fyi, they want you to open a checking account so they have a place to go if the check bounces. Maybe it's time to get one?
fwiw, I stopped using banks decades ago. I realized that they are a business, and as such care more about profits than about the customer. (Not all businesses are like this, but generally any business that is, literally, "in it for the money", will be actively pursuing money-gaining methods, including the "hard sell".) Now I use credit unions, which are not-for-profit (they still do, though they are more discreet about it LOL), the 3 I've used in the past 20 years had no-fee checking accounts (that's where banks got the idea; they noticed customers were leaving in droves to CU's), generally low interest rates, etc.
They tend to be rather tight when it comes to loans, because they don't want to risk the owner's money (the "owner" are the members, btw). All in all, a good deal. Although all CU are formed for a specific clientele (i.e., teachers, military, machinists, etc) often they allow people who are not directly related to the group's activities to join. There's a local CU here in WA that advertises "If you live or work in WA, you're qualified to join..."
Welcome to the adult world of stress, angst, and budgets....
