You're blaming the wrong people.

Damn money-pulling-out-of-the-bank-run-causing customers! A 10% run on WaMu over the past 2 weeks helped pushed it over the edge. Good going, Consumerist!

Damn, if history does repeat itself, I might have to close my WaMu account after all.

Who'd have thunk that TD Bank would've bought it. Who else would've figured that it just might be my primary checking account after all, once Chase trashes the rather generous WaMu policies.

Now I live in Hawaii and do my business with a credit union. Their online banking is hideous and outdated (though they claim they're changing it soon), but at least the ATM works, they networked with a local bank to allow us to use that bank's ATMs without fees, and they're not calling me all the time.

@CrispinAbderus:
Wow. She sounds less convincing than a ransom victim telling the video camera that her captors are taking great care of her.

In other words, it sounds like someone being forced to read something at gunpoint.

@wallspray: I think I can hear her roll her eyes.

@Kimaroo: yeah, I'm already looking into a few credit unions around my job and home so that I can transfer my accounts and my do a transfer balance on my WaMu credit card acct. This sucks...and I was hoping that they wouldn't tank. I liked their service, and they've been really nice about pretty much anything. *sigh* Guess I'll go to a credit union after I get off of work to ask around.

@lordargent: Chase is fine, but you could also try Manufacturer's Hanover, Chemical or JPMorgan.

If the past is an indication of the future, your checks and other things will be good for a year. Then they will force a new routing number down your throat, and all of your automatic payments, deposits, and checks will need to be changed to reflect the new routing number. They will tell you that they are sorry for the inconvenience.

But right now they will project nothing but rainbows and sunshine, and you can continue going as you used to with no change! (for now)

@floraposte:

And this is my concern how exactly? When it comes to having my entire life savings on the line, fuck 'em - I am going to look out for #1 and not big business.

You have to watch your back, because nobody else will.

All banks suck, but in different areas.

/which is why I have accounts at 4 different institutions.

But then, I'm odd. I use and like BofA, too.

To whoever was asking about the penalty for pulling your CD early: call 'em and ask 'em. They'll tell you. They recently quoted me a penalty of $200 on a 55k, 7 month CD, but waived the penalty when I rolled it over into a longer term higher yield CD. But that was a couple of weeks ago, so they may not be as willing to jump through hoops to keep your money now.

@Corydon: I just switched from Wamu to USAA myself. I lust for their "Deposit@home" feature, but I don't qualify since I don't have/want a loan or credit card with them.

I've heard nothing but good things though. So as long as you have a local bank to funnell your deposits into USAA, you shouldn't have any problems. (Or you could try mailing in your deposits as they suggest. Would you trust that method?)

Also of note, USAA gives a pretty good discount on auto insurance premiums when you add a checking account. My discount was in the neighborhood of 5%. Not too shabby! Maybe that will be incentive enough for you to try them out.

@Braffapalooza: "TD Banknorth Garden" still doesn't sound right to me...

I'm sure you'd agree.

"Washington Mutual customers withdrew $16.7 billion in cash from the thrift in the past nine days, a huge outflow that led to the largest bank failure in U.S. history, the institution's regulator said Friday."

So I have my auto insurance through USAA. Anyone have any experience with their banking? I'm a bit nervous about banking with a company that doesn't have any branches in my area. How does that work for everyone?

@zeitguess: Which makes the picture above all the more sad/hilarious.

Wow - I bailed out on Washington Mutual on the 24th - looks like I nailed that one on the head! Local credit union for the win!

I'm trying to choose between Wachovia, USBank, Compass, and a credit union.

Does this mean I don't have to pay my mortgage payment to WaMu this month? If so, yeah! Free mortgages for everyone! Oh, sorry, this is how we got in this mess, isn't it?

A. It's business as usual for now. But come six months, your account will be converted to one of ours with more fees, increased amount of fees for those categories that already had fees under WaMu, a ludicrously high minimum balance requirements, a mandatory direct deposit requirement and all around account that will suck even more than the accounts that were offered by JPMorgan Chase prior to the WaMu acquisition. Enjoy the ride!

For Example, I don't pay an NSF fee at Chase until the Negative Balance exceeds the price of the NSF fee. National City charges me an over draft on an item that came in the same day as a direct deposit, because the withdrawl came in earlier in the day than the Direct Deposit. Paid them $204 in overdrafts in the last month because of their games. Moved back to Chase. WaMu encouraged fraudsters to steal WaMu debit cards because the client could never get their funds recovered.

Is there a resource to find "stable" banks for those of us who want to move?

The only IDs thefts I've had are for 2 WaMu credit cards that they sent to addresses I hadn't lived at for years.

Oddly enough they were sending me the applications at my new address at the same time they were at my old address (3 years after I had moved).

I just switched to Wamu a couple of months ago because I liked all their free things on their checking accounts.. I guess all of that stuff will stop "eventually". I wonder what will happen to the money I've earned with my Wamu debit card..

I guess it's time to start shopping for another new bank.. Ugh.

What happened to the "strength of WaMu"??