I just cringed being forced to leave ANY stars for this highly unethical and incompetent…read moreestablishment. I had a simple transaction request that could not be completed by their call center because the only employee there could not do a simple currency conversion. Sadly multiplication is not a requirement needed to be employed there. In my desperation to execute this transaction, I contacted the Danforth branch. What a terrible mistake and waste of an afternoon. Kasturi Goshal, (the incompetent and rude Branch Manager) in particular, is now the reason I'm finally dumping Alterna for good. She knows zero about customer service, and should be ashamed to leave such long-tenured members in distress with no hope of accessing their own funds when necessary, let alone urgent. Believe these reviews and save yourself the agony. Any other ALTERNAtive would be better than Alterna.

I received a letter re a renewal of a RESP. Phoned the number on letter. They could not find the…read moreinvestment in their system. Waited 20 minutes to get a real person. Then spent another 20 minutes on phone while they searched. I was told to phone branch which wasn't easy since I didn't know the name of a person there. Another 20 minute journey!on another day. Finally got branch. Got the right person after another transfer who found investment in systems and then informed me I have to come to branch. What a nightmare of a system. Not user friendly. I will try to transfer my business elsewhere.

Scammed me and many others out of $450 via a promotion and extended the promotion period to…read morecollect more monthly chequing account fees. Very scummy and unethical. Stay away!

Stay away. Very shady from the beginning. From the application process to signing up for the Credit…read moreUnion, the whole experience has been abysmal. I signed up for a 450$ promotional offer on one of their accounts. The process online required me to go in-branch for verification. They tell me I should get my debit card "soon". Weeks past and no debit card. I call them and they then tell me I should have "asked" for one. I go in and another rep tells me that's incorrect and hands one to me - red flag #1. Get the debit card, create my account. Login to said account and there's an error that states "An unexpected error has occurred. If this is your first log-in after the recent online upgrade, please re-set your Memorized Accounts. This will be required only once." Yet, I see this error EVERY.SINGLE.TIME, DESPITE re-setting the memorized account. I reach out, it's fixed for awhile, and now it happens, intermittently- red flag #2. Stated the 450$ promotional offer was anticipated to go into accounts the "First week of April". The terms and conditions were changed to state that instead to "in April". Still, radio silence from them throughout with nothing in my account. I called, and the rep stated I qualified for the bonus and they'll reach out to me the end of April to follow up. It's now May. I called again, rep: "Duca is having problems with the promotional offer, we'll let you know when it's resolved". Others have stated they did not receive the bonus, even though they've met qualifications with reps being told by head office of a stipulation that wasn't, and still isn't as of the time of this review, stated in their qualifying terms and conditions - red flag #3. Lastly, they charge you a $4 fee if you have less than 1000$ in this account. However, some have been charged despite meeting this minimum requirement. I've filed a complaint with Duca, and will be following up with the ombudsman. In the mean time, I'd advise everyone to avoid this company as it's clear they don't hold their word, and - in my personal opinion - capable of deceptive/scam practices. Go anywhere else.

I have yet to find any financial institution that is as good as MemberOne. It is truly a hidden…read moregem. A few years ago, I found myself looking for a new banking institution, one that would truly understand my needs. I checked out a few banks, and they sure didn't understand my needs - at all. Then, one day, I was walking by MemberOne, and decided to check it out. I'd heard about MemberOne from my neighbours, who work at WS&IB, and they said nothing but good things about it too, and also mentioned it had recently opened to the public so that anyone could join. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I made an appointment with Irina, and was amazed at the service, from the moment I stepped into Irina's office to open the account, to present. Irina was able to get me everything I needed. Irina (as well as all the other staff) are truly wonderful, very professional, and very pleasant to deal with. Not to mention they actually know what they're talking about. I've never had any complaints. They've been there to help me when I've needed it, such as the time I needed a small loan for some dental work and no one else would help me because of my financial situation at the time. While they may only have one branch and somewhat limited hours (M-F 8 to 3), the service more than makes up for it. The fees are very reasonable too - $8/month for just about everything one could ask for. Sure, there are free bank accounts out there, but do those banks actually look after you? Didn't think so... I think $8/month is very fair for what you get. Don't let the modern look of the place fool you - this is a place that still uses the same old-fashioned principles Credit Unions are known for. I've sent multiple friends to MemberOne and all of them were amazed. Trust me, you'll feel the same way, and you will NOT be disappointed.

The best bank/credit union I've ever dealt with! When you call, they answer (no automated voices…read moreasking you to press your extension or hold to transfer), when you send a message on Skype they answer promptly, when you go to the branch they know who you are and you are serviced within five minutes tops. The service is professional, friendly and personal. If the credit union makes a profit all the members share in it unlike a bank where only the fat cats at the top are made even fatter. FREE inter-ac, free e-transfers. If your check bounces, they call you to ask you to put money in to avoid charges! Nobody cares about you the way Northern Birch does.

This branch won't be at this location for much longer. They will be moving one block south in a…read moreweek's time; however, I'm assuming it'll be the same crew working here. It's definitely a hit or miss at this TD Canada Trust. Most tellers here are super friendly and efficient - you're in and out in 5 minutes. There is one teller, however, who is quite incompetent. He does more harm than good causing me a headache each time. On the few occasions that he has helped me, I have had to return a few hours laters to fix his mistake ... i.e. I paid a loan with cash and then he took both the cash and withdrew that amount from my savings account. Hello? I don't think I owe anything to this bank ... their ludicrous banking fees they charge me are sufficient. If the tellers are dudes, I would recommend you use the ATM instead because you just might get THE guy... That being said, the dudettes who work here are all awesome.

A single location credit union but making use of electronics it has a broad reach…read more It originated as a financial tool for the Toronto Finnish community. As I understand it they welcome locals in the area to also join currently. They are capable of transacting business in English or in Finnish. The services rival the big banks in their breath.

From the owner: Your trusted local partner for everyday banking, built on friendly, personal service. read more

I wanted to speak to a specific consultant about a problem I was having opening a cash investment…read moreaccount. The young man treated me with great suspicion, wanting me to insert my card and peppering me with questions about reasons for wanting to speak to the consultant. I answered briefly, thinking it was none of his business. He continued to press the questions, appearing not to understand. I just left the branch. I doubt if he were going to let me speak to the person I had in mind anyhow. Such gatekeeping to a long-time and mature customer was inappropriate. I will opt for the instant teller whenever possible now. How does that constitute the good service you would foster at your branches? JASA

Staff not trained in what to do when setting up and administering a Trust Account. Apparently banks…read moredo not train their staff properly any more.

I recently changed banks. I cancelled my CIBC chequing account. I have had it since 2007 when I was…read moreemployed there. You do get some good banking perks when you are working for CIBC. However, once you depart the institution, most of those perks go away. I was paying the standard $4 monthly fee for everyday transactions. I decided to cancel this account and look for something better. Recently, I came across an ad for Equitable (EQ) bank. Dan and Eugene Levy were talking about how EQ Bank offers no fees and high interest on everyday banking. Cool! I signed up online. The process was straightforward to open a chequing account. You do need to order a bank card, which acts like a loadable prepaid MasterCard. You have the option of loading funds automatically when your balance is running low or manually loading funds from your chequing account. It took just over a week for my card to arrive in the mail. I activated it online. I did my first transaction when I fetched lunch at work. I inserted my card in the payment machine and it was activated without entering a PIN. What makes EQ Bank appealing is going to any ATM in Canada to withdraw funds. You may get a transaction fee at first. However, a few days later, this fee gets refunded by the bank. It's neat. There are no fees. There is no overdraft. You don't get dinged for non-sufficient funds fees. It's different and refreshing. My chequing account has an interest rate of 2%. Not too shabby. For savings, I have two accounts: - A regular tax-free savings account (TFSA) that earns 2.5% interest - A notice savings account that earns 3.5% interest The notice savings account yields higher interest. If I do need to withdraw money from it, it takes ten days for the funds to be released. The idea is to save your money with high interest and not have the need to take it out often. There's another level. If you want thirty days for your funds to be released, the interest rate is at 3.65%. You can open two notice savings accounts with different notice periods. I have yet to do it. I'm good with two savings accounts! There are other products that EQ Bank offers: - First home savings account - GICs - US dollar account - EQ Bank RSP I made the change to have my pay deposited to my EQ chequing account. I did the change on a Monday and my funds were in my chequing account on Wednesday night just before 10 pm. My payday is every other Thursday, so it was early. No complaints! To add funds, you can either link an external account to your EQ chequing account or send an Interac e-Transfer. The former takes a lot longer. I recommend the latter, which ranges for instantly to thirty minutes, depending on your external bank. All of my Interac e-Transfers have been immediately. I have yet to deposit a cheque. It's a question of taking a photo through the EQ Bank app. The app has worked well for me thus far. I like EQ Bank. I'm happy that I made the switch. (416)

EQ Bank has been my main squeeze for GICs, I came across EQ a couple years ago after looking at GIC…read morerates online. They are not the highest rate, but seems to be more well-known than other online-only banks. I use EQ specifically to rollover/ladder my GICs with extra savings that I might need in a 6-12 month period (emergency funds) instead of the big banks' terrible "high-interest savings" rates. I also have my FHSA accounts here for that sweet GIC interest so that it makes some money in case I need it within the next 6 to 12 months for a down payment. I don't like the idea of having FHSA funds in the market since the whole point is to have it available at a predictable time/amount. So far, my only gripe with EQ (like most online only banks) is their delays on posting deposits as well as withdrawals. Just be aware of their 5 business days EFT delays, expect longer than shorter scenarios... I've never used EQ's referral before, but apparently its $20 to the party opening an account with a min of $100 for 30 days and the referrer also gets $20 up to a lifetime limit of $500. I'll post an update with any details if it ever gets claimed. My Referral Code: join.eqbank.ca/?code=KELVIN6372

I have several accounts in their bank, I made some GIC .but the return is not very good, and now go…read moreto other banks, it is not recommended for everyone