If you've heard of banner bank, you're probably wondering how they stack up to the bigger, nationwide banks such as Bank of America, JP Morgan, etc. Banner is definitely less known, but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't meet your financial needs.

The company is based and has branches in three states in the pacific northwest, and has it's headquarters in the state of Washington. The other two states are Oregon and Idaho.

What kind of features does Banner Bank offer, and how do they compare with the other banks? In addition to the regular personal banking you would expect them to have, you can also do investing through them, and get investing advice as well.

You might consider getting a CD through them, which typically yields a higher interest rate than a standard bank account, or an IRA when saving for retirement. Both of these options will net a higher interest rate than a savings account, but still are relatively safe when compared with more high risk, high reward investments.

You can either get one for just a week, and all the way up to ten years, depending on your financial needs, and how soon you will be needing the money. Obviously, both of these are much more limited than investing in the stock market or real estate, but again, are a much safer alternative as well, and if you don't know much about investing, I'd recommend these options.

Another feature that banner bank offers that can certainly come in handy when traveling overseas is international banking. What is this? They have partnered with the larger bank Citigroup in order to be able to do business and conduct money management elsewhere.

These features include getting a letter of credit in order to easily buy things in other countries. Many banks do not offer this feature, so if you do a lot of overseas traveling, or even just once, this can really come in handy.

Of course, banner offers the traditional online banking features you've probably come to expect in most banks today, and the bottom line is, if you live in one of the states listed above, then you very well might want to do business with them.

Banner bank offers some high quality customer service, competitive interest rates, and just about anything else to meet your financial needs.