http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2011/11/14/7-ways-credit-unions-are-better-than-banksor I can speak from my perspective. I've been with the same credit union since I was 8, I think. Never any fees to have accounts there, unless I were to unnecessarily upgrade. First 10 years, <1% APY savings account only. Then when I turned 18, I was able to get free eChecking (they sent 2 complimentary checkbooks when I signed up, and I still haven't used up #1) and a credit line. My CU credit line is now over $12k with less than 10% interest. My Chase Amazon Visa card, just under $3k, IDK about interest because I'm liquid enough to pay 100% every month and I barely spend anything to begin with.
Apparently it's 14-22%.
Then when I got into Bitcoin, I got fucked by going
FRB Reg D overlimit, never even realizing it existed before then. I closed my savings account and now can do unlimited numbers of transactions on my credit card & checking account.
Credit unions tend to join co-op networks where you can use their ATMs fee-free, mine is in the same network with a CU that has cash-taking ATMs, so I can deposit and get credited immediately whenever the ATM works (I have to say it had a broken sign on it the last time I went there).
So really, the only reason to use a bank is to roll the dice on being able to have an account people can deposit to across multi-state distances (no CU other than Internet Archive's covers more than one metro area, AFAIK). You pay way more fees, then they may close your account and say "lol bitcoin". My CU hasn't questioned my bitcoin activity at all, and the only fee I paid was for the Reg D overlimit. Also, there was no requirement for me to pay to be a member, or have some cause for being a member. I just became one, and so did the rest of my family.
