I've banked with Woodforest for over ten years...I'm not on a second chance checking, but Woodforest Bank was one of the few banks in my area and it was just very convenient with the 24 hour locations. Also, my parents banked with Woodforest, helped me open an account when I was just 16 and I'd basically kept the same account the entire time (although I changed it once I was over 18, etc.)
Anyways, they seem to think they can just charge fees onto your account without authorization. When they began offering free checking many years ago, I signed up and had been using it ever since. I keep the majority of my money in my savings account (linked to the Woodforest account also) and was surprised to find a $5.95 "service fee" that resulted in a $34 overdraft fee as this was a transaction I was not expecting. I'm very precise with my ledger. I'd overdrafted by less than $1. I'd never even overdrafted my account before this!
I called and after speaking to several people as a "courtesy" got the branch manager to refund the overdraft fee. I don't see how they can just start charging fees without the customer's authorization. They'd changed their "free" checking to have stipulations that you must have at least a $100 balance in your account AND you must have direct deposit.
The branch manager went on to tell me that they put a note at the bottom of the bank statements in April and May to notify customers of this change. Too bad I opted out of receiving monthly statements because I do everything online. I don't understand why they couldn't email me, post something on the site, or even post a sign in the branch locations to inform customers of this change. It was very sneaky!
I am definitely considering switching banks after this fiasco. I do not feel comfortable having to worry that the bank is going to take out another fee whenever they feel like it.

We bank at Woodforest in High Point, NC. I have not had a bad experience with them and wonder if these problems I've read about are specific to certain branches that might not be well-run due to branch managers.

I found this site yesterday after we accidentally overdrew our account. My husband and I both put exactly $15.00 worth of gas in our car on two different days- neither of us knew the other had made the purchase on our debit card. I keep track of our account, so when I saw that the $15.00 charge had gone through, I assumed everything had cleared our account. For some reason, when you buy gas and pay at the pump, it doesn't even show up in your pending transactions for several days sometimes.

I called the bank and asked for a courtesy refund of the overdraft fee ($34.00, which is comparable and in some cases lower than other banks). Since the account is only in my husband's name, the teller couldn't discuss the account with me, but said that it shouldn't be a problem since we have not had a previous overdraft. Another problem I had was that I had made a $3.00 purchase on the card before we realized that we had overdrawn the account which was still pending- since my husband was going that afternoon to make a deposit, I was still worried that, even if the first overdraft fee was refunded, the bank would post my $3.00 purchase before posting my husband's deposit and still charge another overdraft fee.

When my husband went to the bank yesterday afternoon, he made his deposit and then spoke with the teller. She did refund the overdraft fee and I checked our account this morning, and his deposit had been posted first- so we were not charged the additional fee for the $3.00 purchase that they legally could have charged us.

The lesson to be learned is that if I had been keeping a written register of our debits and credits, this would not have happened. Anyone who can count can manage a checking account, no matter where they bank. The fact that we can check our accounts online now makes us lazy, I think, and we don't keep the records we should.

The reason I'm taking the time to write this is for other people who might be reading this for the same reason I did yesterday- I was worried that Woodforest was going to gouge us with fees- that they would purposely post things in a certain order to where we would have to pay out more money, and that was not my experience. So if that's your fear, hopefully this will put your mind at ease.

Also, we bank at Woodforest for the same reason a lot of other people do- we need the second-chance checking. Both my husband and I had previous accounts that we overdrew because we did not manage our money properly. If it weren't for Woodforest, we would not have a checking account until we get some bills paid off. Now that we are trying to be more responsible, paying off debts and getting our credit straight, it's nice to be able to have an account at all.

I haven't had a checking account with Woodforest National Bank for long but every time I make a deposit in person it is a horrendous experience! I bank at the Woodforest National Bank at the Walmart in Perrysburg Ohio. I have switched banks and am in the process of transferring all my auto pays to my new bank! One time they refused to let me deposit a personal check my husband wrote me. They told me I would have to bring him, with his ID to the bank or I could not deposit the check!(HUH?) One time I withdrew money from my 401K, the check was issued by Merril Lynch, and they put a 10 day hold on it, even though it was no more than my monthly direct deposit (HUH?) One time I deposited a check from Merril Lynch and on the back you sign on one end if it is a loan and the other if it is a withdrawal. They forced me to sign on the LOAN end of the check even though I had signed the other end (again this was a withdrawal from my 401k). (HUH?) I scribbled "not a loan" over the loan agreement and signed it - but these people are just clueless. And they are unfriendly, downright MEAN spirited. They know they are being difficult and they enjoy it, even though they have no clue what idiots they are. I was so nice to get this off my chest. I am not a "second chance" person...I don't have difficulty with money in any way. You will pay through the nose for using ATMs other Woodforest and they tack on "foreign" fees if you use your ATM card out of the country. Avoid these people.

My account became overdrawn because of payday loans trying to continue withdrawing money... woodforest turned it over to some collection service that calls me 10 times a day. i keep telling them to stop calling so much then get really rude remarks... not happy at all when i work 3rd shift and get woken up by annoying phone calls. when i opened the bank account i told them i wanted overdraft protection but they didnt listen. now i owe them over 1000 dollars. told them bout theirselves abd again recieved rude comments and poopy service. dont think banks can b trusted . collection agencies should b closed down or we should b able to sue for harrasment...

A Bank Manager at Woodforest National Bank, 900 Wal-Mart Way, Midlothian, VA 23113 was fired a few weeks ago for cashing checks and keeping it for herself. Isn't that fraud and embezzlement? Isn't that a criminal offense? A crime has been committed and yet this bank manager was ONLY fired! No charges have been filed against her. She is no longer a bank manager, but she is still walking free with just a slap on the wrist and on her "merry" way!!! Who and what is to prevent her from getting another job at different bank? Are you going to let her steal your hard earned money? What kind of "bank" lets their bank managers steal from them and don't prosecute!!! Unbelievable and unacceptable!!!

If you have read this and want justice please take action. File a complaint, call and contact Woodforest National Bank headquarters 1-877-968-7962 [email protected].

Let's send this bank manager to jail!