Great Service With Actual Interest

I have been a Power Checking account customer for 3 years and am very satisfied ASB. In exchange for having to 1) direct deposit my paycheck, 2) make a minimum of 10 debit transactions and 3) accept only electronic statements (i.e., no paper), ASB provides free checking with no minimum balance, full monthly ATM refunds, and interest which is 15x what my former Wachovia/Wells Fargo checking and savings for balances up to $25k.  Also, despite me visiting the branch for an average of 4 times a year, everyone from the Branch Manager to the tellers know who I am.

Downsides include 1) limited branches - if you live in Bergen County, there are plenty, but outside of that not much coverage, 2) $6 for online bill pay (free online banking though), and 3) they are not on the technological cutting edge - if you're looking for ATMs on every corner, smartphone banking apps and deposit by smart phone pictures, you'll be disappointed.

That being said, I earned $600 of interest and was refunded $250 of other bank's ATM fees last year.  I think that's well worth it.