Our out of town bank has an arrangement where we are never charged for ATM withdrawals from any domestic bank.

Now that we do not use cash these days almost never have to take out from an ATM but it is nice to have.

It was strange and intrusive
 

that's why I posted the story here over 20 years later.

I recommend Citizens First Bank. We did the same thing 24 years ago and have been very pleased with the bank and how it has grown.

We moved to the Villages over 8 years ago and opened an account with Citizens First because of our mortgage. We prefer using Credit Unions. We found they are usually very friendly and most of the times there is no charge for checking and no crazy minimums. We refinanced our mortgage with them and got a much better rate! There are a lot of choices here, we have accounts with Vystar, Campus USA, and Fairwinds. All are Credit Unions. They offer the same things that regular banks do.

[QUOTE=Westie Man;1917036]that's why I posted the story here over 20 years later.[/
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We would and have chosen Citizen's First. Very trustworthy. Been using them for sixteen years now.

What is a "politically exposed person" and how would being one affect a bank's willingness to allow you to open a new account?

kathy

It wouldn't necessarily affect the willingness of a bank to open an account, it would affect things like whether an employee of the bank would be able to see the customer details.

Unless Things Have Changed...
 

... just after you close on the purchase of your new Villages home, you’ll be scheduled to stop at the Citizens First new accounts desk right in the Closing Department. They used to open a checking account with a $25 deposit (one of the only “freebies” you’ll get from the Developer). Remember, among the variety of businesses owned by our Developer is the bank.

Actually, Citizens First is a pretty good banking choice. They have by far the friendliest and most extensive number of branch offices. And every mail station in The Villages has a Citizens First ATM.

I have a Citizens First account as I used it for the ease of transferring the money at closing. I also like driving thru the ATM in my golf cart and they own the ATMs at the postal stations. Don't forget if you are going to license the car in FL, you need FL auto insurance before they will hand over the keys.

I was in a similar situation two weeks ago. I was purchasing a used car from a dealership in Orlando. (I am the first owner, but there are 4000 dealership miles on the car)
They would accept a check, but it had to be from a Florida account.
So I think you are right.

The best way to pay for a large purchase, and take immediate possession of the item, is to make a wire transfer. Charles Schwab will do these for clients with an account. It takes only minutes and you do it at your own computer.

You need the routing number, the account number, and the name of the bank of the transferee(seller). The routing number is the first set of numbers at the bottom left of the transferee's check and the account number the next set. Be careful, as once you push the button, the transfer is made (actually, there is a human at Schwab who will be involved and errors can be corrected if done quickly). My sister-in-law once transposed a digit in her account number and I sent off funds to pay for a farm deal. Fortunately, the number she gave me did not match any account at the bank. However, my money circulated in the ether for a few days and her bank charged me a fee as if it was a bounced check.

Schwab offers this as a service without charge. In addition, Schwab offers free checking and debit cards. The only disadvantage is that it has neither cash at its offices nor its own ATM's. Instead, as another poster mentioned, you use other bank's ATM's and Schwab refunds their fee. I don't know if there is a minimum balance required in the account to qualify for these "freebies".

Also agree !

I have used ATMs in many countries free with my Schwab ATM card. Lost a card in Turkey and they offered to overnight a new one to me for free!

Haven’t been inside a bank in years. With mobile apps, you can deposit checks, pay bills, statements for tax purposes, and transfer money. We use Chase, and BOA, both in our home state had branches open in 2020.
We opened a Citizen’s First in 2010, but when I want to transfer money in or out the cost was outrageous. For tax purposes they are still paper statements. But many go for the popcorn