Visit to your local bank

Here is a post I wrote for "The Art of Manliness" but they are no longer accepting open guest submissions.

When you walk into a bank a few things matter…

I recently resigned my position as an Assistant Customer Service Manager at a Major Bank. While I realize in this “digital age” very few people even set foot in a brick and mortar bank I do believe that it is the responsibility of every man to know a few basic skills. You never know when you may need to go into and actual branch and deal with a teller that has a personality and is available to answer your questions, correct fees or provide other help you may need.

So when you walk into a branch here are some basic things you need to know:

Be Nice- the person that you are talking to is probably a teller with very limited discretion for the amount of help you may be asking for. They have been dealing with customers all day and some of them have been very grumpy. If you are kind and courteous you will likely be met with courtesy and a desire to help you get what you want quickly. If you walk in and want to get fees reversed don’t ask a teller. Talk to a manager.

Know your account number- your account information is needed for basic access to your account. You will also need this info if you lose your debit card or are in a spot where you need cash and are away from home. Do not store it in your phone; store it in your head.

Speak “Bank”- Understand the disclosures that are connected to your account type. These are long and wordy but they contain information vital to you and your protection. They also contain your rights as far as your account is concerned.

Bank service charges- Banks are providing you a service. We accept fees for service everyday when we buy coffee, get groceries or go to a mechanic. Why do we expect the people who protect and insure our money to do this for free?
Fees come in all shapes and sizes.

Here are a few to know about:

-Overdraft- this fee usually means that you didn’t have money in your account to cover a purchase but the bank paid it for you so the item did not get sent back. The bank helped you here. If it is your first or you don’t do it often the bank will usually reverse this, but be nice.

-Service Fee- This is the fee that the bank charges to take care of your money. The days of free accounts are swiftly disappearing. This fee is minimal and usually can be avoided by meeting certain criteria. Direct deposit, transfer to savings or a minimal amount of ATM card purchases can potentially waive this fee. Check your account terms or ask a teller about it.

-Returned Check- You wrote a check and it bounced and the bank sent it back or you deposited a check and it bounced and the bank sent it back. These are harder to get reversed. If you get a check from a person you don’t know go to their bank to cash it or ask for a cashiers check. Cashiers checks are guaranteed by the bank, however there are cases of fraud every day. There are cases of fraud every day and a cashiers check can help protect you from it.


Deposits- People are in the bank everyday making deposits. The people (tellers) you come in contact with handle money and deposits all day everyday. Here are a few things you can do to make their job easier and thus make your life easier when you are in the bank. No one likes going to the bank; so consider the following tips to make your time there useful and as easy as possible.

- Face your bills – Turn all your bills so they are facing the same way and are arranged buy face value. Tellers count money all-day and there is a flow to counting money. One mis-faced bill can through throw off a count and could lead to a mistake in your deposit. This is also the nice thing to do.

Size Matters - Stack your checks by physical size, not dollar amount. Scanners that read checks work better if the checks are arranged by size. This will make you spend less time at the window.

Checks and Deposit Slips- know how to fill out checks and deposit slips. If you don’t know how to fill them out ask a bankers. They would rather teach you than have to fill everything out again. This also saves you a lot of time.

Drive thru window- the drive-thru window is for express transactions. Have your transaction ready to go before you pull up to the window. Customers who use the drive thru are usually in a hurry. If they have wait on you then their time is wasted and they will blame the teller that is helping you.

ATM- if your ATM requires an envelope for deposit place your checks in size order and don’t fold them up. Again this saves your tellers time when processing your transaction. That’s right. The tellers in the bank are the ones to actually process those transactions. Set them up to be quick about it.

Following these simple steps you can have great experience at your local bank branch.

Remember that bankers and tellers are people in the service industry. Feel how you will about big banks, bailouts and government regulations; these people are here to help you. They have a job to do and part of that job is to protect you and your money. That means that sometimes you will be asked questions about transactions that you are completing. Sometimes your business is their business. They are not prying they are trying to protect you.