First Merchants Bank

Avoid at all costs. Go to a real bank. System doesn't work. App doesn't work. Managers don't help. So many options. Look at the reviews. Why go to a 2 star bank?

Are you considering the use of a 2 star bank?nnLet me tell you what to expect.nnHere are the top three reasons why you should not ever choose this bank (there are many more than 3 FYI):nn1. The system is always down. They have an app that works less than 50% of the time. Then when you try to use online banking, their actual website isn’t functioning properly about 20 to 30% of the time. With that last part, you might say to your self, 20%? That can’t be that bad. But I ask you, what other reputable website do you know of is in capable of functioning when you need it to? We are not talking about a social networking site, we’re talking about a bank. The information they have is important and you can’t reach it at critical times.nn2. They have no way of alerting you when there is a problem. Then when a problem arises, you have to discover it yourself. This is problematic because, as stated above, the system is always down so you might not find out about a problem with your account for days. Then when you tell them that you would have rectified the problem but you weren’t able to access your account, they don’t care. There’s no empathy for the problems they created for you.nn3. Poor customer service. Continuing from the above, the managers have a little empathy for the problems that are faced by their clients as a result of their broken systems and subpar online banking technology. The people on the front line are nice and do the best they can but they are not empowered by the managers to truly help resolve the problems of their clients. I can’t tell you how many times I had a very simple problem and for every question I asked they had to run and ask a manager.nnI’ve been with multiple banks over 20 years and I cannot think of a single time with any other bank I’ve had any other problems. Every other banks I’ve been with and I’ve never had any complaints. This time I wanted to support a local bank. When they were Arlington bank it was phenomenal. The people cared, but that was the Tremont branch. I’m not sure if it is First Merchants in general or just the sawmill branch but regardless, you need to know that it is a subpar entity with very poor leadership and non-functional technology.nnThere are many other banks to choose from. You worked too hard for your money to risk it here.nnThe only reason they received one star is because I couldn’t go lower.

I was talking to Ramale Frazier who professionally answered my questions about CD’s and best money market options. He was very patient with me and answered all of my questions. Will be looking into opening a account!

ATM won’t accept deposits for the last two weeks. Tell staff inside and they just say ‘ok’. New staff is rude anyway, acted put off that I needed to come in to deposit cash. Predatory overdraft and ‘moving around’ of transaction orders when it suits them. I’ve been with this bank about ten years, when it was Cooper; only in the past year have I considered changing banks. My ten years with this bank mean very, very little to the people working here now.

Should have paid attention to the reviews. They've earned this rating. Don't risk your money and your time banking with these clowns.