D.L. Evans Bank

I have been debating on giving this bank five stars or one star.
I have been banking with DL Evans for years and have always had an amazing relationship with Andrea. She has, from day one, made me feel like my little checking account and savings account matter immensely to her and the bank.
I was in college and didn't have much money... But I'll be darned if she didn't take care of me like I was the sole reason that bank was still in business.
Since then I have moved around the country for work, and yet each time I've been home i make a point to stop by and say hi and get that "hometown bank" feeling that I can't get in big cities.

This week I decided to take out a loan. I was approved by a couple nationwide banks, but wanted to apply at DL Evans because adding to the Boise economy is important to me and I do business locally whenever possible. I applied with DL Evans and waited to hear back.

What happened next is why I struggle with wanting to give them a 1 star rating.

When I failed to hear back from the bank, I called and was directed to Tory, the bank manager. She informed me that the reason no one had gotten back to me was because they don't loan to people that live outside the state. Which is a policy I understand. The part that really upset me was the tone she used and the things she said to me after that was mentioned.

I told her that I was a long time customer and so was my family. This seemed to matter little to her.

I can understand not being able to loan me money due to me living out of state, but at no point did she say a single word that sounded like I was a valued customer to her. She was the opposite of everything I've ever experienced there.

I called back and told Andrea that I preferred to not work with Tory going forward and Andrea said she see what she could do about getting an exception.

Today (two days after I was told by Tory that someone would get back to me) I received a generic letter saying I couldn't get a loan and the disturbing part was the end that Tory had written "Andrea advised me that you did not want me to call you back so I am assuming that you are withdrawing your application. I feel bad that you took our conversation personally as that was not my intent at all."

I had never said to withdrawal my application and I thought it was rather unprofessional that instead of passing me along to someone else (maybe at a another branch to speak with) she decided to just withdrawal my application.

At no point did she simply ask if I had someone residing in Idaho that could cosign.. Which I do.

At no point did she put any effort into making it possibly work.

So now after all these years of loving this bank and gushing about how wonderful it is to have a banker that really cares about me.. I am literally feeling worse than any big bank could ever make me feel.

Tory is 100% the reason I am closing my accounts and when I move back to Idaho, I won't be going back.

I wanted DL Evans to be the bank that saw me through a wedding, home loans, kids, saving for retirement. But since I moved away to gain the career experience and wealth to be able to be successful when I move back, Tory made me feel like a second rate customer.

So I have settled on three stars... Only because every other person at the bank is kind and caring and has followed my journey as I have grown and moved.

I encouraged anyone and everyone to bank with DL Evans and to be frank... I probably still will because of Andrea and her team.. But the recommendation will be tarnished with my feeling of being of utter unimportance to the branch manager.

A great experience so far!

Our banking needs are pretty straight forward and simple. All we need is a simple account with the ability to manage and access everything online and the ability to reach a human being that is responsive and helpful to talk to when problems come up.

Over several years we've tried Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase and most recently Key Bank.

What we have come across is poor customer service (more often than not) and stupid irritating things, like being forced to set an amount to be auto transferred over to savings when you create a new account. Or.... getting different/incorrect information from different people at the same branch. (The list goes on). It seems that the list of small irritating things (and fees!) starts to take it's toll after a while.

Key Bank opened up a new branch near us so we looked at setting up a new account with them. What a nightmare-on-wheels that was!

The entire process from their atrocious online system, the rude, condescending and horrible people we spoke with on the phone, to taking A MONTH just to get our account number via snail mail to us because according to the snippy rep we talked with, "email is just not secure enough". The service was so bad we closed the account and promptly charged a fee for closing it.

A few blocks down the road, on Park Center there is a D.L. Evans Bank branch. We were greeted upon entering and had a great experience setting up our new account. We walked away with debit cards and checks for the new account in our hands. We didn't feel like another number in a big corporate cog. In a world full of apps, automation and 30 minute phone menus that go nowhere, it is nice to have some old school customer service from the place that stores your money.

Our initial experience with them has been great....I'll try to remember to write a review after our first year with them.

If you're an entrepreneur or small business owner, don't hesitate to create an account with D.L. Evans bank. My initial motivation for creating an account was their Free Business Checking product.. I now know that while I do appreciate no fees, the service and support I get is invaluable. My company is just launching, thus my balances are ridiculously low. I am as small as they get in terms of accounts. My balance has nothing to do with the service I receive. On numerous occasions, the staff has gone out of their ways to assist me with various account verifications, name changes and other administrative tasks that have been essential to my business.

Here is the bottom line.
1) Local folks taking the time to get to know you and your business banking needs.
2) Truly no fee checking.
3) Amazing service.

I can't speak to the other local banks, but I personally would see no logic in signing up with another bank and paying fees for a Business checking account when you can get the same product with amazing service for free.

Jonathon Fishman
Founder / President
Rimot Support

Worst banking experience I've ever had. It took them three months to work on refinancing my investment property. The loan officer in charge doesn't answer phones or emails and is extremely rude. During the process multiple people working on my loan quit their jobs at DL Evans. ... another major red flag that something was a miss. Should have went with Wells Fargo in the first place which is where I will be transferring all of my banking the minute after I finish this review.

D.L. Evans, how do I love Thee? Let me count the ways.

1. Free checking + an attached line of credit = no overdraft fees, ever. Boom.
2. Online Banking and Mobile App (iOS and Android). I've tried both- they may not be tech eye-candy, but they get the job done,and that's all I'm asking.
3. Loans - I bought a car out of state, Private Party. DL Evans worked with me over the phone, by email, etc. They dealt with the sellers bank and ensured a quick and pain free process. It's just a small example of how they consistently go above and beyond the call of duty.
4. Customer Service- this Downtown branch is OUTSTANDING in this respect. Tori, (the branch manager) Andrea, Hannah -- every team member at this branch will make sure you have everything you need.

^^ I could go on, but it comes down to this. National banks may have a "reach" and small conveniences/ gimmicks that they use to gain your business, but they fail so often to provide Personal Banking that doesn't feel like a sales pitch.

D.L. Evans offers a LOCAL, personal level of service that is unparalleled. It's the reason I closed my Bank of America account even when I moved out of state. It's the reason I recommend them wholeheartedly to all of friends. It's the reason I'm writing this review to recommend them to strangers. If you care enough to read reviews of a bank, you're looking for a better banking experience. Look no further-- you can find it at D.L. Evans, and that Better Banking Experience is personified in the Downtown Boise branch.