Chase Bank

Yes. Five stars. For a BANK. A JP Morgan Chase, no less. The one that took over my adored Washington Mutual — now a barely-​there car emission smog of a memory.
Having dealt with banks of all sorts, I’ve found their rules and regulations are pretty much all the same and in their favor. (They prefer you put money IN and never take it OUT.) What sets one bank apart from another is the service and knowledge of the staff, and this Chase surprisingly has both.
Every time I enter, regardless of how busy the bank is, someone will always ask if I’ve been helped. This is remarkable, considering this branch is quite small: I’ve never seen more than 2 people working the counters — with one working the drive through.
I’ve also opened up a business checking account here… and attempted to open up another one. And for those who’ve not undergone this experience — it’s something akin to naturally birthing a 12lb baby with 30″ hips — a lot of waiting, feeling bloated, discomfort, pain… the same amount of paperwork and signatures, but unfortunately, without the promise of an epidural.
I was warned in advance by Oy, (the person in charge of everything, as far as I could tell), that opening up a business account would take upwards of TWO hours, so I had given her some information in advance, in order for her to prepare the necessary forms for me.
On the day of the appointment, Oy showed up right on time and had everything ready for me to sign. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a necessary piece of information so had leave and return — a process which eventually took hours. Throughout this, Oy remained efficient and helpful, getting the new account lined up with checkbooks (a huge discount, comparable to Costco), and debit and credit cards. She even went so far as combining my online banking for the business and personal accounts, so that I could access everything with one login name and password.
When I was unsuccessful at opening up another business checking account, as I was missing a vital piece of information, then left Seattle for Tucson for several months, Oy facilitated the opening of this new account by finding the Chase closest to my Tucson address. She then called the Branch Manager to explain my situation (a WA state registered business opening an account in AZ), aware that not all bank service people fall off of the same JP Morgan Chase tree that she did. When I arrived at the Tucson branch, the service rep opened up my account easily, but couldn’t combine this new account with my existing one online, and instead directed me to their toll free number…
…which brings me back to this Chase branch in Kenmore. The last time I was in here was for a deposit: the place was busy and every staff seemed occupied with customers, but I still finished my transaction within 10 minutes with two people behind the counter.
Five stars. For a bank. Wow.

I have been getting mailed marketing materials from this Bank for months now to open up accounts and receive $ 450. I called yesterday to ask questions about it to make sure I wasn’t going to have an issue and then went in today to open the accounts. I’m sure I would’ve been treated differently if I was in my professional clothes but I had just come from the gym. I was told because I am self-​employed and we did our payroll in house that I wasn’t able to use their promotional marketing unless I had another source of income from a company other than my own! I’m not sure that discriminating against small business owners in Kenmore when there are 775 Kenmore businesses is such a great idea, but I would not bank here if you own a business! I was going to open the promotional accounts and then my business ones and slowly move everything over here until I was discriminated against. Do not believe that false advertising you are receiving in the mail!

Your typical neighborhood Chase. What sets this branch apart are the fantastic staff. I was here recently dealing with an interesting situation involving a safety deposit box and both the teller and assistant manager went above and beyond to help me.
I’ve had less than stellar experience at banks in the past, but experiences like these make me glad that I’m a Chase customer.