Talk of The Villages Florida - Best banking relationship in/near TV

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Originally Posted by kbace6 (Post 2189611)

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.

Been here at TV since July of '21. Have had nothing but positive experience with Citizens.

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Originally Posted by NotGolfer (Post 2189957)

We bought our house 14 years ago about now (Feb/March)...then moved here later that year. We've been with Citizens First from the get-go. NO issues! Our branch is in Colony but you can go to any of them around the community. We've found them to be friendly and helpful.

We've been satisfied Citizens First Bank customers for 13 years. Like you, the Colony branch is our branch for services beyond ATM access.

The girls at Truist Bank At Colony are very personable and make you feel “at home”. I highly recommend them!

The girls at Truist Bank @ Colony are very personable and make you feel right at home! I highly recommend them!

Another Citizens recco

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Originally Posted by kbace6 (Post 2189611)

Our long time bank up north was consumed into PNC, where the reduction of bricks & mortar has made local branches disappear steadily (our safe deposit box moved 4 times in 10 years), so we were not upset at the idea of changing banks, especially since the local PNC branch is not golf cart accessible. When we finally bought here after years of renting, we decided to get a local account and explored several banks for mortgage opportunities and found that the large national banks (PNC, Chase, etc) were not retiree friendly - proving financial stability via investments instead of income was challenging and the mortgage officers we were dealing with were very hands off. Citizens was totally different - they were great, and the mortgage office staff were not only friendly but extremely helpful with educating us on how to get the correct info and present in so we could give the full picture of our finances. They answered all my questions quickly, and always called back - great customer service and very different than my experience with the other banks during this process.

Citizens has been extremely friendly no matter which branch we have walked into, is golf cart accessible, and has adequate tech for online access and bill pay like PNC. I can't speak to their phone accessibility, since it is so easy to just stop in.

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Originally Posted by kbace6 (Post 2189611)

Suncoast Credit Union on 466a in front of Lowe’s is excellent.

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Originally Posted by dewilson58 (Post 2189648)

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.

Wells Fargo, really? They are a joke! They rip off their customers.

As many have said, having a branch or ATM near where you live is important because of convenience. In this regard, Citizens First can't be beat. The second consideration is travel. It helps to have a nationwide bank if you go outside The Villages. Which one depends on where you are going. Not all nationwide banks have convenient branches in all areas. You have to do your homework.

We have accounts at Citizens and MIDFLORIDA CU. No need for a National Chain Bank. Also with MIDFLORIDA you can use the ATM’s at any Publix with no fees!

I get it, Citizens First is great. What happens when you have a question or get hacked or jammed up somehow at 5.05 PM on Friday afternoon? It’s going to be a long weekend filled with worry.

We went back to a big bank. Customer service around the clock, even on holidays. Works for us.

A new bank is opening, Freddie Fuddpucker S & L.

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Originally Posted by Wondering (Post 2189981)

Wells Fargo, really? They are a joke! They rip off their customers.

Been with them for over 30 years.................Love 'em.

:eclipsee_gold_cup:

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Originally Posted by kbace6 (Post 2189611)

Forget about local banks. Discoverbank.com is the best! Check out interest rates on their site. I've used them for more than 20 years.

I've been here for 7 years & Citizens First has been fabulous! They are friendly, accommodating & very efficient. My dad has been a snow bird here for over 22 years & wouldn't ever go to anywhere but Citizens First.

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Originally Posted by Nucky (Post 2190006)

I would be suspicious of a Savings and Loan. I think they they went kaput about 30 years ago.

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Originally Posted by Dusty_Star (Post 2189656)

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.

I too am from the north east ( New Jersey) and wanted to do the same thing. Open an account before moving to TV. But I could not find a bank that had branches in both locations. Could you tell me what bank you used?