Weddingbee boards

So I'm going to call my bank tomorrow because I'm getting conflicting information, but depending on what they tell me, I may need to switch banks. With all these new fees coming up as a result of the CARD Act, I'm none too pleased. I know they need to make up the lost revenue since they are a business afterall, but it's still annoying that the people who can least afford it are the ones being hit with the fees. Does anyone have any good bank suggestions that don't require me to keep a minimum balance (or if they do, $1000 or less) and doesn't require me to make direct deposits? I've also been told that credit unions might be a good option, but I don't really know anything about them. Does anyone have some educated insight they can share with me? My employer's husband was talking about it a little, but a lot of it was going over my head and he wasn't really explaining much. He works for a bank or credit card company or something and just kept saying "We tried telling them this would happen when they got rid of those fees, but nobody would listen to us!" He sounded a little bitter too... lol

Thanks. I'm also somewhat worried that when I switch banks, the new bank might change their policies since that's what most banks are doing right now. I'm considering just making my husband's account a joint account because that would help meet the requirements, but we're a little iffy on it. We kind of like the privacy of our own accounts! I was looking at Charles Schawb checking account and it sounds good, but I'd need to open a brokerage account. Any one have any insight on that? I tried reading their FAQ but it wasn't too clear. It sounded like a good option though. I could have a joint savings with it as well with a better interest rate and no ATM fees.