Bank Review: West Bank (Iowa)

We opened three "Reward Me" Checking Accounts when the RCA was nationally available with the (4.5%, $50K) offer.  This is a very friendly bank with excellent customer service.  A VP opened our accounts and followed through the entire process, she is also personally available to answer our additional questions.  The no-pin debit card requirement is reasonable (to reduce fraud).  They have recently upgrade their website as well as their BillPay system, the BillPay system is the best set that many top-notvh banks (e.g., Danversbank, Rockland FCU) employ.  The turn-around for their BillPay is pretty short and absolutely reliable. 

They lowered their interest rate and limit several months ago, now (4.0% APY, $30K) and restrict applicants to Iowa residents only.  We moved our fund out of the WB Accounts (to seek higher rates), but still keep the three accounts open in case their rate becomes competitive in the future.

Pros:

- Ease of account opening

- Generous on debit card transactions (multiple charges with small amounts are perefctly fine!)

- Excellent BillPay feature

- Good customer service

Cons:

- No starter free checks

- Now limited only to Iowa residents