I was going to take the time to put up a post about what it takes to change banks but Nickel over @ Fivecentnickel.com did a great job! He takes you through, step by step. It’s really not hard at all. You can get your new accounts set up with a new institution (I highly recommend a credit union), and then slowly transition everything over. Anyway, for all the details, go check out Fivecentnickel.com’s article