Banking / Banks

The Best Regional Banks Throughout the Pacific

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Home to just five states, the Pacific region is small — if you judge size only by the number of states, that is. Consisting of California, Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and Washington, more than 50 million people call the Pacific region home, and they have no shortage of places to stash their cash.

GOBankingRates’ Top Picks: Best Checking Accounts
More: Best Savings Accounts

The region’s most popular banks and credit unions are on a wide spectrum ranging from corporate giants with a global footprint to local gems with only a handful of branches. To identify the top financial institutions in the Pacific, which covers the entire West Coast, GOBankingRates reviewed the number of branch locations, checking fees, savings APY and 12-month CD APY for each bank and credit union. Those factors are all outlined below, but the study also examined each bank’s total assets.

Also factored into the rankings were whether or not 24/7 customer service is available and if customers can live chat with a human. Finally, the study considered which other products are offered — including auto loans, mortgages, credit cards, investment services and insurance — and the rating each bank’s app holds in the Apple and Android stores.

Here’s where to keep your money if you live in the Pacific region.

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JPMorgan Chase

Branch locations: 4,960
Checking fee: $12
Savings APY: 0.01%
12-month CD APY: 0.02%

Navy Federal Credit Union

Branch locations: 298
Checking fee: $0
Savings APY: 0.25%
12-month CD APY: 0.55%

Bank of America

Branch locations: 4,215
Checking fee: $12
Savings APY: 0.01%
12-month CD APY: 0.03%

Learn: Gen Z and Millennials Favor National and Online Banks, Survey Shows — What Does That Mean for the Future of Credit Unions?

Wells Fargo

Branch locations: 5,024
Checking fee: $10
Savings APY: 0.01%
12-month CD APY: 0.01%

American Airlines Credit Union

Branch locations: 38
Checking fee: $4.75
Savings APY: 0.40%
12-month CD APY: 0.50%

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Star One Credit Union

Branch locations: 7
Checking fee: $0
Savings APY: 0.5%
12-month CD APY: 0.55%

KeyBank

Branch locations: 1,046
Checking fee: $0
Savings APY: 0.01%
12-month CD APY: 0.05%

Options: 16 Effective Ways To Trick Yourself Into Saving Money

Wings Financial

Branch locations: 31
Checking fee: $0
Savings APY: 0.15%
12-month CD APY: 0.45%

Logix

Branch locations: 18
Checking fee: $3.95
Savings APY: 0.25%
12-month CD APY: 0.30%

Patelco Credit Union

Branch locations: 38
Checking fee: $0
Savings APY: 0.05%
12-month CD APY: 0.25%

More From GOBankingRates

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Methodology: To discover the Top 100 Best Banks, GOBankingRates looked at all institutions with available published data (National, Regional, Local, and Online) from the 2021 Best Banks categories as well as all Credit Unions with over $1 billion in total assets and accessible to a wide audience. GOBankingRates looked at the following factors: (1) total assets as sourced from the FDIC and NCUA; (2) number of branch locations as sourced from the FDIC and NCUA; (3) checking account annual fee; (4) savings account APY rate; (5) 12-month CD APY rate; (6) customer service products offered (24/7 customer service and live chat with a human); (7) Bauer rating (out of 5 stars); (8) products/services offered (auto loans, mortgage loans, credit cards, investment services, and insurance); and (9) the average mobile app rating between the android and apple stores. All factors were then scored and combined, with the lowest score being best. Factors (1) and (4) were weighted 1.5 times in final scoring, factor (2) was weighted 2 times, factor (6) was weighted 0.5 times, and factor (8) was weighted 2.5 times. For all Savings and Checking Account data only the basic accounts/products offered at each institution was analyzed. All data is up to date as of 12/8/21, rates and fees subject to change.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.

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About the Author

Andrew Lisa has been writing professionally since 2001. An award-winning writer, Andrew was formerly one of the youngest nationally distributed columnists for the largest newspaper syndicate in the country, the Gannett News Service. He worked as the business section editor for amNewYork, the most widely distributed newspaper in Manhattan, and worked as a copy editor for TheStreet.com, a financial publication in the heart of Wall Street's investment community in New York City.

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