The 2013 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study finds big banks making gains in customer service, but they're still far behind small local community banks and credit unions.

J.D. Power took a look at banks and rated them by region, based on the input from more than 50,000 respondents in their survey. Overwhelmingly, the results show the giant monster mega-banks have made some gains on regional and mid-sized backs, but it's still no competition.

Bank of America, the big bank that I pick on the most, had a very poor showing across the country. Yet they're no longer last in many regions. Sometimes they actually came in second to last! And in some regions, Wells Fargo is now the worst of the big banks for customer service.

If you are interested in the best service, banking is one field where the smaller the bank is, the better off you are likely to be. All over America, we have small local banks, regional banks and credit unions. Check them out. And if you have big money, you should definitely consider Schwab and Fidelity, the nation's two big discount brokers.