Lakeside Bank N Ashland Ave, Chicago

Up until recently I banked with Bank of America, but had for some time been looking to switch because I prefer to do conduct business with more local institutions. I had been looking for a credit union in Chicago but hadn't been happy with the options. We stopped in at Lakeside on a whim after having passed it numerous times on the road. Now I bank at Lakeside. They currently offer the Kasasa Cash checking account, which offers 2.25% APY on the condition that your debit card is used for at least 12 transactions per month. It's free and offers a considerably higher APY than you can get with savings account and even CDs at other institutions. The branch office itself inspires a lot of confidence as it's spacious, well-maintained, and professional (that was one of the biggest warning signs about one of the credit unions I had visited: North Side Community Federal Credit Union--it looked like a bad bus depot). And the banker with whom I spoke was super friendly and helpful. One of the other great things is that with the Kasasa account, Lakeside reimburses up to $20 per moth in ATM fees, which means I now have a larger network of ATMs to choose from than with Bank of America or any other big bank. The only downside is that Lakeside doesn't have any credit card offers, which I would have liked to be able to get from the same place I do my banking. But so far, I'm very happy with my decision to switch to Lakeside.

Very helpful and friendly staff, they explain all the options of accounts thoroughly. I now have both my business and personal accounts at Lakeside!

My favorite branch, always quiet with plenty of parking. most importantly a very kind and helpful staff!