--- title: Guess Which Big Bank Has the Unhappiest Customers description: A new American Customer Satisfaction Index poll finds consumers were disappointed across the board with their banks—but credit unions fared far better. authors: - name: Susie Poppick url: https://money.com/author/susie-poppick/ at_money_since: 2013 articles: 117 covers: - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://x.com/susiepoppick former_staff: true published: '2014-11-18T10:52:42.000Z' modified: '2024-02-23T09:41:45.000Z' section: Banking tags: - ACSI - Bank of America - Banking - Banks - best banks - credit unions - customer satisfaction - Wells Fargo - worst banks word_count: 322 canonical: https://money.com/customer-satisfaction-wells-fargo-bank-of-america/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** 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](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Shovel burying money in hole in backyard](https://img.money.com/2014/11/14118_inv_hatebanks.jpg) Customers have grown less happy with their banks over the past year, according to a new American Customer Satisfaction Index survey. Blame low interest rates and high fees, as well as decreasing access to ATMs and branch locations. More than 1,500 Americans were polled on their experiences with their banks and credit unions for the [study](http://www.theacsi.org/news-and-resources/press-releases/press-2014/press-release-finance-and-insurance-2014), which was released on Tuesday. Affirming previous studies from other organizations, consumer satisfaction was the lowest at big banks—with Bank of America and Wells Fargo faring the worst among their peers. ![Screen Shot 2014-11-17 at 5.24.36 PM](https://img.money.com/2014/11/screen-shot-2014-11-17-at-5-24-36-pm.png) *Source: ACSI* Although the survey results showed Bank of America has improved in some specific areas, a spokesperson for the bank wrote, "We know we still have some work left to do." The decline in scores on fees and service for retail banks overall coincides with a [big growth](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/08/05/about-100-million-americans-are-now-using-credit-unions-should-you-join-them/) in the number of people banking at credit unions as an alternative. "Consumers are finding that the best way to avoid bank fees may be to avoid banks altogether," says ACSI founder Claes Fornell. The shift isn't surprising, given that credit unions score better on speed and "courtesy and helpfulness of staff" and can offer twice as much interest as regular retail banks. Some of the worst categories for retail banks were "competitiveness of interest rates," down to a score of 71 from 73 last year, and "number and location of branches," down to 76 from 79 last year. Satisfaction with access to ATMs was down for both banks and credit unions, as institutions have been reducing the ranks as a result of [cost cutting](http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/2014/09/30/banks-trim-branches-cut-costs-redirect-assets/16483333/). Feeling unsatisfied with your own banking relationship? You could take a cue from the results and go to a credit union, for a far better shot at happiness. Most people are eligible for membership to at least one. But if you prefer a more traditional retail bank—or a leaner, high-interest-paying online bank—use Money's bank matchmaker tool to find the best fit for you. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/customer-satisfaction-wells-fargo-bank-of-america/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Banking", "item": "https://money.com/banking/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Banks", "item": "https://money.com/banks/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Guess Which Big Bank Has the Unhappiest Customers" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/customer-satisfaction-wells-fargo-bank-of-america/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/customer-satisfaction-wells-fargo-bank-of-america/", "name": "Guess Which Big Bank Has the Unhappiest Customers", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2014-11-18T10:52:42.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/customer-satisfaction-wells-fargo-bank-of-america/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/customer-satisfaction-wells-fargo-bank-of-america/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-02-23T09:41:45.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "Guess Which Big Bank Has the Unhappiest Customers", "articleSection": "Banking", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2014/11/14118_inv_hatebanks.jpg", "width": 3024, "height": 2016, "caption": "14118_INV_HateBanks" }, { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2014/11/screen-shot-2014-11-17-at-5-24-36-pm.png", "width": 600, "height": 355 } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susie Poppick", "url": "https://money.com/author/susie-poppick/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/susie-poppick/#author", "image": "https://img.money.com/2014/05/14-05-21_bio_author_poppick.jpg?quality=85&w=190&h=190&crop=1", "email": "susie_poppick@moneymail.com", "sameAs": [ "https://x.com/susiepoppick" ] } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2014-11-18T10:52:42.000Z", "description": "A new American Customer Satisfaction Index poll finds consumers were disappointed across the board with their banks—but credit unions fared far better.", "abstract": "A new American Customer Satisfaction Index poll finds consumers were disappointed across the board with their banks—but credit unions fared far better.", "@id": "https://money.com/customer-satisfaction-wells-fargo-bank-of-america/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "dateModified": "2024-02-23T09:41:45.000Z", "wordCount": 322, "keywords": [ "ACSI", "Bank of America", "Banking", "Banks", "best banks", "credit unions", "customer satisfaction", "Wells Fargo", "worst banks" ], "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bank", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank" ] } ] } ] } ```