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(25 posts)

Sat. is Bank Transfer Day ~ Help make history, use local banks and credit unions

Started 6 months ago by csw2119
Latest reply from Gina

csw2119
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Sound Community Bank and Boeing Employee Credit Unions are great places to do your banking.

Posted 6 months ago #
redblack
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so are we running on the big banks on saturday, or what?

i have accounts at multiple institutions, but i plan on making a big withdrawal from a mcbank on saturday.

Posted 6 months ago #
luckymom30
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Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union is also a great place to do your banking, locations on Marginal Way, Downtown and Southcenter.

Posted 6 months ago #
csw2119
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Talk about taking advantage of the opportunity!!! Sound Community Bank will have a table set up at Westlake tomorrow (Sat). They told me BECU will be there too! Smart!

Posted 6 months ago #
abstract
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Has anyone ever tried switching their car loan over to a local bank? Is that even possible. I have chase and have had so many issues that were all their fault.

Posted 6 months ago #
ellenater
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Yes you can! And I got a great rate through BECU. They are incredible. I switched from B of A a few years ago due to just the atrocious customer service by B of A. So glad I did. Hope this event is successful.

Posted 6 months ago #
westseattledood
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Here's a link to the credit union coop site. There's a CU "finder/locator" on their home page. Lots to choose from, as you will see.

I'm a 20-year member of WSECU - WA State Employees Credit Union and have been more than happy with their services.

http://www.creditunion.coop/

Posted 6 months ago #
dobro
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bank related question- what do you do about a safe deposit box? Are there banks that let you have one without having an account? Other alternatives?

Posted 6 months ago #
westseattledood
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My credit union offers safe deposit boxes. I rented one for years! I assume other CU's do as well, but with boxes - availability is often an issue and there might be wait lists. But, you should call those CU's you might be interested in, or check their websites.

edit: another alternative for safe deposit boxes is to purchase one's own home, fire-proof safe and secure it within one's own home.

Posted 6 months ago #
JayDee
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I switched in 2009. Think of all the autopay and similar things you may have set up. It isn't just a simple decision. That being said, I don't miss BofA (or bow-fa as I called them). Especially now that the new Safeway has two BECU ATMs (BECU only uses ATMs for cash transactions). Better than no local (Admiral) BECU ATMs. Go for it!

Posted 6 months ago #
westseattledood
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Here's a musical spin on "How to Move Your $$ from big banks to credit unions"

http://thedisclosuresmusic.com/2011/10/31/new-music-video-on-how-to-switch-from-a-big-bank-to-a-credit-union/

Posted 6 months ago #
hammerhead
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I have to say I just can't they are not business friendly for me and my business. With my home loans threw Wells Fargo and I get some perks from that. There are just not enough credit unions to make it convenient for me.

I wish I could switch and yes I have looked tirelessly to see how this could work for my business. I hate ATM's to slow especially with has many transactions I can have I hate to make people wait.

I wish I could be part of the movement.

Posted 6 months ago #
WSHusky
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How about Umpqua Bank just opened in Admiral Dist - next door to newly remodeled Safeway.
Local as in Portland - very community focused, very cool branches and people.

Posted 6 months ago #
westseattledood
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Genuine, local community-focused banks get a thumbs up from me as well.

Remember "It's A Wonderful Life", the Jimmy Stewart movie? Most tend to think of it as one of the premier Christmas movies, but it is about more than that, I'd say. I actually have a cat named after the character ZouZou, George's youngest daughter.

If you haven't seen this video that went viral early last year, check this out too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnAFXc1E5c8

It runs about 4:00 minutes, but watch the whole thing if you are still debating and wondering about whether you could

Move Your Money!!!!

Here is more information about how to do it:
http://moveyourmoneyproject.org/

Also, people might want to know that if you can't make a quick move to a new CU or community bank this weekend, then be advised that:

Every Monday (Till Further Notice) is being designated as Move Your Money Monday, by the moveyourmoneyproject peeps. Take your time, do your research and comparisons and gradually migrate your autopays, etc., if it seems the right thing to do after you have done so.

Posted 6 months ago #
HMC Rich
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No

Posted 6 months ago #
JanS
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Rich..the joy of living where we do...you have a choice...and you're free to exercise it.

Posted 6 months ago #
kootchman
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yes Jan..choice.. it is a wonderful thing. For all those concerned about safe deposit boxes, I will gladly accept any negotiable instruments, cash, bearer bonds, gold, silver, for safekeeping. I will beat any rate of any bank.

Posted 6 months ago #
WSB
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For those thinking of switching, please note that we have two local/regionally owned banks on the WSB sponsor team:

Viking Bank
http://www.vikingbank.com

Umpqua Bank (as mentioned earlier in the thread)
http://www.umpquabank.com

Ours is a particularly interesting region for this issue since many are with Chase only because it used to be locally owned WaMu...

Posted 6 months ago #
cjboffoli
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I had been waiting for a while for the new West Seattle Umpqua branch to open so I could depart Bank of America. But a few weeks ago I just couldn't deal with BOA any longer. So I drove over to the Umpqua Magnolia branch and opened an account.

Despite the fact that I had banked with them for more than 15 years, the only thing BOA were really good at was making me feel like a complete stranger. I never really chose them in the first place. My original account was with Shawmut Bank (in Boston). They eventually got gobbled up by Fleet Bank. Then Fleet was gobbled up by BOFA in the early aughts.

With all of their annoying policies, the stories of their callous lending practices, and the sub-par architecture of their personal banking website, it was well past the time for me to say adieu.

Would the last person out of Bank of America please turn out the lights?

Posted 6 months ago #
redblack
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i became a b of a customer through attrition, as well. remember seafirst?

i left seafirst when b of a acquired them and i switched to wamu.

so yadda yadda then i left chase, and i do most of my banking through washington federal now.

they're a good bank, but i think they're primarily trying to attract higher-balance clients. some of their tellers give me funny looks when i show up looking like a construction worker on pay day - as if maybe i should have run home, showered, and put on a coat and tie before doing my banking. they might even pull my boss's signature card from his branch if the dollar amount on my check - or their suspicion of me - is sufficiently high. and if you're looking for flexible and fast online banking and all of the high-tech bells and whistles of a mcbank, they may not be the best choice. i told the missus that it's like internet banking was 5 or 6 years ago.

but they do have plenty of convenient locations, namely morgan junction and california ave at dakota street.

Posted 6 months ago #
redblack
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ws dood: the banking thing was my favorite part of it's a wonderful life.

the funny thing is that, especially in the debate over occupy wall street, conservatives have aligned themselves with mr. potter.

Posted 6 months ago #
stina
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I use Viking Bank in the Junction for my small business and for a non-profit I volunteer with. They are fantastic! I can't imagine ever going back to a big bank.

Posted 6 months ago #
Robindianne
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I wish there was a way to compare CUs and local banks financially. I look at their Web sites and can compare certain fees / rates with big banks but I wish I could compare them with eachother.

Posted 6 months ago #
KBear
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"I use Viking Bank in the Junction..."

Not anymore you don't. Your bank has been gobbled up, too.

Posted 6 months ago #
Gina
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Seattle City Employee's Credit Union, and Seattle Trust. Both have different names now. I had money in the NB of C, but after the 5th or 6th merger and name change, I was out of there.

Posted 6 months ago #