Look carefully at every bank’s check-hold policy. Find out how long they will hold on to your money when you deposit it, and under what circumstances. Many banks are particularly stringent on new accounts, say, for the first thirty days. So be careful.

Does the bank offer overdraft protection, and how much does it cost? Bounced check fees are quite profitable for the bank, but very expensive for us. You should know the bank’s policy and programs that they offer to help avoid these fees. Some banks will even reverse one or two non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees a year to keep your business. But you must ask; they’re not going to volunteer that kind of information to you.

Don’t make a random decision when choosing a bank. Too much money is at stake, and all of it’s yours. The winner should be the bank that offers the things that are most important to you, whether it be convenience, low costs, or great customer care.