USAA Federal Savings Bank

I have been a 'loyal' USAA member for over 25 years and have excellent credit, using their auto insurance and investment products to the tune of many tens of thousands of dollars. Because these products worked well for me, I decided to open a personal checking account with the USAA Federal Savings Bank--what a horrible mistake! My last two paychecks, from the University of California, were placed on hold for eight and six days, respectively, which made it impossible to pay my monthly bills on time. Both times, I phoned USAA's Customer Service to inquire why my paychecks were held, especially from a large financial institution like the University of California. I spoke with two representatives and one supervisor; each time, I was informed that they need to "know me better" before allowing me access to my own money. This after 25 years as a customer! I was informed that this will continue for as long as I am a "new" customer, but they were unable or unwilling to define how long they consider a customer to be new. They also informed me that my paychecks will continue to be held.

It has become obvious that many banks, like USAA, are maximizing the float period of deposited funds to 'fluff' their asset audits. This comes at the personal expense of customers, in the form of overdue payments to creditors and damaged credit scores. My advice is to avoid USAA's personal checking at all costs (literally) and stick with their insurance products, which remain sound. The only reason I gave them two stars was for the potential they *would* have if they actually put customer service first. As regards personal checking, USAA is an extremely poor banking choice--look elsewhere.