Intro – FirstMerit Bank & Huntington Bank Merger
Establishing a banking relationship is important, particularly when looking for a new bank.
It’s crucial to find a bank with products and policies that are aligned with your own personal financial goals — like interest-bearing accounts, free checking, investment products, and more.
If you are looking to begin a banking relationship with a new banking firm, you’ll find yourself with a long list of financial institutions and credit unions to choose from.
For top banks in the Midwest, you may want to consider FirstMerit Bank, now part of The Huntington National Bank.
Photo courtesy of: Huntington National Bank
Below, we have provided a detailed review of FirstMerit Bank and the First Merit bank merger with Huntington National Bank, including the specific ranking methodology factors that made FirstMerit (Huntington National Bank) stand out.
Click here for a step-by-step breakdown of the methodology and selection process used during our FirstMerit Bank review: AdvisoryHQ’s Methodology for Selecting Top Banks and Credit Unions.
FirstMerit Bank (Huntington National Bank) Review
With a history spanning more than 170 years, FirstMerit is a financial services company with headquarters in Akron, Ohio. Recently, FirstMerit was acquired by Huntington, a regional financial institution with $100 billion in assets.
With the merger, this Midwestern network has now expanded to nearly 1,000 branches and over 1,800 ATMs across eight Midwestern states, with headquarters in Colombus, OH.
Huntington Bank locations spread across Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
FirstMerit (Huntington National Bank) is unique because it provides the services and offerings of a big bank, while also providing customer service and insight that’s delivered at the local level.
This characteristic has remained true throughout the Huntington Bank merger, creating a widespread financial institution dedicated to offering the benefits of a community bank.
Key Factors Leading Us to Rank This Firm as One of This Year’s Top Banking Firms
Upon completing our FirstMerit Bank reviews, FirstMerit Bank (Huntington National Bank) was considered a best banking firm based on the following factors.
Huntington National Bank Review: Transition Guide
Transitioning from one bank to another after a merger can be a confusing process for account holders.
Luckily, in the case of the Huntington Bank merger and FirstMerit merger, Huntington National Bank has made steps to provide clarity and convenience for all First Merit credit card and account holders.
For those who are concerned about the transition, Huntington National Bank provides a list of “Top Things to Know & Do” as a helpful guide. This includes FAQ information on:
- Routing numbers
- Checks
- Direct deposits
- Debit/ATM cards
- Online banking
- Bill pay
- Quicken & QuickBooks
- Credit cards
For FirstMerit Bank credit card holders, our Huntington Bank review found that FirstMerit credit card replacements will be mailed in the spring.
If a FirstMerit credit card has not been used within the past 12 months, a replacement Huntington credit card will not be mailed.
Members of FirstMerit Bank, now Huntington National Bank, should be aware that any auto-pay information linked to their old FirstMerit credit card will need to be replaced with their new Huntington credit card.
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Huntington National Bank Review: The Voice Credit Card
Unique to Huntington National Bank (which now includes FirstMerit Bank) is the Voice Credit Card®. This Huntington credit card allows cardholders to choose whether they want a rewards credit card or a Huntington credit card with a lower APR rate.
No matter which version of the card is chosen, the Voice Credit Card comes with the following benefits:
- Late Fee Grace: Get an extra day to pay if you miss a payment due date
- No foreign transaction fees
- No annual fee
Voice Credit Card: Rewards
If cardholders choose to use the Voice Credit Card as a rewards card, they will earn one point per dollar on all spending. As an additional benefit, cardholders also get to pick one category to earn 3x rewards.
There are 13 categories to choose from, including:
- Apparel/Soft Goods
- Gas
- Wal-Mart
- Restaurants
- Grocery
- Travel & Entertainment
- Sporting Goods
- Utilities
- Office Supply
- Pharmacies
This gives cardholders the ability to customize their Huntington credit card to provide maximum rewards benefits on the unique category that they spend the most on.
Voice Credit Card: Lower APR
For those who prefer to have lower APR rates instead of rewards on their Huntington credit card, the Voice Credit Card offers a 3% lower interest rate. With no penalty rates, this lower purchase APR stays constant, even in the instance of late payments.
Choosing a lower rate on a Huntington credit card also provides these great benefits:
- Lower interest rate allows for balances to be paid off faster and fewer finance charges
- Extended warranties on items purchased with the Huntington credit card
- MasterCard Global Services
Huntington National Bank Review: Checking Accounts
For those worried about how their checking abilities will be affected by the FirstMerit merger with Huntington, our Hunting Bank review found three dynamic checking accounts to choose from:
- Asterisk-Free Checking: This is a no-strings attached, free checking account with no minimum requirements and no maintenance fees.
- Huntington 5 Checking: This is an interest-earning checking account, with the additional benefit of 5 free non-Huntington ATM withdrawals each month.
- Huntington 25 Checking: Offers higher earnings from interest, unlimited non-Huntington ATM withdrawals, free checks, and more.
Our Huntington Bank review found a quick comparison chart for new members to compare and contrast all checking accounts, making easy to find the right checking account for you.
In addition to reviewing the above FirstMerit Bank review, you can click on any of the links below to browse exclusive reviews of AdvisoryHQ’s top rated banking & credit union firms:
AdvisoryHQ (AHQ) Disclaimer:
Reasonable efforts have been made by AdvisoryHQ to present accurate information, however all info is presented without warranty. Review AdvisoryHQ’s Terms for details. Also review each firm’s site for the most updated data, rates and info.
Note: Firms and products, including the one(s) reviewed above, may be AdvisoryHQ's affiliates. Click to view AdvisoryHQ's advertiser disclosures.