Due to being pissed off at one of my banks, I'd like to make a change. I know that Bitt went through something similar a while back (I was surprised how long ago that was!), but my needs are a little different so I wondered if you guys might have some suggestions. Or Bitt, if anything has changed, let us know about that.

A little background first. When my wife and I got married, like most people we talked about how to bring our finances together. The method we chose to use was as follows:

• we opened a joint checking account with Wachovia
• she kept her own checking account with Wachovia she had from before
• I kept my Suntrust checking account from before we were married.
• we have a Wachovia credit card for overdraft protection
• I have a Wachovia business checking account

The problem I'm having is with my Suntrust account. I received an unexpected charge that drained my account, but while I was unaware of this, I continued using my card for purchases. Because banks are enormous d-bags, they charge a variable fee for every single transaction. So I wound up with hundreds of dollars in fees, and now I want to kick this f'ing bank to the curb. I'd feel more personal responsibility if, two years ago, Suntrust hadn't made it impossible to get overdraft protection on the account (a long story, but it was their fault).

So now I want a new bank for my personal account. I'll probably end up on Wachovia so I can get overdraft protection from my existing credit line, but I want to see what my other options are first, because there are things I don't like about Wachovia.

The thing is, the services I'm looking for probably don't exist. But I thought I'd ask you folks if you know of a bank that did this:

What I want is a bank that will help ME with my budgeting. Is there any bank that will let you subdivide your accounts, so that your card pulls out of a certain pool of cash, while leaving others alone? What I'd love to be able to do is say "okay, so I want to save up for that new phone. I'll create this new bucket in my account where I'll move a little cash every once and a while." I'm sure this isn't even possible, but I'd love to know if anyone does it without opening a half dozen checking accounts.

Beyond that, all I want is no monthly fees. And hopefully the ability to add a credit card for overdraft protection.

Lastly, a nice addition would be to find a bank that will update in Mint faster than Wachovia. It always seems like Wachovia is like 5 days behind, so it's really not that useful for day-to-day tracking of my accounts.

So, what do you good folks have to say? Any banks out there that you'd suggest?

I don't do anything complex, but I've been on local Credit Unions for the last 10 years.

I'll second the credit union idea. I finally ended up just going with the North Carolina State Employees' Credit Union, where I've had an account since I was little through my parents. I wish I'd done it sooner; it's a great bank. The people are universally helpful, they seem to go out of their way not to screw you, and any fees are minimal. (The exact opposite of my experience at Wachovia after First Union bought them and stole their name.)

I'd suggest looking for a credit union that really does restrict their membership. I also have an account with Coastal Federal Credit Union, where it's very easy to gain membership, and they're really impersonal and very corporate bank-like. Size doesn't seem to make any difference, though. NCSECU is actually the second largest credit union in the US, and far larger than CFCU. I think you just need to find one where the company culture remembers that you're an owner and not a customer.

Agreed with the credit union suggestions. I switched to one when Wells Fargo screwed me over back in 2001, and haven't had any complaints. I have great online access to all my accounts (checking, savings, overdraft/loan), and have free bill pay. I also get $10 a month reimbursement for ATM fees if I can't locate an in network machine, deposits via most other credit unions or check deposit via an iPhone app (important since Austin doesn't have a local branch). Even though I haven't been employed by an eligible company in 4 years now, they are still happy to have me as a customer and I can stay as long as I want. Their online system updates quickly, and Mint is usually seeing deposits or transactions with very little delay. As for your request about the bank helping with budgeting, I can at any time open another savings account, complete with my own title such as "New Car Fund". Once it's set up via their web site, I can schedule automated transfers into it, or manually transfer at any time.

Check with your wife's HR department (if she works for a company) to see what credit unions she may be eligible to join. Most allow the entire family to join as well, so it should cover you.

USAA.

I don't know about sub-accounts, but you can easily make new accounts. When I got married I went online and made a new honeymoon checking account. Just a few weeks ago my wife and I setup a joint account online, which was super easy.

No ATM fees (in fact, they'll cover any fees you do have up to $15/mo) and I don't think I've ever paid a fee for anything. I also take pictures with my N1 of the checks that I need to deposit and deposit with my phone.

They're also always super helpful when I call. All in all, if you are eligible I highly recommend going with USAA.

Thanks for the info, guys. I'll look into all of these. I just called ING, and while they didn't fit for Bitt they sure seem to fit perfectly for me.

I'll look into the credit union idea a little more. My wife works for the Government, so I don't know what that means for this idea. Where would I go?

Starters...
http://www.ncua.gov/DataServices/FindCU.aspx

That sounds like having in a Christmas club account. But I believe actual CC accounts tend to regurgitate your money just before Christmas.