Alliant Credit Union VS BMO Harris Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • No monthly maintenance fees
  • ATM fee reimbursement
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Variety of personal deposit accounts

Cons:

  • Must qualify to become a member
  • No business accounts offered
  • To earn interest requires qualifications
  • Jumbo CD rates similar to regular CDs
  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • MMA earns competitive rates
  • Good variety of accounts available
  • Special CDs earn competitive rates
  • Many ways to open accounts

Cons:

  • High opening required amounts
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Most interest rates not competitive
  • Tiered interest rates on accounts
Alliant Credit Union Review

Accounts offered through Alliant do not have monthly maintenance fees. The only fee is if you receive paper statements. To keep the account open requires a $5 balance. To earn interest does require $100 in all the savings accounts.

Alliant participates with over 80,000 ATMs free of charge. If you withdraw money from an ATM not in their network, Alliant will reimburse those fees. They reimburse up to $20 per month in ATM fees. Deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and checking account balances qualify for a rebate. The high rate checking, and teen checking account qualify for ATM reimbursement.

The amounts required to open Alliant accounts is low. The savings accounts require $5 to open. The checking accounts do not list a set amount to open. All the regular CD terms require $1,000 to open. Alliant does offer jumbo CDs, but they require $25,000 to open.

Alliant offers a good variety of personal accounts. They offer a free, high-rate, and teen checking account. They offer two savings accounts and a savings account for kids. Personal credit cards, lending options, and insurance options are also available.

To open Alliant accounts, you must become a member of their credit union. You must meet qualifications to become a member. Those requirements include working with specific companies or be related to someone who is a member of Alliant. If you do not meet those requirements, you may be able to qualify through Support Foster Care to Success. Find out if you are eligible on the Alliant website.

Alliant does not offer specific business accounts. Only personal deposit accounts are available. Those accounts include savings accounts, checking accounts, and CDs. Personal credit cards, lending options, and insurance are also offered.

The interest rates on Alliant accounts are not tiered. To earn the most competitive interest rate, you must meet specific qualifications. Those include receiving eStatements and having at least one monthly electronic deposit. Direct deposits help you qualify.

The Alliant jumbo CDs interest rates are only slightly higher than the regular CD rates. The jumbo CDs require $25,000 to open, but do not offer much higher rates than the regular CD rates. The regular CDs require $1,000 to open. Alliant offers six regular and six jumbo CDs.

Read the full Alliant Credit Union review.

BMO Harris Bank Review

The BMO Harris money market account offers competitive interest rates. These rates are competitive with other online accounts. They are much higher than typical bank rates. There are no monthly fees for this account.

BMO Harris offers a good variety of personal and business accounts. Those accounts include:

  • Checking accounts
  • Savings and money market accounts
  • CD terms from three to 60-months
  • IRA savings accounts and CDs
  • Lending options
  • Credit cards
  • Investment options

BMO Harris Bank offers specific CD terms with more competitive interest rates. Their CD terms range from three to 60-months. They offer a six-month, 12-month, and 18-month CD with more competitive interest rates. These rates are competitive with other online CD accounts. BMO Harris CDs require $1,000, $5,000, or $100,00 to open.

There is more than one way to open BMO Harris accounts. You can open bank accounts online through the website. Customers can open accounts at a branch location or by calling customer service.

Some BMO Harris accounts have high opening required amounts. The money market account requires $5,000 to open. BMO Harris Bank offers regular CDs and jumbo CDs. To get the most competitive interest rate requires $5,000. The jumbo CDs require $100,000 to open.

Most BMO Harris accounts have monthly fees. The fees for their checking accounts range from $5 to $30. The savings account has a $5 monthly fee. These fees can be waived by keeping a set amount in the accounts. Those balances range from $100 to $50,000 depending on the account. Electronic statements and being under 25 years old will also waive some account fees.

BMO Harris Bank account rates are not competitive with other online accounts. The money market account and some CD terms offer competitive interest rates. Other account rates are not competitive with online accounts.

The premier checking account has tiered interest rates. To earn the most competitive rate for this account requires a balance of $50,000. The money market account has tiered interest rates, but the tiers are not on the website.

Read the full BMO Harris Bank review.

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