Best banking relationship in/near TV
 

Hey all, moving to TV area (eventually in TV) later on this year and am wondering what the prevailing wisdom is with the local banks in and around TV.

We need to leave all of our banks up North in order to avoid state income taxes. So we are looking for which bank/credit unions in TV area people have had the best relationship with.

Who was easy to set up a new account and work with?

Best customer service, best online banking and I suppose… can I get to the bank in a golf cart? :-)

I don’t want to turn this into a complaint fest either, but which banks should I avoid like the plague?

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful replies.

We use Citizens and convenience of Wells Fargo for snowbird season up north

We have been with Citizens for almost 10 years, have not used any others for checking and savings. Tried Chase for a home equity loan, and they were a disaster, went back to Citizens for that also.

EVERY bank down here has: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

It's not so much, "the bank" as much as the local personnel.

Definitely benefits of Wells Fargo as mentioned by another poster.

Most retired people as not borrowing, so it gets down free checking, savings, technology, etc.

I'm from the North East & before moving to TV I opened accounts at a national bank that has offices in my original home town & TV. Then I closed my local only bank accounts. This way I was not a 'new' customer to the bank, but an established one. My understanding is that all I need to do is have the Bank change the office of domicile to the TV branch & I will be out of the home state as far as banking goes.

Been using Citizens First Bank (CFB) for a decade. No problems. Easy, peasy.

I just now opened a Fidelity Cash Management account. Haven't really begun to use it though. No fees or minimums. You can use paper checks and online bill-payment. Comes with a debit card, which I would only use for ATMs (fees reimbursed). Cash is FDIC protected. Cash is currently earning 2.34%. It is also a (somewhat limited) brokerage account. They also offer no-fee, international, bank wire-transfers. And, they have an office in Lake Sumter Landing.

We use Truist (which used to be Suntrust). There is a branch we use when in MD and one down in Lake Deaton Plaza which we use when we're in TV. We made sure we met the bank manager at both branches...

I use Truist for free checking and a VISA credit card. I like that I can pay my credit card bill with a simple online funds transfer from one account to another in the same bank.

To me, it makes no sense to use a bank for interest bearing accounts. I use Vanguard and Fidelity for that.

Just changed address on Chase and Fidelity. Rarely visit a branch but they are here. Most transactions are done through app.

I use Citizens First. My parents used it for ten years, my aunt and uncle for 32 years.

Just recently a scammer made a charge on my account. Citizen notified me by text, and when I said it was not me, they closed the card - not the account, they reversed the charge on my DEBIT card and sent me a new card in two business days. All of this without me going into the branch!

Wells Fargo??? Have you read the papers? I don’t even drive by one without grumbling.

I only use a debit card to get cash from the ATM. For purchases, I always use a credit card. Your bank "may" refund your money for an unauthorized debit card transaction, but they are not required to do so. But, if you use a credit card, they must follow the Federally mandated process to handle credit card transaction disputes.

Mine was an online transaction from Singapore.

But that’s another thing I like about Citizens, the neighborhood pools have ATMs for cash.

We've received great service from Citizens First. We also have Wells Fargo for when we travel and to get foreign currency.

Another vote for Truist (formerly BB&T).

No issues with them at all.

Actually banks ARE required to refund your money but only IF you notify them as per their fraud reporting procedures. Personal debit card use is protected by consumer laws. However, you might need to sign an affidavit, file a police report, call the CFPB, FTC and even contact the bank's regulator. So, your statement that a "bank may refund your money" is fairly accurate if they want to put up a fight.