I have accounts at Kemba Credit Union.
Advantages:
*good loan interest rates
*better than average savings interest rates
*small company--easy to talk to middle and upper management if you like
*I have found them a bit more customer service oriented than regular banks
*I believe they have changed their policy recently so that they don't charge an overdraft fee unless your account goes more than $10 negative
*Shared branching--you can do transactions at other credit unions that are part of the shared branching system--for instance, I often make deposits at a BMI or Credit Union of Ohio branch, because they're closer to me
*I can use any Key Bank ATM for free, or an ATM of most other credit unions (and of course, if you really want cash, just go to a grocery store, buy a candy bar, and use your debit card)
*Immediate deposits. If you're depositing a check that's a payroll or cash, the deposit is immediately available. When I was a Fifth Third customer they would make the deposit good at like midnight, and that was assuming I deposited the money before 3pm. That sillyness doesn't happen at Kemba.
Disadvantages:
*I don't really carry cash around, so for me the ATMs are more than sufficient. Other people may not find that the case, and may not like doing the buying a candy bar at the store thing to avoid a fee
*At least in the case of Kemba, they're much more strict about checks than other banks. Checks that I think Chase would deposit with only one day of wait they might hold for five days. (They get weird about non-payroll checks which are bigger than your current balance.) They also require a minimum credit score to deposit checks at the ATM. (But one can use their drop box instead.)
*There are plenty of shared branches in Central Ohio. Other places (like Cleveland) not so much.
*You must have direct deposit (and a monthly balance of $250) to avoid fees. I've got a back-up US Bank account with a $1.25 in it and it sits there happily for months. That just wouldn't happen with Kemba.
I like credit unions and I believe in the credit union approach. If I had more money I'd probably use either Charles Schwab checking or Everbank.com (both internet banks with good customer service and lots of investment/savings products. Charles Schwab will cover ATM fees which is cool.)
One bank I'm fascinated with is a bank in Oregon called Umpqua bank. (http://www.umpquabank.com) If all you do banking wise is get a direct deposit and then spend money with your debit card, and you're willing to get money from the grocery store by buying a candy bar, then having an account in a bank in Oregon may be fine. What's cool is that Umpqua (which has an awesome name and brand image) has a very Pacific Northwestern idea of what a bank is supposed to do for the community and such. It seems quite progressive and you might be very comfortable with its values. You can open an account online.
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