TCF Bank is offering a new promotion for checking account. This promotion seems to be the easiest one from TCF Bank as far as I know. All you have to do is to open a new TCF checking account online or in branch. There is no direct deposit requirement this time to qualify for the $50 bonus. This is a great time to jump for a free $50 gift card from TCF Bank.

The promotion page can be found at here.

There are two ways to open a TCF checking account. You can apply for a new account online through the above mentioned promotion page. A $50 gift card will be mailed to you after you open the account and fund it with new money.

The other way is to open a new account at local branch. After you make a initial deposit, you can get the $50 gift card on the spot! The only drawback for the banking account is you have to pay for checks. Usually banks will give you a free check for the first time. But it is not for TCF Bank. So the total profit you can get might be less than $50.

Fine print:

Offer is available to individuals and small businesses without a TCF Checking account in the past 90 days. $25 minimum to open a TCF Totally Free Checking account. This is a limited time offer.Limit one card per customer. The value will be reported to the recipient as interest income on Form 1099-INT. Customer is responsible for all applicable taxes. Gift Card will be awarded at the time of eligible account opening. Please allow up to 4 weeks for grocery card delivery if opening an account online.

The Free Checking account has no minimum balance requirement, no monthly fees and free online bill pay.

TCF Bank has branches located in Illinois, Michigan, Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Arizona. And you must have to be in one of the above states to qualify for this promotion.

Past TCF promotions are:

$50 Gas Card for Opening a Checking Account

$50 Gas Card for Opening a New Checking Account

Citibank is running a new checking account bonus now. We haven’t seen banking bonus from Citibank for a while. The latest mention of banking promotion from Citi Checking Account is back to this May. That promotion was offering $200 checking account bonus.

The promotion code for this bonus is CY72. You can either go to the promotion page or call Citi at 800-374-9500 to open a checking account.

How to get the $100 bonus?

1. Just open a qualifying Citibank regular checking account and fund it with a minimum of $1,000 by 12/31/2008.

2. Within the first month after your account is opened, make at least one direct deposit into your account or make at least two electronic bill payments from your account each month for three consecutive months and get $100 deposited into your new account.

But you ought to look the fine print:

This offer is only available to Citi cardmembers who are the primary credit card account holders. Offer is not valid for existing Citibank checking customers. All accounts are subject to approval. Checking account must be funded with $1,000 or more by 12/31/2008 and must be in a Citibank Account, Citibank Everything Counts or Citigold account relationship package. Fees may apply to the checking account. Within the first month after account opening, customer must complete at least one direct deposit to, or at least two electronic bill payments from, the checking account each month for three consecutive months to get $100. Electronic bill payments are those you make using Citibank^® Online, Citi MobileSM or CitiPhone Banking^®, excluding bill payments made to Citibank credit cards and transfer payments made to accounts with Citibank or its affiliates. $100 will be deposited to your Citibank checking account within 120 days from the end of the statement period in which you met the qualifying requirements.

As a feature of the Citi Checking Account, you can get fee-free use at over 21,000 ATMs nationwide, including over 5,700 at 7-ELEVEN stores.

Citibank right now is the fourth largest bank in the United States and takes about 3.5% of market sahre in the United States.

I recently wrote a post on “Get Overdraft Fees Back from Bank of America by Writing to Their CEO“. Many BOA customers did exactly the same way to get their overdraft fees back. But there are some banks that will not allow their customer service representatives to refund the fees to their customers. As a matter of fact, the fees charged by banks are huge every year! It’s a way to make profit for bank. ($33 billion dollars were payed by US consumers in insufficient funds and overdraft fees in 2003.) If you don’t check your online account frequently, sometimes you will accumulate more than $300 fees! If you don’t want to pay that fees, a collection agent might contact you. Your credit would be ruined in this way.

So the experience on how to fight with banks are essentially important. I made a mistake on one of my Chase Checking account several days ago. And I want to share my experience here with you.

I paid the Chase Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card with my Chase checking account without knowing that I didn’t have enough funds in that account (My direct deposit goes to National City Bank.). And in the next two days I didn’t check my online account thus I was not aware that I have a negative balance in my checking account. When I noticed it, there was a $32 “insufficient funds fee” charged in my account. The next day I went to Chase to deposit my money there immediately. However, Chase charged another $20 insufficient funds fee for that day. So for just two days I was charged a total of $57 insufficient funds fees by Chase.

Since this is the first time I made such a mistake, I called Chase customer service up and request to get a refund. The first time when I called in, an lady with Indian accent (speaking Indian English) told me that she could not refund me. She said I had already got a refund before! I told her that I knew she was lying. I then called Chase again after 10 mins. This time an American lady picked up the phone and told me that if I didn’t make a mistake in the past 12 months, I should receive the a refund. She told me that she put my request into the system and I would know the result in a few minutes. Yes, it did! A few minutes later, a refund of $57 went back to my account!

Then I knew that Chase allows its customers to make a mistake every 12 months! So if you are charged by Chase with an insufficient funds fee, you can call Chase and ask for a refund. If you failed at the first time, you can call Chase up again and do the same thing. Of course, the requirement is you should only make a mistake every 12 months.

Sometimes consumers might get confused with “insufficient funds fee” and “overdraft fee”. Actually both of them are indicating non-sufficient funds in your banking account. Different banks might have different ways to describe them. Sometimes you will also see Nn-sufficient funds fee (NSF) which means a transaction, check, or entry in excess of available account balance is returned unpaid. Overdraft, otherwise, means the entry is paid by bank.

Although we may all know that National City Bank is to be sold to PNC Bank by the end of this year. It seems that this deal got some troubles. Rep. Steve LaTourette, an Ohio Republican wrote a letter to Henry Paulson and asked for an immediate investigation into PNC’s recently deal to acquire National City Bank. Even the GOP president candidate John McCain says he supports a probe as well. According to the latest news, a Delaware law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against National City Corp., its board of directors and PNC Financial Services Group over PNC’s purchase of National City.

Although there is so many troubles out there, National City Bank is continuing to attract more new money from new customers by offering great sign up bonus opportunities. The previously reported $200 bonus for opening a new National City Checking Account onlie has expired on Oct. 31, 2008. But there is a new promotion just released: $150 National City Visa Gift Card for opening a new checking account. This time you can also open a new checking account at your local branch! And the promotion time has been extended to the end of 2008!

This is definitely a great opportunity to open a new checking account at National City Bank either online or at local branch. This sign up bonus is even better than the all-year-long Chase checking account bonus.

Here is how to get the $150 bonus:

1. Open any new personal checking account online, at a branch or by phone by 12/31/2008 with a minimum $50.
2. Set up a direct deposit to your newly opened checking account with at least $250 per month. Direct deposit must be received within 60 days of your account opening.
3. Make 10 check card purchases within 60 days of account opening.
4. Limit of one bonus per household and available only to households without an existing National City checking account.
5. Visa gift card will be mailed within 60 days after all conditions have been met.

The most important part is how to establish a direct deposit to National City Bank. Someone might not want to direct their payroll to National City. Some may have already had a checking account at Chase which also requires direct deposit. Actually, all ACH transfer will be counted as direct deposit. In this way, ING and PayPal should work. But I’m not sure.

Since National City branches located only in IL, MI, IN, FL, KY, MO, OH, WI and PA, only the residents in the above states can participate in the promotion.

The promotion page can be found at www.nationalcity.com/cash.

ING Direct was just mentioned here several days ago about a lawsuit against a customer who took a total of $9,180 from ING via “refer a friend” program. ING just released a new promotion targeted to selected customers for using their Electric Orange Debit Card. This promotion was sent out via email. Anyone who received the email can get either a $10 or $20 bonus for using ING Electric Orange Debit Card in November.

According to the promotion page, you have to do the following steps to get the bonus:

1. You are enrolled in the Electric Orange Checking Account.

2. Make at least 5 purchases of $10 with your Electric Orange Debit Card in November.

3. The purchases must be displayed on your November statement.

4. A $20 bonus will be automatically deposited into your Electric Orange Checking Account by December 15th.

5. Only 1 bonus is allowed for each account.

The promotion page for the $20 bonus can be found at http://www.ingdirect.com/wise.

If you are an ING Electric Orange Checking Account owner, you are automatically enrolled and will receive an email soon. However, if you are not an existing ING Electric Orange Checking Account owner and want to apply for a new one, you are not qualified to receive this promotion.

As I mentioned in the “Top 7 Online Banks for High Interest Rate“, ING Direct was rated as one of the top online savings account and was famous for its easy user interface. Don’t be scared by the story of the lawsuit, if you just want to refer your friends to ING.

For those who don’t have an Electric Orange Account, there is another promotion running which will give new customers $50 bonus. But you have to do it by October 31, 2008.

Here is how:

1. Open an Electric Orange account online
2. Enter EM227 when prompted for a reference code
3. Activate your debit and make 3 signature-based transactions within 45 days
4. Receive a $50 credit in your account within 50 days

If you want to open an ING Direct Electric Orange Checking Account, you should act soon.

Key Bank is offering $100 checking account bonus for new customers. This promotion is the latest bonus promotion from Key Bank which is famous for offering iPod Nano as sign up bonus for its customers. I have reported the situation of some regional banks some days ago. National City Bank was acquired by PNC Bank. The future of other banks including Key Bank is till not clear. Key Bank reported a 36 million loss in the 3rd quarter. But the good news is Key Bank together with other major regional banks have just accepted the bailout money from federal government. Key Bank received 2.5 billion while PNC got 7.7 billion. Capital One got 3.6 billion.

With the money from US government, I personally think the situation of Kay Bank might be better in the 4th quarter. I reported a similar $100 bonus promotion in this March. The latest mention of sign up bonus from Key Bank was in July. Apparently, there is no other promotion from Key Bank for a while. So this $100 bonus is a good offer for those who want to open an account at Key Bank now.

As the promotion indicates:

Get a $100 Key Possibilities Card when you open a qualifying checking account and make one debit card transaction plus a combination of two direct deposits or automated payments each of $100 or more. Offer ends November 7, 2008.

The recommended checking account is the Key Express Free Checking Account which features:

• No monthly maintenance service charge
• No minimum balance requirement on your checking account
• No per-check fees or limits
• No monthly or annual KeyBank Debit Card fee
• No fee for using your KeyBank Debit Card on purchases when using a PIN or signing for a purchase
• Free, unlimited use of Key’s nationwide network of ATMs
• Free Key Bill Pay to pay your bills quickly and easily online
• Transfer funds between your Key checking accounts and accounts at other banks

The promotion page can be found here.

No hard pulls were reported at the account opening process.

National City Bank is running another huge checking account bonus promotion which will give you $200 bonus for opening a checking account online with qualified direct deposit. One week ago, I reported that National City Bank was offering $150 bonus for opening a checking account online with direct deposit. That promotion was scheduled to end on October 22, 2008. But now National City Bank extends this checking account promotion to October 31, 2008 and increases the bonus to $200.

The promotion page can be found at www.nationalcity.com/cash. This is a web-only promotion and not available in the local branches. If you want to open a new checking account at National City Bank, you have to apply for a National City checking account online.

Details about this promotion:

• Open a new personal checking account online by 10/31/2008 with a minimum initial deposit of $50
• Establish a direct deposit to your checking account of at least $250 or more and a Visa® CheckCard* issued to you within 60 days of account opening
• Limit of one bonus per household and available only to households without an existing National City checking account
• $200 bonus will be credited to your account within 60 days after all conditions have been met
• Your account must be open to receive the bonus

National City checking accounts feature:

• Unlimited transactions
• Free Visa® CheckCard
• Free Online Banking
• Free Online Bill Payment
• Personal savings account (with no monthly maintenance
• fee and no minimum balance)
• Free online statements
• Free banking rewards program - points from National City®

National City Bank is one of the largest regional banks, so this promotion is limited to the residents of states where National City has business. National City branches located in IL, MI, IN, FL, KY, MO, OH, WI and PA.

This is no hard inquiry during the account opening process. But National City will check the ChexSystems.

National City Bank is seeking more capital from US government and other sources. Running checking account bonus with direct deposit is a way to attract more new customers and thus increase the deposits. I doubt whether there will be a $250 checking account bonus in the near future.

Update: National City Bank was acquired by PNC Bank today.

National City Bank is still in trouble and the stock price is bouncing around $3 per share recently. Wachovia Bank is acquired by Wells Fargo some days ago following WaMu’s step. Some expect that National City Bank is the next one. But, the good news is, National City Bank is trying to offer checking account bonus to attract more new customers.

I previously reported that National City was offering $163 for opening a new Work Perks Checking Account in local National City Bank branch. And this promotion was said to be “the best promotion I have seen in my 4 years here at National City” by a National City Bank branch manager. At local National City Branch I could still see the banner about this promotion with $163 bonus. If you haven’t had a checking account with National City Bank, it’s a great time to open one with direct deposit.

Some may worry that National City Bank will fail or be acquired by other banks. Actually, the bank failure will only affect the account owners with deposit higher than $100K. Because the amount higher than $100K is not covered by FDIC. Otherwise, for account owners will less than $100K at a bank, the bank failure essentially has nothing to do with you. After take over by FDIC, the bank is still under operation as usual until the bank find a new owner. So I personally think for account owners with less than $100K money at a bank, you are worry-free.

This new promotion is an online special offer. The promotion page can be found at www.nationalcity.com/cash. When you open a new checking account with direct deposit before October 22, 2008, you will be awarded with $150 bonus. The minimum initial deposit is required to be $50.

Some additional requirements:

• Have a direct deposit to your checking account of $250 or more and a Visa® CheckCard* issued to you within 60 days of account opening.
• Your account must be open to receive the bonus.
• Limit of one bonus per household and available only to households without an existing National City checking account.
• $150 bonus will be credited to your account within 60 days after all conditions have been met. ($150 credit is subject to 1099 reporting.)
• Offer cannot be combined with any other offer and may be withdrawn at any time.

National City checking accounts feature:

• Unlimited transactions
• Free Visa® CheckCard*
• Free Online Banking
• Free Online Bill Payment
• Personal savings account (with no monthly maintenance
• fee and no minimum balance)
• Free online statements
• Free banking rewards program - points from National City®

Because National City Bank only has business available in the Midwest, this offer is only available to residents at Midwest states.

Hurry up and take the chance to get $150!

The subprime crisis has decimated large financial institutions and has ultimately transformed the current financial services market. WaMu was acquired by Chase, Wachoiva was taken by Wells Fargo, AIG is taken over by US government, and Lehman Brothers & Co filed bankruptcy.  National City is also in trouble now. However, one company that has withstood this market turbulence has been PNC Financial Services. (PNC is America’s 11th largest bank by deposits.)

I think you would be surprised to hear that only 2% of PNC’s $143 billion in assets is tied to subprime mortgages. So I think it’s OK to jump PNC’s checking account bonus right now. At least, we don’t have to worry whether this bank will be taken over by FDIC or not.

I reported that PNC offered $100 bonus in July 2008. The $100 bonus sign up page has been changed to the $75 sign up bonus page (link). This $75 bonus is given to new customers to PNC Bank with qualified direct deposit and open a personal checking account between Oct 6 and 18.

The fine print has specific requirement for the direct deposit (PayPal and ING will not work.):

The payout of $75 will be credited to the eligible account within 7 days of the first Direct Deposit, which must occur before 12/31/08. The payout will be identified as “Direct Deposit Reward” on your monthly statement. A qualifying Direct Deposit is defined as a Direct Deposit of a paycheck, pension, Social Security or other regular monthly income electronically deposited into a Free, Performance or Performance Select Checking account. The minimum amount of any single Direct Deposit must be at least $500. The Direct Deposits must be made by an employer or an outside agency. Transfers from one account to another or deposits made at a branch or ATM do not qualify as Direct Deposits. Offer available to new PNC Bank Checking account customers only. Offer may be extended, modified or discontinued at any time and may vary by market.

There are 3 kinds of checking accounts to choose from: Free Checking, Performance Checking, and Performance Select Checking Account. I strongly suggest you open a Free Checking Account to get the $100 bonus offer. The free checking account features:

• No minimum balance and no monthly service charge
• Non-PNC ATM fees reimbursed with a $2,000 average monthly balance
• Free transactions at any PNC Bank ATM
• Free PNC Bank Visa^® Check Card
• Free Visa Extras Rewards Program when you enroll your check card
• Free Online Banking and Bill Pay

There is no hard pull during the account opening process.

PNC is also running a visa card promotion. Any time you use your PNC Bank Visa Card for qualifying purchases between October 1 and December 31, 2008, you’re automatically entered to win a weekly prize of $500 or the grand prize of $20,000.

Please be advised that a “Qualifying Purchase” is any signature-based purchase, Internet purchase, phone or mail-order purchase, bill payment, or small dollar purchase for which you are not required to sign, made with a PNC Bank Visa Card, which is processed through the Visa U.S.A. Inc. payment system.

Any PNC visa check card, visa credit card, business visa credit card is qualified to enter the promotion.

It seems there is a new banking promotion out there with $100 sign up bonus from Bank of America. Bank of American was offering $100 bonus for its MyAccess Checking Accout for a very long time. But then in late 2007, all the $100 bonus offers are gone. And we can only have $75 promotion codes available until the very recent promotion code. I can’t find anything about the $100 offer but this was very popular on the internet and I was informed by one of MyCardBlog readers.

Last time I mentioned the $100 offer from Bank of America was back in September 2007. After that, all we can see is the $75 bonus offer. The lastest promotion was said to offer $100 sign up bonus for opening a new MyAccess Checking Account with minimum $25 deposit. The promotion code is WGSUOISI808.

The MyAccess Checking Account is the most popular checking account product offered by Bank of Amerca. The MyAccess Checking Account features:

• Free with no direct deposit requirement
• Free Online Banking service with free Bill Pay
• No minimum balance required

The promotioin link can be found here. Although everything is branded with the University of Iowa, you don’t need to be a University of Iowa alumni to qualify for this offer. All you have to do is to proceed to open an account online and put the pormotion code on the application page. $100 cash bonus will be credited to account within 90 days. You must be a new customer with no checking accounts closed in last 3 months to qualify for this offer. This offer expires 10/15/2008

Please also note that the initial deposit can be funded with a credit card! And it will not counted as cash advance for the credit card but just a regular purchase.

It seems the promotion is targeted to many Bank of America partners. You can find the similar offer with NASCAR and I Love New York. You can’t find anywhere that mentions about the $100 offer, but you can put the promotion code on your application page. Yor are advised to save a screenshot for your application page.

The Keep the Change program is still valid to Bank of America customers. All you have to do is to open a checking account together with a savings account and use your Bank of America check card. It would be a great chance to get $250 bonus!

Warning: Bank of America will do a hard pull for opening a checking account online.