Opening a new Bank Account - which Bank?

[Rois]

A friend of mine has just moved back to Ireland after several years in the UK. He has a full-time job, but needs to open an Irish Bank Account as his salary will be paid directly into the bank.

In light of the current banking uncertainty, could anyone recommend which bank he should join? Where he lives now we have AIB, BOI, Ulster Bank, Halifax, NIB, Permanent TSB and ACC Bank.

 

[Pauliwalnuts]

In all honesty if it were me & I was opening a new account today I would go to any of AIB, BOI or Anglo Irish Bank. The goverment has announced that all their deposits are completly gauranteed. After that check which one has the best rates between them of course.

Saying that of course I am not about to withdraw all my money from Halifax, Rabo or any other institution I have money invested in.

Of course if my scenario were that I was opening a new account & about to deposit an amount greater than 100k then I would 100% choose one of the above 3 banks. I think some of the building societies have been included in that Gov gaurantee as well.

 

[irishlinks]

I think the original question was more about current accounts rather than savings accounts. The 100k protection or even the old 20k would be enough for the vast majority of current accounts.
A good account for one person may not be suitable for another.
If it's a good interest rate on current account balances you want - than Halifax is the best. If its free fees with no conditions attached that you want - then AIB and BOI may not be the best for you.
Other things to consider are opening hours - are they open all day or open on Saturdays - that might be useful for someone working all week. Also online banking availability and ease of use might be important.
There will always be people who will tell you they had problems with certain banks and others will tell you the same bank is great. One branch of a bank can be good and another branch may be bad. Can your friend get any local recommendations from co workers or friends ?