Since I was a little kid, I always liked going to the pool, the beach– anywhere near the water. Also I liked banks. Why banks? Because my grandmother lived near the beach and she had her favorite bank or two and she would take me there before we went to the pool or the beach. The bank was an interesting building where people put money in and took money out– and it was dark and cool. (Nice during the summer.) The bank seemed formidable because it was large and dark and had long lines of people, but also was a friendly place where the managers always made time to speak to my grandmother or my parents about their accounts and seemed to be willing to give me a dip into their candy jar. My grandmother always gave me about 50 cents so I then would have enough money to buy a popsicle or maybe a small soda at the beach snack bar. The clink of the money in my hand made such a happy sound that I always liked counting coins.
I
I have moved around between various institutions based not just on interest rate (the one for savings or mortgages) but also based on the interest rate that the bank or savings and loan showed in me or my family as a whole realizing that we weren’t just assets but actual people.
When we needed to apply for a mortgage or set up a business account, we had a favorite person to deal with and she knew us quite well. It was always about 30 minutes of conversation and 15 minutes of business paperwork and we were in and out in about 45 minutes. Why we kept going back to that same person was because she knew us well and that we were serious about our investments and how we handled our funds. If we were there, we were about to make some changes. When that bank changed hands we were sorry to see that instituation go because it meant she was no longer there.
We liked checking out new banks that moved into our area so that we could see if they fit what we needed from a bank which was conscientious people who would give us a phone call before a CD was coming due and advise us as to the best way to handle those funds–whether to reinvest in a CD or whether to hold them in a money market account until we had time to do some research on where to move the money next.
I like establishing personal relationships with banks. I remember when I started my own business & personal accounts and I liked the staff of the branch I chose because they were so helpful. I could always ask the branch manager a question about doing an auto-debit into savings or explaining why I needed that line of credit and how it worked. If he wasn’t around, someone else would help me and if they didn’t have the exact answer, someone would call me back within 24 hours to give me the information that I needed to make a smart financial decision.
We would also talk about how the general financial market was doing and how it would affect the interest rates for saving and lending and when things might change– which is essential knowledge to have.
The world of banking has changed a great deal now that banks have moved online. I rarely write a check. Though I have ATM cards, you rarely see me use them because I would rather move funds around online and then go in and get sufficient cash for a week or two. Checks might seem superfluous now but sometimes they come in handy. I like the convenience of e-checks and paying online for regular bills. It’s a no-brainer. It’s become less “work” and more computerized which makes it faster, easier and simplifies the math.
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SunTrust has consistently ranked at the top for customer service for a good reason – they understand their customers. This lets them provide the right solutions to meet those customers’ unique needs. They believe banking solid is the key to living solid. See for yourself at livesolid.com, where you’ll find many great articles, tools and tips on everything from shopping to family to money.
FTC Disclosures
1. “Disclosure: Compensation was provided by SunTrust via Glam Media”
2. “The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of SunTrust”
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
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