A couple of years after college, I started working at Gary-Wheaton Bank as my first job. I was 18 years old and needed a job and when I somehow got one there, I opened an account. While I was there, they were getting aggressively into debit and credit cards and were becoming really consumer-oriented -- more so than other banks at the time.
I didn't work for them long, but I stuck with them as a customer after I left because I was very happy with their service.
A fellow named Jerry Bradshaw ran the bank at the time. You could be Joe Blow off the street and he would likely be hanging out in the lobby and say 'hi' and talk with you when you came walking through -- and years later he would surprise you by remembering you. Even after Gary-Wheaton sold out to other banks, it stayed very consumer-oriented.
Obviously I don't know the president of the bank anymore. But Jamie Dimon does make a point to travel around to different locations -- though he may not ever know your name.
There's not the same degree of personal touch now that it's Chase, but there's still a personal touch nonetheless -- and we always ask for the same person, so that makes a difference.
I started with just a checking and savings account. Now my wife and I both have personal checking accounts, a joint savings account, two mortgages, a home equity line of credit, three credit cards, a business checking account and a business credit card account there. My son and daughter each have an account there, too. Our family probably has more than 20 accounts with them total.
Another thing is that we had the good fortune of doing business with the "mortgage goddess" when my wife and I were buying a home. We would joke that she leaps over buildings in a single bound, because she just did everything for us and did it so well and fast.
We found 8 with zero ATM fees, free checking and high-yielding accounts.
