Recommend some good banks in the states.

[girlwithquestions 2]

So I think I will keep my Canadian bank ( TD)...Any recommendation on banks in the states. Btw, How to open TD USA account?

[kintu 4]

TD USA, is only in the eastern part of the states.ummm, i would suggest either US Bank or Bank of America !

[Scott & Elena 0]

So I think I will keep my Canadian bank ( TD)...Any recommendation on banks in the states. Btw, How to open TD USA account?

Bank of America is known for always attempting to charge crazy fees for just about anything.

If you can joina credit union you should consider that.

[hikergirl 277]

For TD Bank, it looks like you have to visit a branch in the US to open an account. http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/products-services/banking/north-american-banking-services/index.jsp

I like my RBC Canada and RBC US accounts for convenience. I opened them both from a branch here in Canada. But like TD they are mostly Eastern US right now. Although they (RBC US) have an app that you can deposit checks to, so if you aren't big on the cash thing it might be an okay starting off point for you as well.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Is your spouse in the USA military, or his parents!! We have USAA and love it!! and sort of piggy-backed off her parents, who piggy backed off his parents,lol Nothing but great service!!

[decocker 7,198]

we use our local credit union. they don't charge fees for anything and they're always personable and nice because it's a small operation. ultimately i suppose choosing a bank has to do more with what specific services you need..

[Rob & Monika 87]

The national chains seem to be the worst. Just look online at the banks that are in the location you are moving to and compare interest rates for savings accounts, and fees, etc. For instance, Bank Of America is currently running with a measly 0.01% interest rate on regular savings. The credit union I use is at 0.25%, a whopping 25x higher than BOA, though still measly . You might also want to look up other information like what online features they have, whether Quicken or (insert choice software here) works with their bank, etc.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/savings/compare-bank-rates-from-all-institutions.aspx

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Why not go with whatever your spouse to be has?

[aaron2020 11,651]

Bank of America is one of the worst banks in the US. BoA charges lots of hidden fees. Google "Best and worst banks in the US" and you will see BoA listed as one of the worst.

USAA is fantastic. Everything is done by mail so deposits can take a bit longer than a local bank. There are limited branches. You may not have a branch in your city. However, you can use practically any ATM. USAA does not charge a fee when you use another bank's ATM. The other bank will charge a fee for using their ATM. USAA will give you a credit of up to $15 per month. Rarely have I ever had to pay to use an ATM.

Go with one of the local credit unions if you can. They will charge the least amount of fees. The credit unions operate in small geographical areas so you may face ATM charges if you travel to a city where your bank does not operate or have an agreement with local banks not to charge you a fee (not in ATM network).

If you travel a lot, a national bank would work better since you would not have to worry about ATM fees.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Bank of America is one of the worst banks in the US. BoA charges lots of hidden fees. Google "Best and worst banks in the US" and you will see BoA listed as one of the worst.

USAA is fantastic. Everything is done by mail so deposits can take a bit longer than a local bank. There are limited branches. You may not have a branch in your city. However, you can use practically any ATM. USAA does not charge a fee when you use another bank's ATM. The other bank will charge a fee for using their ATM. USAA will give you a credit of up to $15 per month. Rarely have I ever had to pay to use an ATM.

Go with one of the local credit unions if you can. They will charge the least amount of fees. The credit unions operate in small geographical areas so you may face ATM charges if you travel to a city where your bank does not operate or have an agreement with local banks not to charge you a fee (not in ATM network).

If you travel a lot, a national bank would work better since you would not have to worry about ATM fees.

USAA allows you to SCAN and deposit your cheques!!

[aaron2020 11,651]

Is your spouse in the USA military, or his parents!! We have USAA and love it!! and sort of piggy-backed off her parents, who piggy backed off his parents,lol Nothing but great service!!

USAA allows you to SCAN and deposit your cheques!!

Yup. Smartphones has change banking.

To clarify, anyone can open a banking account with USAA. USAA banking is open to everyone regardless of connections to the military. I have no connection to the US military, and I have been a USAA banking customer for over 10 years. USAA's other services such as insurance are only available to those with a qualifying US military connection (family relationship).

[N M 96]

1) Make sure your bank is FDIC insured.

2) As previously suggested - if you will travel a lot within the U.S., go for a national chain (to avoid ATM fees).

3) If you will travel a lot in state, look for a bank with a big local footprint (to avoid ATM fees).

4) If you won't be traveling much at all, a local Credit Union could well be the best bet.

We have two accounts - one with First National Bank of Fort Collins (because of their extensive local ATM & branch network), and the other with Wells Fargo (due to its extensive nationwide network - particularly in the West).

I've not had to use another bank's ATM the entire time I've been in America. No problems with hidden fees from either. We got our mortgage through Wells Fargo too, and don't have a single complaint about them.

[pocheros 101]

I went with Navy Federal Credit Union because my hubby is a veteran. They've been excellent thus far! They're only open to veterans and their immediate family, though.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Yup. Smartphones has change banking.

To clarify, anyone can open a banking account with USAA. USAA banking is open to everyone regardless of connections to the military. I have no connection to the US military, and I have been a USAA banking customer for over 10 years. USAA's other services such as insurance are only available to those with a qualifying US military connection (family relationship).

Oops, my fault!! lol I never do any banking with my phone!! I know lot of very high techy people, and they say top avoid that like the plague. I just use my scanner at home.

[alizon 77]

Oops, my fault!! lol I never do any banking with my phone!! I know lot of very high techy people, and they say top avoid that like the plague. I just use my scanner at home.

I've never had problems doing it. Depositing checks via smartphone is awesome because I can easily deposit checks while I'm abroad if necessary.

I feel bad for not using a credit union, but I don't want to separate my credit card and checking account, and my credit card rewards with Chase are too good to give up. Savings are in Ally which has the best interest rate I've seen (not that that's saying much).