ableBanking VS First Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Low opening required amounts
  • No monthly maintenance fees
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • No set balance to earn highest rates

Cons:

  • Limited deposit accounts offered
  • Customer service not always available
  • Must link another bank account
  • No debit card offered for MMA
  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Checking account for 55 and older
  • Anywhere Accounts
  • Business accounts offered
  • Variety of personal products offered

Cons:

  • Accounts have fees
  • Online banking is not free
  • Accounts not offered everywhere
  • Low-interest rates
ableBanking Review

The ableBanking accounts have low opening required amounts. The money market account only requires $250 to open. The different CD terms each require $1,000 to open.

There are no monthly maintenance fees for the ableBanking money market account. The CDs have a fee if you withdraw money before the CD reaches maturity. Federal regulations allow six withdrawals from a money market account per month. There is a fee if you make more than six withdrawals.

The interest rates for ableBanking accounts are high. They are competitive with other online-only accounts. ableBanking interest rates are much higher than your typical brick and mortar rates.

Any balance in ableBanking accounts earns the highest interest rates offered. There is not a set amount required to keep in the account to earn the highest rates. There is not a required balance to keep in the accounts to avoid monthly fees.

ableBanking has limited personal deposit accounts available. The only accounts offered are a money market account and CDs. There are five different CD terms available. The terms range from a 6-month CD to a four-year CD. ableBanking does not offer checking accounts or business accounts.

ableBanking accounts are entirely online. There are no branch locations. Customer service has specific hours they are open. They are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. On Saturday, they are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST.

When you open an account with ableBanking, you must link an external bank account. You fund your ableBanking account from the external account. You cannot change the external account for the first 60 days. After that time, you may link a different account to the ableBanking money market account. You can only have one external account linked to your ableBanking account at a time.

The ableBanking money market account does not offer an ATM card. They do not have ATM locations where you can access your money. To withdraw money, you must make an electronic transfer into a linked account.

Read the full ableBanking review.

First Bank Review

FirstBank offers a checking account for anyone over 55 years old. This account earns interest. There is no minimum balance to earn interest or required to keep in the account. This account does not have any fees, and direct deposit is not required.

The Anywhere Accounts are a savings and checking account. Both of these accounts do not have monthly fees. There is no minimum balance required to keep in the account. You can sign up to have money from transactions rounded up to the nearest dollar. The difference is deposited into your Anywhere eSave Savings account. Those transactions include debit transactions, bill pay, or other electronic transfers.

FirstBank offers accounts for businesses. Checking and money market accounts are available. There is a checking account offered specifically for nonprofits. There are no fees for the nonprofit checking and the basic business checking. The other accounts have a monthly fee.

Not just personal deposit accounts are available at FirstBank. Personal credit cards, home equity loans, and personal construction loans are available. Health Savings Accounts and accounts to help save for college are also offered.

Most FirstBank accounts have a monthly fee. The fees range from $5 to $20. The debit card has a yearly fee of $10. You are only allowed 25 deposits into the eSave Savings account per month. You are charged $0.10 for each item over 25.

Account interest rates at FirstBank are not competitive with other online banks. The interest rates are similar to your typical bank rates.

FirstBank offers products and accounts in Arizona, California, and Colorado. They have over 115 branch locations in these three states with over 200 ATMs. To open an account, you must live in one of these three states.

Online banking with FirstBank is only free if you sign up to receive electronic statements. The fee is $3 each month if you do not sign up. The money will be automatically withdrawn from your checking account on the first day of each month. If you want to receive paper statements, you must keep $10,000 in FirstBank accounts to waive the monthly fee.

Read the full First Bank review.

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