WaMu Free Checking is now Chase Free Extra Checking
More changes… WaMu bank accounts are gradually being converted into Chase accounts, and customers will have to log in at Chase.com with new usernames. Mine is switching over May 22nd. The popular WaMu Free Checking account becomes the Chase Free Extra Checking account, and keeps a lot of the useful perks. I received another mailed pamphlet from Chase outlining all the details, but I couldn’t find a link online, so I typed out the highlights below.
Benefits
- No monthly service fee, no minimum balance requirement.
- No fee for money orders, cashier’s checks and travelers checks.
- No Chase fee for non-Chase ATM withdrawals.
- No fee for Domestic Outgoing for Foreign Outgoing Wire Transfers.
- You will continue to receive your discounted or free check orders when ordered from us.
- One insufficient funds/Returned Item Fee will be refunded annually. However, the refund will no longer be automatic, you must call in and specifically request it. Also, it will no longer carry over if unused.
Changes
- The 0.03 Cash Back debit rewards program is discontinued.
- We may change your account to a Chase Better Banking Checking account when you do not have at least one customer-initiated transaction over the past six monthly statement cycles (which has a $12 monthly fee if minimum balance is not met).
The WaMu Online Savings account will be converted to a Chase Premier Savings account, with the monthly fee “waived at this time”. I could not find any information on the interest rate, but I have a feeling this account will not return to its former high yields.
Added: According to the letter I received, the account numbers, checks, and ATM/debit cards will remain the same and active.
April 30th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
I’m curious where you pulled this info. I’m trying to figure out what the minimum balance/minimum transaction will be since I already have the WAMU free checking account/savings account which will both convert on the May 22 date. If it turns out to be ridiculous levels, I’ll just dump Chase altogether and pull my money out.
This was the same reason I left BofA and Wells Fargo years ago. Outrageous fees for no service.
April 30th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
It’s all from a letter I got from Chase a few days ago. Included was a little ~50 page pamphlet about all the equivalent accounts going from WaMu to Chase plus the usual agreements and privacy policies.
I think most of what you need is included in the post above. I don’t see any minimum activity listed for the savings account, but the “at this time” verbage doesn’t look promising.
April 30th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
You wrote that “On May 22, 2009, all WaMu bank accounts will officially be converted into Chase accounts.” Nevertheless, I have read on the Chase.com site [https://www.chase.com/welcomewamu/] different information, and I would think that your use of the word “all” is incorrect.
Please note what Chase says:
“When will my checking and savings accounts transfer to Chase?
It depends on the state where you opened the account. If you opened accounts in different states, they may transfer to Chase at different times: May/June, summer and fall.
By the end of October, all WaMu accounts will be transferred to Chase. We’ll send you a letter that explains the changes in detail for your accounts.”
Also, here’s more detailed information:
“You’ll begin to see new Chase signs on WaMu branches in your area. The signs will be the signal that you’ll have full service banking capabilities at Chase branches nationwide:
* Now: WaMu branches in California have been rebranded to Chase. However, WaMu accounts in CA won’t transfer to Chase’s banking system until October. So please continue to bank at your current branch and we’ll let you know when other Chase branches become available.
* May/June: WaMu branches in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Utah will be rebranded to Chase and accounts in these states will transfer to Chase’s banking system.
* Summer: WaMu branches in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas will be rebranded to Chase and accounts in these states will transfer to Chase’s banking system.
* Fall: WaMu branches in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada will be rebranded to Chase and accounts in these states will transfer to Chase’s banking system.”
April 30th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Looks like you’re right. The letter didn’t mention anything about location, but my account was opened in Oregon before I moved, so it matches up with that page. I’ll edit the post accordingly.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I have both my personal and my business accounts with WAMU now Chase and I have generally fond them easy to deal with and they charge very few fees. I just wish they’d educate their staff a bit better.
May 1st, 2009 at 5:19 am
I had a Chase savings account and the interest rate was .02%. That’s right for every $100 they would give you 2 cents a year. Their high yield checking account was .01%. I think they would throw in a few extra pennies a month, just to make me feel good.
May 1st, 2009 at 8:02 am
R.I.P. WaMu. This banking situation is unreal.
May 1st, 2009 at 8:04 am
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May 1st, 2009 at 8:13 am
I received a new Chase Debit card in the mail but I still access my account at Wamu.com. I haven’t received anything in the mail about when I’ll be able to access my account at chase.com. Is this the case with anyone else?
May 1st, 2009 at 9:31 am
I miss the old WAMU savings rate. It was the first time I’ve been able to find a decent B&M in my area that I could do all my banking at.
Jonathan: Are you still using DSD for your cash? I saw that they’ve dropped their rate down to 2% from 2.5%.
May 1st, 2009 at 9:38 am
why would they make us switch to the terrible chase.com as opposed to wamu.com is a breeze to play with
May 1st, 2009 at 10:54 am
So who’s planning on dumping them when they make the switch? I will for sure. It’s so hard to find a truly free checking account now. I don’t like how they charge a fee for inactivity after 6 months (i’m a student so I don’t get many deposits and I use credit cards for purchases)
anyone know of a truly free checking account at a brick & mortar? With no minimum balance.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:15 am
A month ago, I went to transfer money into an additional Free WaMu checking account that I opened. And when I logged on it wasn’t listed on my list of accounts. After calling CS, I found out they closed my account after 3 Mo of inactivity and zero balance. It really ticked me off, but now I have automated $1 deposits to all of my accounts so I don’t have to worry about keeping up.
I think I will stick with WaMu/Chase, they’re just up the street from my place and its nice to be able to run into a branch sometimes. I wish their Bill pay feature was better. (I love BOA’s bill pay, thats why I’ve stuck with them for so long).
May 1st, 2009 at 12:19 pm
why would anyone still be willing to do business with BOA after everything that’s happened? There are so many better choices around. Look to your local regional bank and credit union, for one.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Dee:
Why not just keep $0.01 in the account. They can’t close it out, worst case it becomes inactive, and any customer initiated transaction reactivates it.
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Does just ACH pulls work as an activity? I just deposit cash once a while cuz my main bank is Etrade and that’s pretty much why I use WAMU
May 3rd, 2009 at 2:16 am
no matter how you paint it, Chase sucks!! I had an average daily balance charge on my credit card EVEN WHEN I PAID THE CARD IN FULL AT THE END OF THE MONTH!! Run away!!!
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:40 am
@Josh:
yes, chase can close your account for low balance since they did it for me.
one advantage of chase checking is overdraft linked to my credit card so that any accidenatal overdraft costs only $10 and no NSF.
May 4th, 2009 at 5:08 am
FYI: They can and will close your accounts!
On May 1, 2009 I received a postal letter from WaMu, a division of JP Morgan Chase, stating that as of May 8, 2009 the following accounts will be closed under their rights in the disclosure statement.
-I had at least $1 in both WaMu Savings and Checking
-I already have a Chase Checking account (It’s local, my wife does business there, I can stop at branches on my way home from work)
-I have not used either account this year (inactive for 3+ months)
-They will mail me a check for any funds remaining on my closing date
-My WaMu login no longer works (at WaMu.com or Chase.com)
-They did not close my 5% CD (hoping it shows up in my online accounts soon)
I am not too upset about losing the accounts, since I obviously was not using them or earning any interest in them anymore. I just hope that it does not look bad (in ChexSystems Report?) that THEY closed the account instead of ME.
May 6th, 2009 at 11:49 am
They won’t report you to ChexSystems unless you’ve had OD or NSF activity. I think the fall of WaMu is one of the saddest things I’ve experienced. I worked for them for 3 years, and 3 weeks before they were bought out by Chase, I left. The accounts were unparelleled. I work for another bank now, and we offer a checking account with a monthly service charge that offers almost the same perks that the WaMu FC account offered. I don’t think I realized how free that account really was until I went elsewhere and realized that you could spend hundreds of dollars in a month on banking if you used the services you got for free with the WFC account - especially if you do wire transfers.
My suggestion for anyone looking for a new account is this: let the banker do their job. Yes, they’re going to try and sell you something. That is what they get paid for. But, if you tell them what you DO with your bank accounts, such as “I use my debit card all the time”, or “I need simple online banking & online bill-pay features”, or “I need some sort of structured savings plan so that I don’t spend the money I’m trying to keep on the side”, etc. their job is also to steer you in the correct direction. When you walk in the bank and say “I want a free checking account and a free savings account”, you may end up paying more in the long run than if you let the banker get the info they need and recommend something to you. You can always say no. But at least this way they’re able to make an educated recommendation. I’m sure Jonathan has mentioned this before, but ALWAYS ASK ABOUT THE FEES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCOUNT. Is there a dormant fee? What is it? When does it start? Is there a fee to close out the account? Some accounts have a fee no matter when you close out the account, even after you’ve been banking there for 20 years. Transaction limitations? Daily overdraft fees? Anything that matters to you, ask about, because the banker is not going to give you a laundry list of potential fees, and unless you have a lot of time on your hands, and like to read fine print on the 100 page “accounts disclosures and regulations” booklet, you’re going to be S.O.L. if you didn’t ask. Well, seeing as you gave my entire post a reading, maybe you could read the 100 page booklet. Good luck to everyone looking for a new bank. And I concur with James Fowlkes. R.I.P. WaMu.
May 8th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
I just checked with Chase regarding their conversion of WaMU free checking to Chase Better Banking. Looks like they will convert the accounts if you don’t use your debit card for six months or have direct deposit or have a minimum balance ($1500) in your account, you WILL BE CHARGED a $12.00 per month fee. I won’t call it a service fee, since they actually won’t be providing any service, but I just wanted to let everyone know about this. Anyways…I’ll be dropping WaMU/Chase as my bank since I don’t believe in paying someone for nothing. Sort of reminds me of when I dropped AT&T as my long distance provider when they started charging outrageous fees for NOT making long distance calls. This BS makes me sick. Why consumers continue to put up with it I’ll never understand.
May 8th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
There is no way I will go with CHASE.
Why would I do that if I know from the past experiences with them - that they stole so much money from me!
They sent me a check for $100 to open account with them, I did not fall for it.
Would never do it no matter how much they offer. The stress and pain they cause by taking the money out of your account whenever it suites them is — unexplainable.
It is 5/8/2009 and I am shopping for another checking account with some other non-stealing bank.
Wamu was wonderful. The best bank ever! They took care of me… they were consistent and always looked what is best in my interest.
I had a manager in my location who would alert me by calling me to add the cash BEFORE he would charge me any fee. I don’t remember when did I pay any fees with WAMU.
CHASE was just the opposite…… they did everything to take as much money from you at all times.
I had accounts with other banks and CHASE took over so I —- stupid —- stayed with CHASE believing they will take care of customers.
OMG what kind of things I experienced with them, it is undescribable.
Never ever again I will put myself through that pain, ever again!
So I finally closed all my CHASE accounts 2 years ago and went with WAMU - and will never repeat that horrible experience.
Why would I allow them to use my money to get richer while they slam me with fees and always managed to go around it ( no rules )… so you end up paying and they end up re-inventing another excuse for taking another $30 fee from your hard working money!
Never in my life would I give them a chance to use me that way again!!
People please come to your senses. CHASE is the worst bank you can have business with. Do not help them by staying, I wish WAMU survived and CHASE vanished!!!
WAMU deserved to be of service to us. It was great bank.
Sincerely — you would be insane to go with CHASE. There must be another non-stealing bank to pick from!!!
By not staying with them CHASE will have no choice but to either change their stealing habits or they will vanish.
This is our moral duty… not to help stealing banks to use us to get richer.
But to give a chance to smaller banks like WAMU to survive and carry one the good work and great service.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
SUMMARY: WAMU customers should never use the “change address” feature when logged into their online accounts. If you are a WAMU customer and you need to change your address and order a new ATM card within 30 days YOU MUST CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS INSIDE A BRANCH to avoid excesss fustration. If you attempt to change your address online and then get a new ATM card you will have to put all banking on hold for more than a month or open up a new account. Sounds insane? It happened to me.
I am very frustrated with WAMU’s attempt to serve customers. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THE ADDRESS ON YOUR ACCOUNT ONLINE. I hope someone heeds my advice before its too late. Here is what happened to me.
1. I went to a WAMU ATM and for the first time in my life I actually forgot to remove my ATM card. The card was sucked back into the machine. I called customer service that night and they said “no problem the branch will call you when they recover the card tomorrow.” So I decided not to worry about it.
2. I had a very busy day the next day and I didn’t call the branch and they didn’t call me. I called them within 48 hours after this incident and they informed me that within 24 hours they had to shred my card… ok not good but I thought well… I’ll just order a new card. They direct me to call customer service to order a card.
3. I Call WAMU customer service and inform them that I need to change my address on file and I need to have a new card sent to me. The agent informs me that it will take 30 days to receive my card. I ask why. He says its because I need it sent to a different address than the one on file. I can’t receive a card within 30 days of him changing my address. I asked if the result would be different if I changed it myself online and he said that that is what I should do.
I change my address online.
4. I call customer service back and ask for a card. They inform me that because I changed my address online I can no longer order a new card unless I physically go inside a branch and order one. The agent apologizes but states that if I just go inside the branch I can resolve this issue.
5. I go inside the branch and they state that because I changed my address online and not in their branch I have to wait 30 days before they can even process my request to have a new card sent out. Ok this is mind blowing I am physically standing in the branch and they are telling me they can’t even enter in the request that would eventually allow my card to be delivered to me. I must physically enter the branch 30 days from today and then make the request in person that a new card be sent out which would take an additional 7 to 10 business days.
The best they could do for me is open up a brand new account. I asked if I could transfer money from my old account to my new account online and the answer was no.
CONCLUSION: WAMU CUSTOMERS DO NOT CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS ONLINE
May 24th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Well…My WAMU savings was converted to the “Chase Premier” savings the rate is 0.01%!!!! Not a misprint, $1 a year per thousand. Needless to say, I’m closing it Tuesday. I had to call the WAMU number to confirm it was not a conversion error.
How’s that for our bailout money at work?
May 25th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
What I can’t figure out is if I’ll be charged for online bill pay with Chase. If they want to charge me, that’s the end. I had to figure out their online banking tonight and it was a pain.
May 26th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
I ditto what joshuad31 said about changing your address. A similar situation happened to me over the weekend. Needless to say I canceled my direct deposit and will be closing my Wamu/Chase account this week. It’s laughable how the Wamu-to-Chase transition is being handled. Anyway, BECU (Seattle) is now my credit union of choice. I’m done with big banks.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
JoeB - I know where all that money went that they should have been paying us in interest… The money is being used to remodel many branches - some of which that have been open less than 4 months.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:52 pm
I’m also considering closing my Chase account. The major reasons are:
6 transfers limitation from the savings account and a $12 fee if the number of transfers exceeds 6.
I used to pay my credit card in a different bank using ACH transfer initiated by the bank where my credit card was. Now this is counted towards those 6.
I also had automatic setups to transfer money from Savings to Checking and then pay bills from Checking. Now any transfer from Savings to Checking is counted towards the 6 transfers above.
I could transfer money from other banks to my WaMu savings account and back using ACH at my convenience. Now there is a limit.
Interest rate on Savings is well below what I had in WaMu.
Chase website is way worse that WaMu’s website used to be. With this transition I feel like I moved from a civilized country to an underdeveloped one. It literally feels like this. This bank is not for me.
June 1st, 2009 at 10:22 pm
@Lonnie: Thanks very much for pointing to BECU, I think I’ll also go with them. They seem to be in the 21st century: their site looks way nicer and easier to use than Chase site and their online banking demo shows that they support no-fee bill payer, transfers between BECU and other financial institutions and other bells and whistles. I just need to call them to make sure they are as flexible with ACH transfers as WaMu was. And there are no barbarian fees as in Chase.
They also have a Switch to BECU form so that they even close other accounts for me - way to go!
https://www.becu.org/forms-and-information/forms.aspx?panel=SwitchBECU#panellink_SwitchBECU
Folks, check their online banking and bill payer demo, you might like them too.
https://www.becu.org/online-banking.aspx
June 25th, 2009 at 5:46 am
thank you so much! i remember getting this in the mail and threw it away too soon. when i went to look for this online, it was no where to be found!
June 25th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Can you link any existing chase accounts and old wamu accounts?
August 8th, 2009 at 1:53 am
Chase freaking blows. They will royally screw you. Check the rules a lot has changed. My advice is to find a better bank or a credit union. Wamu was one of a kind and chase is the typical a hole bank
August 15th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I was told by someone at Chase that when they switch over completely to Chase, my paycheck deposits will take a day or two to post to my account. Don’t know if this is only because I don’t have enough in this savings to cover it if it bounces, but it’s something to be aware of. (it’s why I’m switching).
August 17th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
@Kay
Your right, all of my direct deposits pend for 1 day before it’s posted. I’m new to the whole bank they and struck gold with Wamu, I don’t know much about banking so wish me luck on finding another bank. Chase online is the worst, transactions keep disapearing and reapearing from my account making it hard to keep track of….
August 19th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Make sure to hold on to the booklets sent a few months ago that details the benefits of the new converted Chase accounts. While trying to close my Chase accounts to switch to a new bank, there was a goof-up where my debit card remained open over the weekend with $0 balance and an extra automated charge went through, incurring an NSF fee.
While trying to work it out at my Chase branch, I had an Account Manager and the Branch Manager both lie to me and say that the “1 NSF fee refund a year” benefit was only when they were WaMu and no longer valid with Chase, even though we were told it was in the mailing. When I called the 800 number about it, they had no problem giving me the credit and told me the branch definitely has the authority to refund NSFs. I guess they didn’t want the refund counting against their branch. Classless.
August 24th, 2009 at 2:24 am
THIS SOUNDS UNFAIR : These Chase Better Banking Checking accounts have a $12 monthly service fee is the balance is not kept at $1,500 or higher or linked to a money market account at Chase better banking.
BUT WE ARE FREE CHECKING CLIENTS!! WHY CHASE WANTS TO BLACKMAIL US THAT WAY! WHERE IS A LAWYER TO HELP US!?
August 24th, 2009 at 3:22 am
I am overly concerned about the Chase Bank’s new rules that impact on WAMU FREE CHECKING clients, especially budget families and students, nationwide. I noticed that CHASE is currently attempting to reduce the number of WAMU FREE CHECKING accounts into a kind of FAKE FREE CHECKING!
Recently every WAMU client received a booklet where WaMu Free Checking is now Chase Free Extra Checking BUT ONLY FOR 6 MONTHS because on Page 19 states: “We may change your account to a Chase Better Banking Checking account when you do not have at least one customer-initiated transaction over the past six monthly statement cycles (which has a $12 monthly fee if minimum balance is not met).”
SO thats not all… acccording to chase.com website: “These Chase Better Banking Checking accounts have a $12 monthly service fee is the balance is not kept at $1,500 or higher or linked to a money market account at Chase better banking.”
But we are still Free checking Clients!! I wonder why Chase incurrs in bad business practices BLACKMAILING US THAT WAY!
August 24th, 2009 at 6:30 am
@Paul
Most banks do this type of thing with free checking accounts. If the account hasn’t been used for 6 months, most banks will just close the account. Believe it or not Chase is actually throwing WAMU free checking customers a bone. They could have just converted all the accounts to regular Chase checking accounts which requires either direct deposit or 5 debit card transactions each month. Making 1 transaction every 6 months to keep the account free shouldn’t be a burden considering it is a checking account.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:02 am
DAMMIT!!!! I can not believe what has been going on in my account since it’s changed from WAMU to Chase, Chase Bank has been going into my account taking money out at will!, Grant it, I owed this bank 77.00 dollars back in 2005 when things fell hard for me, loss of place to live, job, and the works. In 2008 I was able to open an account with wamu as they offered the free checking and some other benefits, but when chase took over, without ever contacting me, they used wamu to their advantage to just go into my account and withdraw money without ever notifying me leaving me at a zero balance. They got what was owed them alright, but later they went into my account again and took extra money that is not owed them AT ALL!, and I am VERY ANGRY ABOUT BOTH OF THE TRANSACTIONS, THE FIRST ONE BECAUSE THEY DID NOT NOTIFY ME FOR THE AUTHORIZATION TO GO INTO MY ACCOUNT, AND THE SECOND WITHDRAWELL WAS JUST OUTRIGHT THEFT, NOT OWED THEM AT ALL, AND EVEN IF SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO ETHICAL COMMUNICATION, AND THE RIGHTS OF CONSUMERS???? I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH PAYING MY DEBTS, BUT I DO HAVE ONE WITH BEING TAKING ADVANTAGE OF JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE USED MY WAMU ACCOUNT TO DO SO, AND WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY WERE EVEN GOING TO DO IT. CHASE BANK ARE DOGS!!! DO NOT HAVE ANY DEALINGS WITH THIS BANK I AM WARNING YOU!!!! THEY ARE GOING TO GIVE ME BACK THE MONEY THAT THEY STOLE FROM ME, BECAUSE I DON’T OWE THEM ALL THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN FROM MY ACCOUNT!!!
August 31st, 2009 at 11:30 am
I really don’t see what all the big fuss is about. I have been banking with Wamu for the last 10 years. It is the only bank I had ever used. After I got married, I got more banking experience with other banks, and all of them are terrible.
I was really worried when I heard about Wamu switching to Chase, because I have Chase credit cards, and they really suck.
But Chase is a bank that tries to absorb some of the better practices of the banks they take over. If Wamu was a great bank, then some of it will rub off onto Chase. I am already seeing it in my area, and it hasn’t even officially converted to Chase yet (we are in Cali, so it won’t be till October).
And even if we see more Chase than Wamu, I don’t see why that’s so surprising, or why it’s so upsetting. I have seen lots of other banks, Wells Fargo, B of A, US Bank, whatever…they are just as bad, if not worse than Chase. Yes, you can find yourself a credit union somewhere, and hope you don’t need money while you are on a road trip, or whatever, and if that suits you, then great. Otherwise, Chase is still offering a great product when compared to all of the other products.
As for all of the percentages on savings accounts and CDs being reduced, it’s not JUST Chase. It’s not BECAUSE Wamu is becoming Chase. It’s because (DUH!) the economy is in difficulty. That’s what happens during recessions and depressions, the interest that is yielded to your account gets lower. And since we are in a really bad situation here in the U.S., of course the percentages will also be low. You can’t compare what Chase is offering during a down time, to what Wamu was offering during the past years of prosperity. And even if Wamu was offering more to their customers than the others during this down time…DUH, that’s why they went out of business. You can’t give your customers 5% during a period where everything else is plummeting, and still expect to remain in business.
I loved Wamu. They were a great bank. But if you want another Wamu with all the same great free stuff, and all the same great interest rates (even in a recession), then you will probably end up with…another bank going out of business.
I support the idea of smaller businesses. So go right ahead and support a smaller bank, that’s fine, and a great idea. But slamming Chase just because it’s not your beloved Wamu, and because it does the same banking practices as the majority of other nationwide banks seems a little unfair. Slam the laws and regulations that fail to provide adequate banking instead. (Of course, that’s what capitalism is all about in the first place.)
My understanding, as a Wamu customer, is that we were all spoiled. And now we have no mommy holding our banking hand, and have to go out there and budget our money (so we don’t have overdraft fees), and pay back our debts (so they aren’t deducted from our accounts), and read the fine print (so we aren’t surprised by the bank fees), and use our checking accounts twice a year or so (and if you can’t do that, then you ought to consider maybe a coffee can under your mattress, because in this economy you will get the same interest rates, and coffee cans are really of much better design nowadays than the previous Foldgers version…and if you are only keeping $1 in there anyway, maybe a Tic Tac box is more useful for you).
In other words, we have to be responsible adults about our banking, whether it’s with Chase, or Wells Fargo, or wherever. How sad for all of us. I miss Wamu. But they didn’t have what it takes to survive. So mourn and move on.
September 6th, 2009 at 9:19 am
let me use some common sense (but not be as brusque and demeaning and insulting as the last comment) let me take the cup half full theory. We’re all adults here. If you want a good bank account here are plenty of fish in the sea as the old saying goes. I agree Wamu is a thing of the past but It’s a good thing that we live in a capitalist society and that like one bank with favorable features changes to one with less. there is ALWAYS going to be a another bank with squally or near comparable favorable features wating to get new business.You have to take control of your finances and watch closely Don’t get discouraged there’s always a bank package somewhere that’ll suit you. you have to shop around read the find print and be flexxible. banking is a everchanging world. also look at the internet only deals from the banks both online exclusive and brick and mortar. I have two accounts that are with an online only bank and they have never failed me. as in life in banking there’s always something better you just got to get off the duff and look for it.
September 13th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
this is my comment I opened an account with bank of america online and since i have been filing disputes after dispute on things that were charged to my card and my bank account is always in the negative this sucks. And the worse yet happened I got a loan and when they tried to get there money they were refused and now it is costing me double along with the bank nsf charge I have not had my bank account but 4 months and for 3 of it I have been having trouble with them. My husband didn’t know the trouble I was having and opened an account and they are doing the same to him, he deposit a check and it won’t be available for ten more days what are we suppose to do for food with kind of wait to get his paycheck
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 am
I wouldnt do any business with Chase unless you just have to. They took out and extra 1,000 out of my checking without notice this week and said they will continue to do that and there is nothing I can do about it. Craziest conversation with a bank I have ever had. They increased my minimum payment on a balance transfer option I took from them from 2% to 5%. for some reason they think they can change the contract terms. Please take my advice stay away. Hopefully the gov and courts will crack down on them soon! I noticed there is lawsuits already filing for this.
October 25th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
So far no problems on this end, but I have a friend who moved to Kentucky and opened up an account with Chase there and was not happy, I’m willing to give them the old waith and see….it doesn’t bother me to make transaction every sex months, my main accounts are with a Credit Union I’ve belonged to for 20 years, which sad to say has in many instances treated me *worse* than some of these banks, although some fo their practices have changed over time
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:07 am
Does anyone know what transactions are included in the “customer initiated transactions?” Does an ATM withdrawal or writing a check count as one?
Thanks.
November 5th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
I had a WAMU Free Checking Account that was transferred to a Chase Free Extra Checking after the merger… I live in Texas so this happened in June, I think. As of this month they started charging me “NON-CHASE ATM FEE-WITH” of $3.00 every time my husband or I withdraw money from a non-Chase ATM (which is often right now since we are constantly out of the country). When I stopped in the branch the other day the banker, who pre-Chase was AWESOME, told me they were supposed to have been charging me all along and I should be so lucky that I never had to pay. She said she would talk to her manager about the newly incurred fees if I would like, but that the manager might in fact go back through the account and charge me back dated fees for all the previous non-Chase atm withdrawals. So I just left it at that and walked out, scared to risk possibly $300 in fees for the the current $24. Has anyone else had any experience with being charged the “NON-CHASE ATM FEE-WITH”. Please help. Thank you!
November 6th, 2009 at 11:59 am
*update*
I then called the branch to let the banker know of her mistake and got and apology* from her. 
*that is what made me feel even better!
After researching online I decided to call the customer service line and speak to a banker. (By now i have been charged $72 in “NON-CHASE ATM FEE-WITH”.) I did not give the banker my account number or anything at first out of fear that what the banker in the branch told me would be correct. I just the customer service rep about my “new” account and found out what new fees I should be charged and which ones would still be waived. She listed everything to me, including my free non-chase atm usage. I then asked her about my account and gave her my account number. She pulled it up, apologized for the mistakes & put me on hold. When she came back she said she had refunded all my fees and also checked my account to see that it had been grandfathered incorrectly. So she fixed the mistake and all is sorted!
November 11th, 2009 at 11:38 am
IMPORTANT CHANGE TO NON-CHASE ATM FEES
FOR CHASE FREE EXTRA CHECKING
Starting 11/2/2009 there will be no Chase fee for the first two non-Chase ATM inquires, transfers and withdrawals
each statement period through 2/2/2010. After 2/2/2010, all non-Chase ATM inquiries, transfers and withdrawals
applied to your account will be assessed the standard non-Chase ATM fees. Please call us at 1-800-935-9935 if
you have questions.
This was in the statement in September for people who don’t read statements, but they should before they get into so much trouble.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Joy got lucky finding a CSR on the phone that didnt know about this change and got her fees refunded. It would be really funny when she starts using the card again and get hit with the fees again. Maybe she can find the same CSR on the phone.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I dont think “it would be really funny” when they start charging me fees. I am back in Germany now. Even though, you sound bitter for some reason unbeknown to me, I thank you for the info.