10 Trades Per Month - Lloyds Bank is the better choice. Annual fees with Lloyds Bank would total £1000, while annual fees with Halifax would be £1500. 20 Trades Per Month - Lloyds Bank costs less in this scenario. Total annual costs with Lloyds Bank would equal £47.50, while Halifax would equal £83.50.
Overall, if you're choosing between Chase and Bank of America, the better option for you will really depend on your personal banking needs and preferences. Both are big banks with thousands of branches and tens of thousands of ATMs. Chase offers a wider variety of accounts, though it is lacking in IRA options.
Both banks offer several business checking accounts but Wells Fargo is the clear winner due to its lower monthly fees and higher transaction limits. For example, a large businesses that has up to 500 transactions a month can expect to pay a $40 monthly fee with Wells Fargo versus a $95 monthly fee with Chase.
Both banks cover a majority of states, though Wells Fargo has the edge over Bank of America when it comes to branch count. Both have multiple ways to contact customer service. Unless you need 24/7 access to customer service like Wells Fargo offers, the two banks are roughly on par with each other.
An expert recommends having four bank accounts for budgeting and building wealth. Open two checking accounts, one for bills and one for spending money. Have a savings account for your emergency fund, then a second account for other savings goals.
The number of different accounts you need depends on your financial situation and goals. At the very least, it's good to work toward having a checking account, savings account, and retirement account. Once you have those three, you can consider other options for accounts that may yield short- or long-term growth.
1. Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo is often considered the most secure of the national banks in the U.S. Wells Fargo can count on 12,000 free ATMs in its network and 6,200 brick and mortar branches all over the United States.
It's also worth noting that your money is safer in a bank than in your own home. Both the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) insure deposits up to $250,000, per account holder for each qualified account type, per insured institution.
Chase has a good basic checking account but its savings rates are generally low, and some fees are high and hard to avoid. Best for: Customers who want access to a large number of branches, are not looking for the highest interest rates and can keep a large enough balance to avoid a monthly fee.
The percentage of Millennials (consumers 26 to 40 years old) who call a Bank of America checking account their primary account declined from 22% in October 2020 to just 13% in July 2021. The megabank also lost share of primary status among Gen Xers (ages 41 to 55), dropping from 18% to 10% over that same time period.
Wells Fargo is an excellent bank for those looking for both local branch access and digital banking services. The bank's interest rates on most of its accounts leave a lot to be desired compared to the best online banks, but they are comparable to other national banks.