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uomo_senza_nome
2011 Nov 2, 6:56am
Star one CU in Sunnyvale seems to have good ratings. I don't have any personal experience with them to comment further though.
I've had a checking account with Keypoint CU since 1997. They have a reasonable # of branches and you can use some other CU ATMs for free (or at least could a few years ago, last I needed to). They are OK generally speaking but definitely have a far more corporate / profit-oriented vibe than my college CU, with lots of annoyance fees (ex: started charging 10 cents/roll of deposited coins a few years ago), so I prefer the latter and just keep a minimum amount in Keypoint to keep the account open in case of future need.
There was also a lengthy dispute when IRS misdeposited my refund by transposing two digits of the account #. Keypoint swore over and over that no such deposit in that amount had occurred on that date and it took months to get them to admit it and fix the problem (at which point they had to cough up a penalty payment - they had been so adamant about it that they had agreed in writing to give me interest at IRS late payment rates if it turned out they were wrong :-)
As far as my attachment to Wells Fargo, it is only because they have ATMs everywhere.
You don't need Wells Fargo for ATMs everywhere. There are some credit unions that have extremely broad networks. Sometimes it's not just other credit unions that are part of their networks, but they also subscribe to networks that allow you to use ATMs at various places such as 7-11 or other stores.
http://www.fatwallet.coms/finance/962891/
All credit unions must have some criteria for membership so it can't just be unlimited. However, many have gotten around this by requiring a donation to a particular organization to become a member. At least one will beat your 0.9% at ING:
What are some south-bay credit unions that people have positive experiences with? I am getting 0.9%APY on my savings with ING right now and would like to keep something in that ballpark. As far as my attachment to Wells Fargo, it is only because they have ATMs everywhere. I am fine with not having that convenience since it is worth it to me to do what I can to protest our corrupt system. It also seems like a preferable method of protest, versus pretending to be homeless and camping next to a river of feces in Oakland. Anyway, I rent in Mountain View right now, so something in this area would be cool. Santa Clara/San Jose is fine too, if there is a better CU there.
Thanks!