Washington Mutual - Houston, TX Review

I have had the opportunity to use many banks in my lifetime, both for business and personal purposes. Most of them have a few good things to offer, usually balanced by an equal number of bad qualities. My most recent banking adventure seems to fall along these same lines. After moving a couple of months ago, I now have a new account with Washington Mutual Bank, a large bank with branches nationwide.

Bank Commentary:

Washington Mutual is a very large bank with more than $200 million in deposits and more than 2,000 branches nationwide. In the past, I got to know Washington Mutual thanks to a mortgage loan I had on a property but today, thanks to my recent relocation to Texas, Washington Mutual has become my main bank. I was initially attracted to Washington Mutual due to its free checking services and, knowing little about other banks in the area, I went ahead and accepted the sign- up offer.

As I stated above, my experience with most banks is mixed and I can usually list an almost equal number of good and bad points for each. Washington Mutual is no different. I came here initially because of the free checking account and this is one of the services I still enjoy. I got tired of the hassle of reordering checks and paying monthly fees for basic checking. Washington Mutual eliminated this problem for me and it has been nice not having to think about paper checks and whether or not I will run out and need to reorder. It is also nice to know that my checking ledger balance isn't going to be reduced by a monthly fee. What I show in my personal records as the balance really is the true balance, free of any sudden surprises.

Washington Mutual is very concerned about customer banking security and identity theft and this bank takes many precautions to protect one's financial integrity. I like the concern that Washington Mutual shows, but this level of protection is not without its inconveniences. When you deposit a check or make a withdraw, you have to fill out a white deposit/withdraw slip regardless of how small the transaction is going to be. If you are withdrawing money, you have to show three forms of ID. I am not sure if this is the standard procedure in every state or not, but three forms of ID is a bit much. I appreciate that Washington Mutual is so concerned about theft, but I think they could improve customer satisfaction by easing up a little bit on these requirements.

One other annoyance I have experienced with Washington Mutual is its refusal to cash a third party check. I could understand this if a person without an account tried to cash a check. But as an account holder, I cannot understand why Washington Mutual would refuse this. The customer service rep told me that it might be acceptable if the check was drawn on a local bank, but since it was out of state, they could not cash the check. I even offered to have a portion of my savings balance frozen until the check cleared, but they still refused.

Washington Mutual is a large bank and this, once again, carries with it some good points and some bad points. On the good side, Washington Mutual offers every financial service imaginable. Whatever you need financially, Washington Mutual has a way to assist you. However, on the negative side, large banks usually have less personal service, and this is certainly the case with Washington Mutual. I feel more like a number when I visit Washington Mutual. There are too many people to serve and too little time to learn individuals by name or anticipate individual needs.

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

My overall opinion of Washington Mutual is mixed. I like the fact that there are dozens of bank branches in the area and I like that I don't have to pay anything at all for my checking account. But it takes a long time to visit a branch and conduct a transaction and the service is less than friendly. My feelings may change in the future but for now, I can only rate Washington Mutual as an average bank overall.