Well it looks like all is a go for me to move back to St. Louis end of September. While exciting, it all brings with it a lot of stress!



Currently I use Chase bank in Chicago. I'd like to switch to a local bank in St. Louis that has a strong city presence. The bank would also need to provide online banking and have at least a few locations in the city. Preferably I'd love to use a bank that actually has it's headquarters in the city. I'm not sure any of these even exist anymore but I'd like our money invested in the local economy as opposed to national economy.



Can anyone make any recommendations? I'll be living in Tower Grove East.



Thanks!

I believe Regions bank has a location downtown right next to the Wainwright building. They're not headquartered there, though.



That's the first one that comes to mind, but I've never used it.



According to Google, also with offices in the city are:

Bank of America (headquartered in NC)

U.S. Bank has that weird Pentagon shaped building (HQ in Minn.)



I don't think there are any banks headquartered in St. Louis.

Personally I use Regions and love it, but Southern Commerical is one of few St. Louis based banks left. They have a location at Gravois and Morgan Ford.



Pulaski is another local bank with a branch near Grand and Chippewa.

the only viable option that fits your criteria is Pulaski Bank - which is headquartered in St. Louis County



http://www.pulaskibankstl.com/



However, i would recommend using US Bank as they have several convenient city/county locations, as well as ATMs inside most Schnucks locations.

Commerce has a joint HQ here (Clayton) and in KC.



First Bank is based in Clayton. New downtown branch, and I think there's one in St. Louis Hills.



Montgomery Bank is constructing an HQ in Clayton.



Heartland Bank is local.



I think Jefferson Bank's HQ is on Jefferson, by Wachovia. They have a few other local branches.



Midwest Bank Centre is a good local choice too.



Can't go wrong with credit unions as well.

Depending on where you will work or live a Credit Union might be a great alternative. They are some of the last truly local financial intuitions and usually provide better low cost services than banks will.

I live in Tower Grove East and use the Commerce Bank on S. Grand. They've got a decent number of branches around town and a pretty strong local presence. And they're pretty much the only bank in the immediate neighborhood.

Southwest bank has some history here in south Saint Louis. There is even a movie made about a famous bank heist there. They were bought out years ago, but have many locations in the city and surrounding area.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_ ... nk_Robbery

Lindell Bank is HQ off Skinker and Clayton Rd. in the city. I have been using them for 15+ years and have been happy with the service. The location I use is on the NW corner of Hampton and Chippewa.

Living in the city and banking with Bank of America, I am actually thinking of transferring everything over to US Bank. Mainly because of their presence downtown as well as their major sponsorships such as the "Live OFF the Levee."

I had a few Commerce accounts but found US Bank to be better overall.



Don't forget to handle your investment transactions through Stifel Nicolaus!

Living in the city and banking with Bank of America, I am actually thinking of transferring everything over to US Bank. Mainly because of their presence downtown as well as their major sponsorships such as the "Live OFF the Levee."

I suspect that Bank of America, which has a pretty large downtown presence, is an equally large sponsor of City events. (That said, both are great banks, major local employers, owners of downtown and other City real estate, and generous corporate citizens.)



I put money in Pulaski Bank because its president said that the bank reviewed deposits by zip code when considering where to locate new branches. I did; they did -- though, probably not because of my account balance.

We just switched to Commerce. All good. The website for online banking is very convenient. There a several branches on the So. Side. The ATMs the have are top shelf as well.

Southwest Bank does not charge a fee for using another bank's ATM, and they pay you back automatically for any fee the other bank charges. Pretty big plus if you ask me. No, they aren't really local anymore, but they are big supporters of rehab projects in the city.

there is a relatively new bank in town called St. Louis Bank which is headquartered in St. Louis County. The offices are in Town and Country by 141 and 40.



More importantly, I understand that the bank has a reciprocity deal with several major banks around the country which grants you access to your STL Bank account for free (I think US Bank is a big participant in this program). Therefore, you get the best of both worlds...supporting the local bank while having the convenience of a large bank.



Check it out: http://www.stlouisbank.com/



Disclosure- I am related to an employee of the bank.

jlblues wrote:Southwest Bank does not charge a fee for using another bank's ATM, and they pay you back automatically for any fee the other bank charges. Pretty big plus if you ask me. No, they aren't really local anymore, but they are big supporters of rehab projects in the city.

Commerce offers that as well. Definitely a nice perk.

DeBaliviere wrote:

jlblues wrote:Southwest Bank does not charge a fee for using another bank's ATM, and they pay you back automatically for any fee the other bank charges. Pretty big plus if you ask me. No, they aren't really local anymore, but they are big supporters of rehab projects in the city.

Commerce offers that as well. Definitely a nice perk.

They offer it, with an annual fee or a minimum balance checking account. Southwest does it for any checking account.

jlblues wrote:

DeBaliviere wrote:

jlblues wrote:Southwest Bank does not charge a fee for using another bank's ATM, and they pay you back automatically for any fee the other bank charges. Pretty big plus if you ask me. No, they aren't really local anymore, but they are big supporters of rehab projects in the city.

Commerce offers that as well. Definitely a nice perk.

They offer it, with an annual fee or a minimum balance checking account. Southwest does it for any checking account.

We have Commerce's "More Than Free Checking" and we get reimbursed for three transactions at other banks' ATMs per month.

You're shopping for a community bank. Don't forget the community-based credit union too.



It appears that the $2.50 foreign ATM fee is now common. If you use ATMs at all, havingh your accounts at a bank with lots of them (probably a National Bank) may become the top priority for you. Along with the fee charged by your own institution, it now costs $4.25-$5.00 each time you use a foreign ATM.



You can find a credit union by entering your zip code:



http://www.creditunion.coop/cu_locator/index.html



List of members of MO Independent Bankers:

http://www.miba.net/BankMembers/index.cgi/members



Credit unions also use network agreements so that you may be able to use any credit union in the network without paying a foreign ATM fee.

Thanks for all the great responses.



As for credit unions, does anyone on here currently use one as their primary banking experience? Could you provide some insight to the benefits of using your credit union as opposed to a traditional bank?

American Eagle Credit Union has a location at Jefferson and Russell that is going all-electronic.



Credit Unions are nonprofit corporations; banks are for-profit.



Credit Unions are more similar to community banks -- generally have a more intimate relationship with their neighborhoods and it's very easy for them to know their customers...if the customer desires.



Community-based financial institutions also may be the only choice in some central city neighborhoods.



Many times, the terms, conditions, fees, and interest rates may be more favorable to the customer at community-based financial institutions.