I’ve been banking with Wells Fargo for years. I’ve been really happy with them overall. Great customer service, great people, solid iPhone application, account access, services, etc.

But when a monthly account fee started popping up, I decided it was time to close my account and find one with zero monthly fees and zero minimum balance requirements.

Additionally, much like my experience with Key Bank, I had been frustrated at the requirement of monthly auto transfers. Those transactions muddied up my statements, took extra time while budgeting and using financial management software, and were just a mental burden all around.

After I noticed that my wife and I had been charged a $13 fee each month on our checking account, I took a look in my account and saw that the $100 auto-transfer in and out was no longer listed as a way to waive the monthly fee. I called in to find out why.

The customer service representative told me that it was “Not really your fault” and that the bank had changed its regulations.

Oh really? I wasn’t aware of that. It was probably emailed to me in one of those ‘We’ve changed our policies, please review this 20 page document do see what’s changed’ emails. I seem to get 3-4 of those per month and don’t take the time to read them. Should I? Perhaps. I just didn’t want to spend hours each month doing so.

She was able to reimburse me three of the four months ($39 in total), but couldn’t reimburse the fourth month back because she didn’t have access to more than three months. Hmm, sounds familiar. I was thankful she reimbursed those three months.

So now I’m researching a different bank account. One with no maintenance fees, no minimums. I don’t want muddied up statements and budgeting. And I want to spend less time on the phone with banks chasing down fees.

I’m currently considering either Charlse Schwab or Capital One. Both seem very good all around.