Friday’s News gave us the key piece to the puzzle over which local bank would step up and purchase the more-than three dozen bank branches throughout the area that the Justice Department mandated First Niagara sell as part of its local takeover of HSBC.

Cleveland, Ohio-based KeyBank acquired 37 of the up-for-grabs branches that First Niagara was required to sell to satisfy federal antitrust laws.

I am one of the tens of thousands of HSBC customers who will need to switch banks this year as a result of the sale and like many of us, I’m not particularly happy about it.

Changing banks is a hassle. I think about the scores of places where my long-standing checking account number is saved, the number of automatic payments I’ll have to cancel and reschedule, the number of obscure log-ins and passwords I’ll need to remember, leading inevitably to at least one late fee or missed payment during the transition.

Beyond that aggravation, I’ve been quite pleased with HSBC’s service for the seven years I’ve been a customer.

I came to HSBC after a frustrating situation with M&T Bank. As a broke college student, unscheduled fees twice put my checking account into the negative, leading to a $30 overdraft fee. The first time it happened, I called and they took off the overdraft fee caused by their own fee, not my mistake. The second time, they gave me a hard time about it and so I closed the account and switched to HSBC.

Since then, I have been free of bank-caused headaches. (Don’t misunderstand: I haven’t been free of money-caused headaches ... just the ones caused specifically by a financial institution.) HSBC’s online banking is generally accurate and reliable. Their security is first-rate. They twice have called to alert me to potential identity theft and one time, when I found it on my own, they immediately shut down my debit card, promptly issued a new one and refunded me the sum that had been stolen from my account, no questions asked.

It will be interesting to see what the various banks do to woo us HSBC customers away from First Niagara. In this new century of online transactions, the promise of a free toaster won’t be enough.

Here are a few things that will help lure me to a new bank:

• Online convenience and security. One thing that has always frustrated me about HSBC is their lack of a solid, secure mobile banking app. I spend more time surfing the Internet on my smartphone or iPad than my laptop these days. A bank that understands this would be a major plus.

• Convenience of branch locations. HSBC has a branch both around the corner from my home and office, meaning I’m always able to get there without much hassle. I don’t go to the bank all that often, but when I do, it’s much easier for it to be on the way to or from work.

• A local tie. HSBC’s slogan was “the world’s local bank.” I much prefer Western New York’s local bank. That gives First Niagara the inside track.

How well the transition from HSBC to First Niagara goes will also be a major factor. I’ve been somewhat annoyed at how little information First Niagara has provided me thus far. I realize this process is complicated and drawn out, but I have next to no idea what to expect. Hopefully that is remedied soon.

One perk that First Niagara advertises has caught my eye. The ability to be reimbursed for ATM fees is a plus, though by no means is it a game-changer. Like many people these days, I rarely need or carry cash. (Tell that to a handful of friends with whom I regularly play darts when we’re at a bar. I’ve joked — though it’s probably true — that I owe them at least $1,000 for darts games over the years.)

As one of the many customers up for grabs, we’ll get a good sense of which banks serving the area really understand what customer service is all about.

Eric DuVall is the managing editor of the Tonawanda News. His column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Contact him at eric.duvall@tonawanda-news.com.