I don't understand how Wells Fargo can be so bad. My husband had enormous problems getting Bank of America to accept his POA for his father. They didn't want to accept my POA document for mom because it didnt have a seal. But it wazs an official copy. I got angry, frustrated, and said you could call the lawyer for proof that its real and official. Finally a supervisor approved it. Went to Wells Fargo and had no problems at all with the POA. They accepted it right away.
I speak first hand and currently to say WF is a terrible bank to work with as POA and Executor. Even with proper documents, they make it more difficult than it should be.
I hate all banks but they are a necessary evil. I agree with others, we use only a small local bank. They are much easier to deal with, offer all the services the big guys do and you can actually speak with someone higher up in the pecking order if you have a problem, unlike the faceless global crooks.
We had lots of issues with WF -- ultimately we closed our account then got a letter 6 months later from a collection agency saying we owed the bank. We had to call WF several times before they told us the fees were because we had not maintained a minimum balance (because there was zero $ in the acct because it was supposed to be closed.) I had saved all our paperwork and it still took them several months to resolve the issue. I would never bank with them again.
B of A is no bowl of cherries either but we still have accts with them out of convenience. My mom banks with a small local bank and has zero of the issues we encounter with the bigger banks.
I found the bank that sounds like "cargo" impossible to deal with. I swear they went out of their way to make things difficult for me as a DPOA - and the phone "customer service " was usually beyond rude.
My husband and I deal only with local, smaller banks and credit unions. They have excellent websites. With large banks like B of A and Wells Fargo, you are just a number.
What I would do is check out the websites for each bank and see which one has the most user friendly website. And which bank has an easy assess branch office nearby.
One thing to remember, and this is a bigee, if the account you are closing has automatic paying on that account or direct deposit, you need to set up the new bank account for the automatic paying and/or direct deposit, too. I made the mistake of closing the bank accounts and opening new one at the bank the same day. You need at lease 30 days overlap. Otherwise there could be late charges, say the utility company can't get direct payment from the old bank.
What I miss are getting back the actual cancelled checks. And some banks don't even print a mini copy of the cancelled checks any more.
I agree with Mulata88 about parking at some of the branch offices. I left one bank because of it.
We had Wells Fargo since 1973. We´ve dealt with B of A for decades as well...
Bottom line...........we are now banking with a small LOCAL bank, perhaps 4 offices total in the close vicinity. Period.
They offer personalized assistance, INTEREST, access to their APP, access to the online statements...........they are in no way lacking. The huge banks are hard to deal with, parking is a joke...........
Check out the BBB for your local smaller bank choices and see if you could choose one of them.
B of A is no bowl of cherries either but we still have accts with them out of convenience. My mom banks with a small local bank and has zero of the issues we encounter with the bigger banks.
One thing to remember, and this is a bigee, if the account you are closing has automatic paying on that account or direct deposit, you need to set up the new bank account for the automatic paying and/or direct deposit, too. I made the mistake of closing the bank accounts and opening new one at the bank the same day. You need at lease 30 days overlap. Otherwise there could be late charges, say the utility company can't get direct payment from the old bank.
What I miss are getting back the actual cancelled checks. And some banks don't even print a mini copy of the cancelled checks any more.
I agree with Mulata88 about parking at some of the branch offices. I left one bank because of it.
We´ve dealt with B of A for decades as well...
Bottom line...........we are now banking with a small LOCAL bank, perhaps 4 offices total in the close vicinity. Period.
They offer personalized assistance, INTEREST, access to their APP, access to the online statements...........they are in no way lacking. The huge banks are hard to deal with, parking is a joke...........
Check out the BBB for your local smaller bank choices and see if you could choose one of them.
M88