First Niagara Bank

I use paypal a lot and they pull the funds from my Bank.... Long story short there where 10 charges 1 for 500+ 1 for 200+ and 8 for under $50 each...There was 800 in the account...Could have put all in and charged me 1 overdraft fee for the 500 charge....Nope...they put in the 2 Big Charges then hit me for 7 overdraft fees....Got to love the way they manipulate the System....But reading the reviews here I see I am not the only one....I never seen more negative reviews on a business that still has their doors open. Doesnt anyone in corporate read these...Stay away from this Bank!!!
But if you enjoy paying overdraft fees then you will love this bank....

This was my first credit card. I applied for it because I was attempting to establish credit history, and also wanted to be able to charge something in an emergency if needed. Now, I use it for almost all of my purchases in order to accumulate rewards. However, the rewards are not great compared to other rewards programs out there. Points take forever to accumulate unless you are a big spender, and your best value reward is to cash out a $25 account credit after accumulating 3,000 points (spending $3,000). Customer service is easy to work with, but if you're looking to get the most rewards for your purchases, don't choose this card! If you don't care about rewards, then it's a fine card to have.

This was the first credit card that I ever got. I got it because First Niagara was a trusted bank and there was a branch right near where I was going to college. I got this card to help pay for college stuff like books and in case of emergencies so I didn't use it all the time. That being said, it was really nothing special. The interest rate isn't that great. The rewards aren't that great either. I don't like points systems and would prefer having gotten cash back. Points expire after a few years which is bad for people who don't use credit all the time, since you don't really get to accrue enough points for anything good. Overall I would not recommend this card to others. Not because I had any problems with it or the customer service, but simply because there are much better credit card options out there. Even from First Niagara themselves.

I opened up a credit card with this bank a few years back and never had an issues with it until it was going to expire. I didn't have a balance at the time so when my new card came I tossed the old one out and didn't think about it. My wife always pays the bills and the next month I had a $50 charge which I made. She used the online bill pay and paid the balance, but unfortunately to the old card which for some reason was now a separate account which we were initially unaware of. The next month the same thing we gather the bill with a few for being late. Unsure why she pays it again. And again to the wrong account. Three more the into this I'm getting calls about an outstanding and later balance of 77 dollars but they are telling me I have another account with 110 dollar credit on it. After fiNall figuring out the problem I asked if they could just pay one with the other and the only answer I recieved was no.. it was an amazing hassle and sad that they dropped the ball for months.

I have had an account with First Niagara for years. My parents used this local bank while I was growing up, so I didn't do much shopping around for a checking account. I gave 4 stars, because their mobile banking isn't nearly as good as most other banks. It's very slow, almost too secure, and their app isn't designed well at all. Other than that, I have had great experiences with them.

I just recently moved across the country, and because they are a local bank in Western NY, it was too inconvenient to stay with them. I was just using up the rest of my money in my account, when an auto payment I had set up, overdrew the account. I was charged $40, and was facing more fees. I called them, and seriously, within 5 minutes of dialing the phone, the fee had already been waved, and my account was closed. It was so easy, fast, and I didn't even have to put up a fight! They are a great company, and have excellent customer service.

First Niagra Bank is more of a criminal enterprise than bank. They use every trick imaginable in order to collect as many overdraft fees as possible. They hold deposits longer if you account is low. They always process large payments before the smaller ones so that if you do go negative, they get more fees. If you have a lot of money in your account, payments take forever to clear but if you only have a few dollars, they process immediately.

On a separate issue... I tried to set up a transfer. (We needed $220 to be routed from our First Niagra account to another bank automatically, every week.) I had to go in three different Saturdays over the course of two months and even then, IT WASN'T SET UP CORRECTLY! Every time we would get a mail, weeks after I went in saying they needed a different form. The third time I went I went to a different branch because I was convinced that the people at the Pittsburgh Street were intellectually impaired. Although the branch I went to wasn't dirty like Pittsburgh Street Branch always is, the woman working there said, and I quote, "We aren't trained to do this.". So, apparently the workers and managers are not trained to set up automatic transfers. (I bet they have extensive, college level, in-depth, week-long seminars on overdraft fee collection theory and practice.)

Needless to say, we closed this account. When I went in, I wasn't asked why I was closing it. I was expecting the manager to ask me why I was closing and try to see if he could salvage the relationship. Not only did that NOT happen, the woman who closed the account didn't bother to ask either. They got their final $109 dollars from me, that is all they cared about. So remember, at First Niagra - you are worth less than $109 dollars. If they can get that from you, they'll be happy to see you go.

In closing, I would like to warn anyone considering using this bank, especially senior citizens, people on fixed incomes, single moms and everyone who struggles from paycheck to paycheck to avoid this bank completely. They would slowly torture and kill a basket full of kittens and puppies for just one overdraft fee. They are truly evil, in every sense of the word. May God have mercy on their souls.

I been a long time member of First Niagara going back to the days when it was Lockport Saving Bank, and they've never been anything but helpful. I moved out of the Western New York area about 10 years ago (and far away from any branch), but I've always maintained my account. I still do business in New York, so it is handy to have a couple local accounts. They have always been always willing to help me out with any issue I have had involving transfer and bill payments. These types of problems can be tricky to deal with when I am on the opposite coast, but I can relax, knowing that someone at their customer service will always be willing to work with me to get the problem resolved.

The most serious problem I have occurred while using First Niagara Simple Checking Account is when I first opened it, I called before I did it to make sure it would be okay and clear normally, but I deposited a third party check for a friend and withdrew the funds out of the ATM for him. I had called and asked if this was okay and they told me it would clear in 2 business days like a regular check. Unfortunately that was not true, it took 5 business days because my account was still new but they failed to tell me than when I called so the money was not available until almost a full week later.

There are two main reason I chose to have my savings account with First Niagara Bank. The first being that is where I have my checking account so it makes it more conivent for me to have both accounts with the same bank so it is only a one stop for me to do all my banking needs. The second reason is that I found First Niagara's website to be very user-friendly and easily accessible. As I do most of my banking actions online or from my mobile phone, it is very important for me to have a bank with online services that are easy to use as well as efficient when using them.

This bank would be a great bank if it were not for a very terrible customer service department when you call in on there 800 number.
Very unskilled and not at all knowledgeable representatives, that repeatedly ask for the same information, and then when you give it to them they ask for more before they will help you.
Then it seems like they are unwilling to solve your problems.
Also the web page is not up to par with other checking account web sites.It constanly asks for your zip code when trying to log in. That happens while you are trying to enter your user ID.
All in all this just gives me a bad feeling about a company when I cannot get treated with respect when I call in and they put little thought into their web design.