These guys have a nice vibe, similar to a credit union. They're a regular retail bank, from what I can see, rather than technically being structured as a member-owned CU, but that's just a guess on my part. and it doesn't keep them from presenting themselves as being as competitive and as local as a CU, in my opinion.
I've had my last two mortgages here. They've always been super friendly and helpful throughout the process, from finding me rates, processing paperwork, and all that. I review this branch because I've come in here to deal with the deposit account that handles the payments each month.
The staff and management are super nice, always ready with a greeting. They make sure you're aware of their different loan programs and whatnot without being obtrusive. They communicate with you over email in some cases, which is nice. Your 1SB account dovetails with other accounts you hold, though I don't think you can transfer money between them--but you can see balances from other accounts when you log in to your 1SB account, which sets you up well for managing budgets.
There's only so much you can say about banks and financial institutions, but I'd ted to point these guys out as a solid counterpart to the nice stuff that CUs do. read more