For close to two and a half years, I worked as a teller at Citizens Bank of Massachusetts. In my time there, I came to realize certain things about the "customer service" that that bank provided: namely, they "serviced" you by bending you over and sticking it to you as good as they could get away with, giving you the feeling you not only had been screwed, but fleeced in the process, and yet, somehow, we not only managed to keep most of our customer base, but we managed to become one of the most profitable branches the bank ran in Mass.

When I left Citizens in July of 2002, I knew I needed a new home for my money. The employee account at Citizens was nice and all, but upon leaving there, all the nice little benefits would cease to exist. So I had the choice of spending $17.50 a month to keep the account open (yearly cost: $210), or moving my money to a bank who would keep my money and not ask for a dime for the priviledge.

I decided to head to Watertown Savings Bank for a few reasons. For one, most of my family had accounts there and seemed extremely satisfied. For two, many of the customers who DID leave Citizens seemed to be leaving for WSB, talking about great service and much better interest rates. And for three, there were no less than 5 branches within a 5-10 minute drive from my house.

In terms of checking accounts, the bank offers a few different options. "Unlimited Checking" allows you to write as many checks as you want in a month and only charges a minimal $3 fee, which is waived with direct deposit. This is the account I have and it's just what I need: a checking account with no hassle. They also offer a "plus" version, which pays interest and carries a $6 a month fee, which is waived by maintaining a $200 balance.

They also offer an "E-Checking" account that features unlimited bill pay and other deals for those who bank almost exclusively electronically, although the $10 monthly fee may turn some people off. Seniors have a couple of options. Senior checking is a basic checking account with no monthly fee, with the chance to have an ATM/Debit card and unlimited debit card/ATM transactions and unlimited checks. There is also the bank's premier account, "Presidential Checking." This is for people who will maintain an average combined balance of $25,000, and it features higher interest rates without the hassle of tying up funds.

The savings accounts are very basic, most people will opt for the "basic savings" account, although there is also the "Presidential Savings" account as well, which as you may have guessed, needs to be opened in conjunction with a "Presidential Checking" account. The basic savings is a good choice for regular Joe Schmo if for no other reason than there is no monthly fee, something the bigger banks would do well to learn.

What really sets WSB apart is their level of customer service. This past week I had an overdraft problem (a gas station held $50 on my check card, which is another rant for another time) and a check came in. They had moved money automatically from my savings to my checking to cover it but also charged me a $5 fee. When I called them and asked what was up, they explained to me what had happened. I explained to them that I thought the rules for gas stations holding such a ludicrous amount of money on a purchase only applied to debit transactions, not signature based (or "credit") transactions. They waived the $5 fee, apologized for the confusion the incident had caused, and just asked me to keep it in mind next time. Hell, Fleet probably would have charged me just to talk on the phone with someone.

Another nice feature is that my check card is a "bonus check card." This means that when I go into a store and buy something with my card, if I say "credit" instead of "debit" (meaning I have to sign for the purchase instead of inputting my pin number), I accumulate points based on the dollars spent. I can then redeem my points for gift certificates from retailers ranging from Best Buy to The Olive Garden (mmmm, Olive Garden...).

WSB has a total of 8 branches, which means that unlike Fleet or Citizens, if you're out of their general area (that area being Waltham, Watertown, Belmont and Newton), chances are you'll have to swallow an ATM fee. However, they are a member of the SUM program, which makes ATM fees a lot easier to swallow. In addition, they charge ATM fees at the end of the month rather than as they occur. I personally like this as I can just make one entry into my checkbook every month, but I can definitely see how some people might not like it.

I've now been an account holder at WSB for over a year, and have really had nothing but good experiences with them. If you're just a regular schmo, they should appeal to you thanks to their reasonable fee policies. And the "presidential" club should more than satisfy those with a little bit of bang in their bank account. It's also nice to not just feel like a number. The being said, some fees are a bit high (money orders come to mind), but they are no worse than most other banks in the area (be them big or small).

So if you're in the area, and you're looking for a new bank, WSB might just be your best bet. One thing's for sure: they ain't no Citizens, and that's a good thing.

Recommended: Yes