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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2/5/14 - Bank of the West Checking Account Bonuses Return - Certain States Only
7/29/13 - Another Bank of the West Checking Account Bonus - Certain States Only
7/29/13 - History of Bank of the West Promotion Bonus Payouts
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
7/31/12 - Bank of the West's $150 & $200 Checking Account Bonuses - Certain States Only
3/28/12 - Competitive 5-Year CD Rate at Bank of the West in Some States
3/19/12 - Bank of the West's Checking Account Bonus - Certain States Only
1/10/12 - Bank of the West Ends its Free Checking Account
8/8/11 - Bank of the West's $100 Checking Account Bonus - Certain States Only
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
10/6/10 - iPod touch Promotion Problem At Bank Of The West
8/16/10 - Bank Of The West Ipod Touch Checking Promotion Update
7/19/10 - iPod touch Checking Account Promotion at Bank of the West - Certain States Only
7/18/10 - Bank of the West's $100 Checking Account Bonus - Certain States Only
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
Thank You Guys For Being Genuine
This bank is so honest, helpful and caring. All the clerks are so kind and make me feel at home when I go to the bank. Just a note, there are two savings account to choose from, Online Savings and Classic Savings. I found Online Savings to be a much better option
Bank of the west
I opened a checking account with BOTW 2 years ago. Initially no issues. Low fees for transactions and withdrawals. Nice staff inside locations. However, atms in my area are often out of work. Mobile app has been a pain. Does not work, crashes frequently, not too user friendly. The products are competetive but sometimea I wonder if going with a larger bank rather than a local one would be more convenient.
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.
Dumb People Working There
A bunch Of dumb employees working there. We did refinance with them of our residence. We told them we will close our Heloc with our bank only if we are going to sign a new refinanced mortgage in the next hour. These dumbest made us sign paper from the title company to pay off mortgage/ other pay off - (tricky right?) with confirmation in their email that heloc will be closed right before signing a new mortgage. They dragged this case for two more month and then notified us that they cannot refinance. They left us without Heloc and refinance mortgage. Very bad bank. Try to avoid. Sticky and dumb employees.
Data as of Q4 2021
Learn why bank health mattersHealth Grade Components
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| FDIC Certificate # | 3514 |
| Year Established | 1874 |
| Employees | 8966 |
| Primary Regulator | FDIC |
| Profit Margin | |
|---|---|
| Return on Assets - YTD | 0.97% |
| Return on Equity - YTD | 7.09% |
| Annual Interest Income | $2.48B |
| Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assets | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $104.8B$96.06B |
| Loans | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $56.65B$59.82B |
| Deposits | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $89.50B$79.78B |
| Equity Capital | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $13.51B$14.03B |
| Loan Loss Allowance | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $745.0MM$841.6MM |
| Unbacked Noncurrent Loans | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $320.9MM$485.7MM |
| Real Estate Owned | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $5.2MM$8.5MM |
