re: What bank do you use and do you like them?

There are 3 types of banks that are worthwhile depending on your needs:

- A large community bank, something like Iberiabank mentioned earlier, is great for personal service in a more traditional banking sense. They're going to be more flexible than most because the decisions are made on a local level yet they're big enough to offer a wide variety of competitive products. By far the biggest drawback is going to be mobile/online banking apps that are subpar compared to the big national banks.

- Online only or online mostly banks, like Ally or Charles Schwab. These are growing exponentially because their lower overhead allows for some of the most competitive rates. They also tend to have some of the sharpest apps and tools and often will reimburse atm fees and other fees that brick and mortar banks charge to withdraw money, so you're not hamstrung by their lack of locations. Their drawback is going to quite obviously be personal service and face to face help if/when needed. They also tend to offer less one-off services and exceptions.

- Large national banks like Chase. They're basically a jack of all trades and master of none. They have the upper end apps and online platforms, tools, probably the most comprehensive products and services. They're also the most static and inflexible of the 3.

Depending on what you need and your financial acumen, you'll need one or two of the three. There are great options in all 3 categories.

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Our bank charges a monthly fee, but it's waived if you have $500 or more direct deposited into the acct each month.

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Herein lies the rub- the wife and I pool our paychecks into one big bank account (no money is ever spent from that account), then transfer it to smaller personal bank accounts that we use for personal spending. Whenever we need to make a big purchase we simply transfer more money into either my or her account. It 1)Helps keep track of who is spending what and 2)Helps protect from identity theft in the event either my or her card is compromised, since they would only have access to the limited cash in that account, and not the big pot of cash.

The banker said that because there is often less than some fixed amount of money (I think $500), we will continue to get charged maintenance fees. For comparison we brought up our scenario to the local credit union, who offers the same services sans fees, and they said no problem.

I am going back to capital one today and will ask the banker one more time how much he values our business. If not I will switch.

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I have several different accounts in Ally (checking, savings, money market, CDs,

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what do you use the MM and CDs for? I mean I get they have higher interest rates but what do you specifically do? I've had CDs in teh past but it seems like you just leave it alone for like 12 months and get a few hundred bucks in interest. Do you have some sort of routine you do with those?

I use Scwab. Top notch customer service and not having a branch isn't a big issue. I get rebated ATM fees. Just came out with a Schwab Amex I'll look into getting.

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I use Scwab. Top notch customer service and not having a branch isn't a big issue. I get rebated ATM fees. Just came out with a Schwab Amex I'll look into getting.

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Schwab is the one bank I might switch to one day. They have a brokerage account that is free if you have a checking/savings with them. Also have interest checking, no ATM fees, etc.

I thought CDs are a no-no for current rates.

Can't go wrong with a local, regional, or credit union. Large national banks have poor customer service - most of the time.

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I thought CDs are a no-no for current rates.

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Its higher than just being in my savings. CDs vary everywhere though.

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Are you REALLY prepared for that answer?

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Sure. I already have a bank in mind that offers me better service for less money.

Is there any reason I should stay?