Most banks provide some form of checking and savings accounts to their customers, some have no fees, others have great service. So how should you decide, because not any one bank will have all the best qualities and none of the inconveniences.

It is likely that if you are looking for a bank it is to open a checking account, before you decide you should ask the questions that will ensure that your needs are met by the bank you choose.

The questions to ask are :

Will you have to pay fees to maintain a checking account or is the service provided free of charge?

If the service is free do you have to maintain a minimum amount and what is it?

Some banks will limit the number of checks that you can write on a free account. Will this number be sufficient for your needs. My bank in Lawrence KS, does limit the numbers of checks but I found out that for me this was not a problem since I do most of my banking electronically.

Some banks will not charge for electronic transactions and others will. If you plan to do a lot of electronic transactions you should find out before hand what the bank’s policies are. Electronic banking is more and more popular, as it integrates with many software packages and can simplify keeping a budget, and records accurately.

Another consideration is overdraft protection. Nobody wants to write bad checks, but sometimes things go wrong for a reason or another, and when it happens, it is good to have this safety net.

Will you be receiving checks from different parties, if yes you should also ask what fees the bank will charge you, should one of the deposited check bounce.

Lastly you should find out about the availability of ATM machines in your area. Will you have to go far to find one? What fees will you incur should you use an ATM from another bank.