I mean none, zip, zero. They even paid the appraisal fee. The only catch is you have to keep the mortgage for three years, or you pay a penalty. Beyond the three years, there is no penalty for early pay off. If you're interested, I would call them and see if they still have that program. If so, it's a no-brainer.
I wish I would have known about Vystar. We close at the end of last year, at 2.85 percent. What rate did you get with Vystar?

[CoachKandSportsguy]

We used CFB for the Begonia mortgage, and yes they were very well connected with the local development company who builds and sells your new construction. They are a great local bank. If you want more than local services, then i would recommend a bank such as bank of America, or other larger bank. Yes, the CB on line banking is fine for local use, for a retiree with only the need for checking, savings, ATM and debit card. Not sure about their intl foreign currency debit costs and fx bank note deliveries for intl travel, as I usually order some foreign currency if I am taking a week or more trip abroad as getting your credit card stolen makes for difficult travel interruptions, and having bank notes can help get by. The FX conversion services at the airport have ridiculously large spreads

travel guy

[Nucky]

Citizens Royalty Screwed The Pooch on a retirement account transfer to get us away from them. It took almost 4 months for them to resolve the problem.

It was a horrendous experience. I know they are nice, I know they are all over but as far as accuracy, our experience was not good. One letter from a lawyer to them had the money ������ money ������ transferred the very next day. We are now at Chase. All is well. Good Luck!

[stebooo]

Yes I did. Since we live in a couple places, fl. & MN. I wanted a national bank system plus I don't want this developer having, touching, charging me on everything.

[kcksmom]

I did as well. We use Wells Fargo and Chase

[Polar Bear]

…I don't want this developer having, touching, charging me on everything.
Yeah, I hate that too. I do all my banking with Citizens. There’s this fee. And that fee. That other fee. Let me add ’em up…

In the last several years, my total fees have been <examines calculator>…

$0.

Sheesh.

[Boilerman]

Credit unions? How many of those have failed over the decades compared to banks?

In the unlikely event that either a bank or credit union fail, you are protected with the same $250k of federally backed deposit insurance.