Bank of the West is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and is one of the 50 largest banks in the United States. It operates through hundreds of retail and commercial locations across the country and offers a range of products and services.
On its Personal Banking side, Bank of the West offers the standard deposit accounts: Checking, Savings, CDs, and Money Markets. Its five different checking accounts vary in terms and requirements and all have a monthly service charge except for the 55 Plus Checking account. The bank offers opportunities to waive or reduce the monthly service charge by performing certain tasks like signing up for paperless statements. Its Choice Interest Checking account offers typically low interest rates. There are two Savings Account offerings – Online Savings and Classic Savings – and both come with a monthly service fee that can be waived by keeping a minimum account balance.
Bank of the West also offers a Money Market account that offers variable interest rates based on account balances. This account must be opened at a branch and comes with a monthly service charge that can be waived. It also offers CDs (Certificates of Deposit) with a variety of term lengths, from 7 days to 5 years. Interest rates on all of its deposit accounts are usually lower than the national average.
Bank of the West is held by BancWest Corporation, which is wholly owned by BNP Paribas. It also offers credit cards, loans, investment management, and retirement management services to its customers. Bank of the West online banking and mobile platforms offer personal account management via smartphone and tablet apps, mobile web, and text banking. These sophisticated platforms allow customers to transfer funds, pay bills, and manage their accounts quickly and easily. On Bank of the West’s commercial and small business sides, it offers banking solutions tailored to specific industries such as Agribusiness, Religious Institution, Healthcare, Real Estate, Title & Escrow, Financial Institutions, and Government Banking.
Bank of the West began in 1874 as Farmers National Gold Bank, nearly two decades after the culmination of the California gold rush. It changed its name once in 1880 to First National Bank of San Jose before finally transitioning to become Bank of the West in 1979.
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2/5/13 - Another $150 Checking Bonus at Bank of the West - Certain States Only
1/22/13 - $150 Checking Account Bonus At 3 Los Angeles Bank Of The West Branches
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4/3/11 - Bank Of The West $100 Checking Account Bonus
2/13/11 - Bank of the West's $100 Checking Account Bonus
12/23/10 - Bank Of The West - Ipod Touch Arrives Just In Time For Christmas!
11/26/10 - Update - Bank Of The West Ipod Deal
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3/10/10 - Update on Bank of the West Checking Account Bonus, Free ATMs and Online Savings Account
2/5/10 - Bank of the West Cuts Online Savings Account Rate
1/14/10 - $100 Checking Account Bonus and an Online Savings Account at Bank of the West - Update
11/6/09 - Update on Bank of the West $100 Checking Account Promotion
11/2/09 - $100 Checking Account Bonus and an Online Savings Account at Bank of the West
5/1/09 - $100 Checking Account / Direct Deposit Bonus at Bank of the West in Several States
9/11/08 - $100 Checking Account Bonus at Bank of the West
Excellent Customer Service
Very much a traditional bank. Even though it's a major regional chain, the branches have a very friendly feel. Staff is empowered to help you with whatever you need. Deposit accounts are pretty much standard, with relatively low interest rates to match. Probably best for everyday banking and the wide range of services that a bank can offer.
Nice feature: Bank of the West ATMs give both $5 and $20 bills.
Bank of the West Checking and Savings
I used Bank of America as my first bank account growing up. They are a small bank that cater to Washington State, Oregon, and California. I enjoyed banking with them very much. Any time I went in the tellers would know me by name and were always friendly. They have grown a little bit since I banked with them but I expect the customer service aspect will be as good as it was then. The website at the time that I banked with them wasn't the best, it didn't have all of the features that a national bank would have. Also they couldn't offer the best interest rates that the national banks offered. However they maintained free checking even when the national banks started charging or putting requirements on the free checking. Overall I think the uptick in customer service was worth the few percentage points that you lost when comparing the bank to national ones.
Bank of the West - Too much of a hassle to switch
My experience with Bank of the West has been less than stellar. You are just a number in their system without any personalization to your account. The only thing that is seems they care about is that you have money in your account and are making transactions. Their mobile experience is fine but they seem to be the last of the bigger banks to implement any new technology. They have mobile deposits now but it was a year or 2 after all the other banks have rolled it out. They still are not reimbursing for ATM fees which seems to have become the norm for a lot of other banks. The only reason I have not switched is because it would be such a hassle switching over all my auto payments to a new account and I don't deal in cash too often to the ATM fees is not a big deal. Once I get some free time to take care of everything and tie up loose ends, I will be moving on from Bank of the West.
Worst Banking Experience
Had the worst banking experience with Bank of the West. Someone hacked into my account using an unregistered device and sent my money to a Russian email address via Zelle. The unregistered device and Russian email should have been red flags for bank security. Could not get through on the customer service line, as there was over an hour wait because they were having problems with their mobile banking app. Went into my local branch the next day to report the theft. The bank eventually put the money back into a new account the following week. Because of the theft, my no fee account was closed and they opened a fee account for me. Upon questioning, the bank stated my former no fee account was no longer available, so I would now have to pay a fee or maintain a minimum balance. After being a bank customer since 1995, I closed the account.
Data as of Q2 2019
Learn why bank health mattersHealth Grade Components
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| FDIC Certificate # | 3514 |
| Year Established | 1874 |
| Employees | 9937 |
| Primary Regulator | FDIC |
| Profit Margin | |
|---|---|
| Return on Assets - YTD | 0.78% |
| Return on Equity - YTD | 5.59% |
| Annual Interest Income | $1.60B |
| Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assets | Q2 2019vs Q2 2018 | $91.44B$89.56B |
| Loans | Q2 2019vs Q2 2018 | $63.18B$60.78B |
| Deposits | Q2 2019vs Q2 2018 | $69.30B$68.56B |
| Equity Capital | Q2 2019vs Q2 2018 | $12.71B$11.96B |
| Loan Loss Allowance | Q2 2019vs Q2 2018 | $614.3MM$614.8MM |
| Unbacked Noncurrent Loans | Q2 2019vs Q2 2018 | $344.6MM$308.6MM |
| Real Estate Owned | Q2 2019vs Q2 2018 | $6.9MM$9.0MM |
Rates for Bank of the West are currently being reviewed.
