Banks have to deal with thousands of customers. They have to survive on thin margins in a highly competitive marketplace. Can you expect gracious, efficient, knowledgeable service? Well, in fact, you can. According to area consumers, a number of banks in the area give superior service.

Read our article and findings (available exclusively to CHECKBOOK subscribers)

Back to Chicago Consumers' CHECKBOOK Table of Contents.

Sample Subscriber Comments/Reviews About Banks

CHECKBOOK provides subscriber comments on their experiences with the firms they use. Please remember that individual subscriber comments are informal. Subscriber comments may give you insight into the types of features and problems that exist in a service field, but are not the best basis for selecting or rejecting a specific firm. To assess the quality of a firm's performance, we recommend that you give more weight to the percentages of favorable ratings. Those percentages are generally based on much larger numbers of consumers' ratings (the number of consumer ratings is noted above).

As You Can See Below, Some Banks Get High Praise from Their Customers. Some Others Don't. So Choose Carefully.
Here Are a Few Samples of the Thousands of Comments CHECKBOOK Has Collected on Hundreds of Different Banks.

• Subscriber from TINLEY PARK, IL wrote Another Bank: They abandoned my town of 60,000 people and still have the nerve to call and..........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: I never go to the branch unless I have to. They are consistently understaffed and..........
• Subscriber from DARIEN, IL wrote Another Bank: I was told by a teller to wait for a personal banker. I was not..........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: convenient bank. only use debits........
• Subscriber from LISLE, IL wrote Another Bank: Every experience with different personnel is filled with mistakes and incompetence. Due to their errors..........
• Subscriber from PRAIRIE VIEW, IL wrote Another Bank: service is really slow, drive up at BG is extremely slow. Never see same people..........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: This comment regards the overall bank, not the branch. The transition from 1st Natl Bank..........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: lots of ATM's; location of ATM's inside grocery stores (well lit, plenty of people, often..........
• Subscriber from LINDENHURST, IL wrote Another Bank: My husband need to change to a free checking account and was told they don't..........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: Have had accounts at Harris for many years. Only thing I can say negative about..........
• Subscriber from BUFFALO GROVE, IL wrote Another Bank: at one time they had superior rates on CD's--haven't compared lately.......
• Subscriber from FRANKLIN PARK, IL wrote Another Bank: Charter One pays low interest rates on savings........
• Subscriber from BLUE ISLAND, IL wrote Another Bank: I've been banking here for 15 years (it started as First Chicago). I have never..........
• Subscriber from SKOKIE, IL wrote Another Bank: TCF BANK OF NILES, ILL., ALL TCF BANKS IN STATE O IL. TCF BANK OF..........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: This bank is one of the few banks that still offer safe deposit service. I..........
• Subscriber from LAKE FOREST, IL wrote Another Bank: Excellent no fee checking account with no hassles or constant monitoring. Unlike the credit card..........
• Subscriber from RIVERSIDE, IL wrote Another Bank: Had to have an officer of the bank correct an account that was totally processed..........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: never had a problem.......
• Subscriber from CRYSTAL LAKE, IL wrote Another Bank: Always had good service........
• Subscriber from WHEELING, IL wrote Another Bank: Interest rates and hidden charges way too high!!!!!!!.......
• Subscriber from SKOKIE, IL wrote Another Bank: the staff at citi is very pleasant to work with. they keep us up to..........
• Subscriber from ELK GROVE VLG, IL wrote Another Bank: Set up an account. Employee gave me inadequate information.......
• Subscriber from DEERFIELD, IL wrote Another Bank: I dealt with a branch in a grocery market and some staff were not helpful..........
• Subscriber from BEACH PARK, IL wrote Another Bank: When I bounced a few checks (all written on the same day), by the time..........
• Subscriber from LONG GROVE, IL wrote Another Bank: LaSalle was purchased by BofA. No offering for kids saving. Now charging if no activity..........
• Subscriber from ORLAND PARK, IL wrote Another Bank: THEIR RECORD KEEPING IS VERRY POOR........
• Subscriber from GLENDALE HTS, IL wrote Another Bank: Like the banking hours. Can't stand the slowness of the tellers.......
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: I have had very few problems with this bank........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: The only bank I've ever enjoyed visiting. I'm treated like a customer should be. Never..........
• Subscriber from NAPERVILLE, IL wrote Another Bank: National City purchased Mid America Bank and removed most of thier employees. The National City..........
• Subscriber from LOMBARD, IL wrote Another Bank: Tried to open a line of credit. After they fooled around for months & asked..........
• Subscriber from LAKE VILLA, IL wrote Another Bank: Had to request a stop payment on a check, asked for a receipt of this..........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: No safe deposit boxes in my branch. Too pricey........
• Subscriber from BOLINGBROOK, IL wrote Another Bank: The people at the Bolingbrook brach are great !.......
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: Northern Trust employees are very knowledgable, helpful and polite........
• Subscriber from EVANSTON, IL wrote Another Bank: LaSalle was a pretty decent bank until B of A took them over. Now lines..........
• Subscriber from EVANSTON, IL wrote Another Bank: A really good, small bank........
• Subscriber from PARK RIDGE, IL wrote Another Bank: Bank officials make statements and then denied after employee leaves for another job........
• Subscriber from ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL wrote Another Bank: Use mimimally, mostly for convenience of hours and because they are nearby. Tend to make..........
• Subscriber from LINCOLNSHIRE, IL wrote Another Bank: I"ve dealt with Ana, Yumi and Art in Lincolnshire and found each of them to..........
• Subscriber from HOMER GLEN, IL wrote Another Bank: Most of my interactions with Chase are online or through one of the area ATMs...........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: Though many transactions I've had with the bank have been superior, and though I have..........
• Subscriber from PRAIRIE VIEW, IL wrote Another Bank: wonderful to work with.......
• Subscriber from RIVERSIDE, IL wrote Another Bank: I liked MidAmerica which was bought by National City which I don't like. I will..........
• Subscriber from BUFFALO GROVE, IL wrote Another Bank: They're just OK. Nothing special.......
• Subscriber from SKOKIE, IL wrote Another Bank: LA SALLE BANK OF SKOKIE. ALL BANKS IN SKOKIE........
• Subscriber from ARLINGTON HTS, IL wrote Another Bank: I have only been to this bank once, but was very pleased with the service..........
• Subscriber from BOLINGBROOK, IL wrote Another Bank: Used to be much nicer and better servive, but service has gone down hill in..........
• Subscriber from WESTMONT, IL wrote Another Bank: Chase needs to vastly improve their service and care for their customers.......
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Bank: Maybe it was just my personal experience that I had with a particular manager but..........