<p>Do most students set up a local bank account in Ithaca or just use a "home town" bank account for ATM, checks, etc? If local Ithaca banks are commonly used, any recommendations? Any other practical thoughts on banking at Cornell? (Or are all of the students' bills just paid by mom and dad?<g>)</g></p>
<p>I switched my home town bank from PNC to bank of america because it's national, but BoA still doesn't have an ATM or branch on campus. M&T bank, a subset of fortune 500 MBNA has an on campus branch and atms all over campus. They're really helpful and accessable and have good online banking. I pay my bills online direct from my bank account, they got me a credit card, and i can monitor my funds easily from my room. makes worrying about overdrawing and stuff not a problem. when summer comes i'll just most of my money over to BoA so I can get it wherever I go. M&T is only in NY i think, but having a local, accessable bank and a national bank on top of that is a good idea in my opinion since BoA isn't available anywhere on the campus.</p>
<p>Even if mom and dad pay all the bills for most things, students still have their own money and their own person expenditures.</p>
<p>publicivydad,</p>
<p>Have you checked out online banking options like Etrade? I know for their money market accounts (minimum average monthly balance of $1000, 3 checks/month for free) they have free ATM access at any ATM at any bank in the nation (if there is a fee, they'll pay). Not to mention you'll get 4.4% APY for the first 3 months if you sign up now (or at least I believe they still have this promotion going). They also have free checking accounts, but I'm not sure if they do the free ATM access for those or not.</p>
<p>It's also very easy to link an Etrade account up to your local account (I have a checking account at a local bank here in Baltimore) to transfer money between them.</p>
<p>I kept my home bank, a local credit union, and my debit card/checking account/etc. I found that my hoem bank belonged to a system of ATMs that were no charge, some of which are found on campus. I have work-study but my paychecks are directly deposited to my bank at home.</p>
<p>According to the Bank of America website, they have an ATM in the Student Agencies building just south of campus, and 3 other ATMs in collegetown. Are these in any way convenient?</p>
<p>I really like BoA. For one thing, my parents use it, so if I need cash, it's easy for them to transfer it to me. Also, when my dad fell for a phishing scam and gave someone access to my account who then stole all my money, BoA refunded every cent and then caught the guy who did it. I don't think some local bank would have those capabilities.</p>
<p>if you live on north, collegetown is like 20 minutes away.</p>