We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. Learn more.

  1. Banking
  2. Banks

Midwest: FirstMerit

Published: Oct 25, 2015

WHY IT'S A WINNER

Why it's a winner: You can avoid out-of-network ATM fees and earn a nice yield on checking. Plus you get a 0.5-percentage-point discount on home-equity lines of credit and a 0.25-point discount on personal loans if you set up automatic payments from your account.

Caveat

As with many banks, you’ll need a minimum balance to waive the checking account’s maintenance fee.

Branches

367 in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin

Standout Account

Reality Platinum Checking

Maintenance fee: $15
How to waive the fee: Keep a $5,000 daily balance.
Outside ATM fee: $0
Interest on $5,000: 0.05%

Here are Money's picks for the Best Regional Banks of 2015-2016: