I have been banking with USalliance for 6 years and i have to be honest. They are different then the big banks (citi,chase or banc of America) as a major credit union, they are a big player in the field.
The savings and checking rates offer higher APR, you can also get credit cards, my favorite is the 12 month certificate of deposits which provide a lot of bang for your dollar. The standard savings account offers a high yoeld savings rate, currently paying 3.053%. They have an actual brach in the Bronx, but i dont mind banking online and over mail when necessary.
I have my entire family banking with them, most people dont even know about them.
You dont loose anything by checking them out usalliance.org
The customer service is veey good, attentive and they are thorough when dealing with customer over the phone.
I will say that they should allow customers to conduct large dollar amount transfers from one bank to another, they have a cap at $5k. Trying to put a down payment on a car for $8k and they would not make an exception for me as a long time customer. Had to do 2 different transactions to complete the down payment. They told me to goto the branch and get a cashier check but that defeats the online services.
The other option is to pay a fee $35 and tou can make a transaction for whatever dollar amount you want. My other bank does not charge a fee to transfer in between banks or accounts and i am able to transfer without ANY fees. read more