Ni Hao!
I was getting tired of dealing with Big Bank BS so I started looking into smaller banks that are still regional but not super huge to where they are robotic. I have a couple of checking accounts that don't have physical branches (they are online banks) so I was looking for a brick & mortar alternative. That's when I came across Cathay Bank. Why not give it a try? Must be good since it landed as #10 on Forbes Best Banks 2019. Fun fact: most major banks (Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi) landed towards the very end of the list (BoA took #89).
This location is conveniently located in Artesia off of Pioneer Blvd - parking is plentiful & there are two entrances to get inside. Well, me being non Asian, I felt like I was treated very well for opening an account here. The first time I went in, I immediately felt welcomed which was a slight surprise since I didn't expect much after dealing with Hanmi & Bank of Hope (both are not good). All of the employees made me felt like it was fine I was in there.
My first visit I dealt with Polin Tsai, which was super friendly & easy to talk to. I had a bit of trouble opening a checking account, as I kept getting denied from Chex Systems so I had to come here a couple of times. I really was impressed at how much help Polin was when it came to helping me out. I had the same issue as well at Bank of Hope when I tried to open a checking account & they did not want to help me out at all. Here, Polin went the extra mile & even looked into the issue further by calling Chex Systems to figure out why I was denied, since my report didn't show any derogatory marks or anything negative.
Long story short, I am a new member of this bank & even though it doesn't have the latest & greatest bells & whistles like big banks, I feel this is a good bank to start a lasting relationship with. read more