Independent Bank

I recently purchased a home through Milestone Builders (See Luis Montejano– he is great) and I went through Independent Bank for my home loan. Ian Carmichael has literally restored my faith in humanity. He was incredibly thorough, kind and respectful during the entire process. Not once did I feel judged for my prior financial mishaps-​on the contrary he was instrumental in helping me with every obstacle that presented itself-​and there will always be hoops but that also made it worthwhile for me. We both put effort into my loan, but Ian shines with his knowledge of the industry and his consistency to communicate thoroughly with his clients. I can’t imagine there is anyone better out there. This is a review to validate Ian’s quality services and his strong desire to assist those with his financial expertise! Bravo Ian!

I have a growing small business here in Austin. When it came time to expand, I shopped around for a loan. Independent Bank showed me personal attention rarely seen from a bank anymore. They are not just number crunchers. I actually feel they are in my corner, representing my interests, and helping to guide me in new waters.
I have written very few reviews. My pre Independent banking experience has ranged but nothing has matched these guys. My thanks has driven me to write this review.

Pros: Really nice people. Quick service when you go into a branch. Fast email responses during business hours.
Cons: An extremely poorly designed online banking and bill pay system. It looks like it was designed by a junior high student. The online banking/​bill pay is run by a third party, and when you call for assistance, the third party says it is a bank issue, and to call the local branch. As other reviewers have mentioned, the local branches have extremely limited hours (NOT typical business hours). They also know nothing about online banking.
The online banking system is so unusable that I feel like I have no choice but to move my current business checking account to another bank.
If you require usable online banking, or ever need to visit a bank at, say, 4:05pm on a weekday, you should probably look elsewhere. It’s a shame, because they have some great people working there.

I love Independent Bank for their personal touch in the bank and their awesome interest on their checking accounts. But this place is terrible when it comes to online banking. They tell you they have online banking, but then you have to fill in a form (at a branch). They assign you a username and then you get access. They have a mobile app but you can’t deposit a check with it. And the latest was my account got locked out when I tried to change my password myself (I guess I should have known). Now I am sitting here with bills that need paid and I am unable to access my account. The message says to contact my local branch for support. Local branch has terrible hours and is no where close to me. So now I sit… unable to pay my bills, and unable to get support for their online application. I hate to say it, but I think I will need to move banks to one that is in this century. Seriously… who banks in a branch anymore?