Banks in Florida

Learn about the Florida Banks

Your Guide for Banking in Florida!

What Banks are Located in Florida?


Florida has a fairly large selection of banks both large and small. The large national banks such as Bank of America are quite common in the state as well as a handful of regional banks like Fifth Third who have seemingly followed their banking customers from their summer homes in the North to their winter homes in Florida. Among the smaller banks there are successful regional banks like the Bank of Tampa who is the largest locally owned bank in Hillsborough county.

List of Common/Popular Florida Banks: Like mentioned above, this is just a small portion of the Florida banks. The best way to choose a new bank is by referral. Ask your family, friends, and colleagues who they bank with and why. You will be surprised how happy people will be to tell you about their experiences. Many banks will offer a referral incentive so if you use someone elses advice to decide on a Florida bank be sure to ask about this.

Choosing the Right Florida Bank


If you are having trouble choosing a bank you can use a simple "pros and cons" approach to figure it out. Decide on what you are looking for in a bank. These can vary from online bill payments to the highest CD rates. I have detailed out a few points to consider below.

Interest Rates: If you have money to invest you definitely want to build this into your decision. From personal experience, the smaller regional banks and credit unions are best in this category and typically offer slightly higher interest rates.

Online banking and technology: If you are an avid internet and smartphone user technology should definitely be something to consider. The bigger banks like Bank of America are usually ahead of the curve with technology (they have much larger tech budgets.) Technology like scanning checks on your smartphone is something you'll be able to use.

Locations: If you make lots of deposits and would rather visit a branch to do them this is important. Small regional and large Florida banks can both have convenient locations for you. If location is not that important you may want to consider internet banks such as Ally or Ing Direct as they can offer other benefits such as higher interest rates and great phone customer service.