Bank of the West in Culver City, CA

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. The Culver City branch of Bank of the West is one of those businesses that makes Culver City feel like a small town -- along the lines of Brotman Pharmacy, S&W Diner, and the greatly missed Stellar Hardware. It's next door to Washington Mutual but worlds apart in terms of service: 1. Short lines 2. Easy parking 3. The friendly staff knows me, my wife and kids. Checks clear immediately. 4. Wire Transfers are easy: just fill out a form and hand it in, You don't have to sit through a 15 minute transaction. 5. Tellers who actually wear button-down shirts and business attire. Maybe not a big deal, but it sure is nice to see that sort of professionalism as opposed to large scrawled magic marker signs at WaMu. If WaMu is the Southwest Airlines of banks, Bank of the West feels like flying business class on British Airways: it's not as sexy as Virgin America but it's clean, quiet, courteous, prompt and professional: just like a bank should be.

Seriously the only thing convenient about this bank is it stays open a whole HOUR late on friday. They charge for everything they don't have enough tellers. Its a money pit. Why call it a bank just go though your money away it would be less stressful.

Nice and friendly-like always nice parking space

The new location is a mess. The address is on National, but the bank is on Washington and you must now pay to park there. If the lot is full because it is an industrial space, enjoy the long walk. The branch is so small, there are no safe-deposit boxes. If you want a box, you must use an entirely different branch miles away. There are no deposit slips or withdrawal slips, so basically while there are still people there, it is little more than an ATM, an ATM you must wait in line for.

Theres a female manager that works there that is Horrible and Rude. I've been going here for a year to exchange change for my company thats a couple of blocks away. Generally the employees are polite and nice. Today I walked in and the female manager at the bank refused to let me exchange change. Her first interrogating question was "Where are you coming from?". I've never encountered a bank that does that. Not only was she rude, but she treated me like a criminal for asking to exchange change. I tried to explain that I've been exchanging change for my company with them for a year. Instead of being polite, she gave me a mean scowl. Never been treated like that at any bank before. The female manager has terrible customer service skills, judgmental, and plain terrible. Avoid her at all costs.