Standard Bank and Trust

I opened my accounts at Standard Bank because I didn’t want to drive crosstown to to my old bank, and with this bank, I’ve been treated wig nothing but respect.
Even the lady with the accent (you know, the one in the previous comment, from the guy who gave 1-​star because she wouldn’t give him a $ 50 bill), is a real sweetheart.
I asked her to open a savings account, and she advised that I keep the checking since I was going to use it for the same thing… but the checking paid more interest.
I personally would rather do here than to the previous Chase branch I use to frequent.

When I first moved to Oak Forest, I decided to move my bank accounts to a bank in town (I was previously using Archer Bank which didn’t have a location near my new home).
I decided to «interview» the closest banks to find out about their accounts, fees, interest rates, charges, etc. All of them were pretty equal (and within walking distance of one another), but I prefer dealing with smaller banks because they tend to work a little harder to gain and keep your business. That certainly wasn’t the case with Standard.
Maybe I’m weird, but I decided to do one last «interview» before deciding who to bank with. I walked in with two $ 50 bills. A woman with an Eastern European accent came over to help me. I handed her the two bills and asked if she could give me a $ 100 bill. She asked for my account number and I told her I didn’t have an account at the bank yet. She told me she couldn’t do the transaction. I asked why not. She said it was because she can’t deal with customers unless they have an account. I thought for a second and asked, «Oh, the cash drawer won’t open unless you put in an account number?» (I guess I was being a wise-​acre since the drawer was already open.) She said, «No, you need to have an account.» I responded with, «I’m not asking for any major service here, just a hundred dollar bill for two fifties so I can put a crisp bill in my brother’s birthday card.» At that, she looked at me and said, «I already told you that I’m not dealing with you unless you have an account!» I asked for a manager and she said, «You deal with me! I’m not bothering a manger for this.»
I can understand them not writing a bank check for free. I can understand them not doing any financial planning for free without having an account. I can understand that a lot of their services are for customers only, but this was not a ridiculous request. They’re in the business of handling money. I could walk into almost any other business, even a bakery, and get change. But an institution that refuses to exchange money for the exact same amount of money when they’re in the business of dealing with cash?! Especially when the cash drawer was open in front of her? If that’s bank policy at Standard, that’s pretty ridiculous. As a small business owner myself, even I know that every person is a potential customer. Either Standard Bank doesn’t know this or they don’t care.
In any case, I walked out and went over to Marquette Bank across the street where they happily gave me a $ 100 for two $ 50 bills. I immediately opened my 4 accounts there and I’ve been a very happy customer at Marquette ever since.
In conclusion, with three other banks (TCF, Chase, and Marquette) within walking distance, you’d think Standard Bank & Trust would be a little more pleasant and make more of an effort to gain a customer. Don’t bother banking here; just head on over to Marquette where you’ll actually feel appreciated.