Ally Bank VS Citizens Trust Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
4.25%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • No required opening amounts or fees
  • Good variety of accounts available
  • Ten-day Best Rate Guarantee

Cons:

  • Accounts have tiered interest rates
  • Limited ways to fund your accounts
  • Link external accounts to Ally accounts
  • Transfers can take days to fund
  • Financial Rates: 1.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Most accounts have low opening amounts
  • Business accounts available
  • Other products offered

Cons:

  • Most accounts have a monthly fee
  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Personal accounts have low rates
  • Jumbo and regular CDs earn same rates
Ally Bank Review

Ally accounts offer competitive interest rates. The interest rates for the Ally savings account is 2.20% for all balances. The checking account earns 0.60% on balances over $15,000. The money market account and CDs also earn competitive rates.

Ally accounts do not have required opening amounts. You can open their accounts with any amount. There are no monthly fees for Ally accounts. They do not have set amounts required to keep in the account to avoid a monthly fee. The CDs have a fee if you withdraw money before the maturity date.

There are a good variety of personal accounts offered through Ally. These accounts include:

  • Savings and money market account
  • Interest checking account
  • High yield CD
  • Raise Your Rate CD
  • No Penalty CD
  • IRA CDs

When you open a CD with Ally, they offer a ten-day Best Rate Guarantee. For the first ten-days after opening your CD, Ally will watch the interest rates. If the rates increase during that time, the interest rate for your CD will increase. This guarantee is for new CDs as well as CD renewals.

Some Ally accounts have tiered interest rates. To earn the highest rates requires high account balances. The money market account requires $25,000 to earn the most competitive rates. The checking account requires $15,000.

There are limited ways to fund your Ally accounts. The easiest way to fund your account is through electronic transfers. Once your account is open, you can set up direct deposit with your employer. You can mail in a check or deposit a check through Ally eCheck Deposits. You cannot deposit cash into Ally accounts.

To make electronic transfers, Ally suggests linking an external account. You can then transfer money electronically between the linked account and Ally accounts. You can transfer money electronically between Ally accounts.

The standard time to transfer money from Ally to an external account is three business days. This time does not include weekends or holidays. If you need the money the next day, you must request the transfer before 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Transfers between Ally accounts are immediate.

Read the full Ally Bank review.

Citizens Trust Bank Review

Citizens Trust Bank has a variety of personal deposit accounts. There is a checking account for students and those over 50 years old. Citizens Trust Bank offers regular savings, holiday savings accounts, and youth accounts. The different accounts require different balances, allowing you to find the best account for your finances.

The opening required amounts for most Citizens Trust Bank accounts are low. The amounts needed to open accounts range from $25 to $100. Most checking accounts require $50 to open. The basic savings account requires $100 to open. CDs require $500 to open. The money market account and Silver Investor savings account have higher opening amounts. They require between $1,000 to $5,000.

Citizens Trust Bank offers business accounts. Checking and savings accounts are available. There are merchant services and cash management options available to businesses. They also offer loans, credit cards, and investment accounts for businesses.

There are a variety of products offered through Citizens Trust Bank. They offer personal and business credit cards and loans. They offer investment accounts, life insurance, disability insurance, and final expense insurance.

Most Citizens Trust Bank accounts have a monthly fee. The fees range from $0.30 per check or debit card transaction to $15 a month. Waive the fees by keeping a minimum balance in the account. The required balances range from $5 to $7,500, depending on the account. Some accounts require enrolling in online banking and receiving eStatements.

Not all Citizens Trust Bank accounts can be opened online. Some accounts require visiting one of the financial centers. The youth savings account and the Christmas Club account must be opened in a branch location.

The interest rates for Citizens Trust Bank are low. The rates are similar to your typical brick and mortar bank rates. Their rates are not competitive with online bank rates.

Citizens Trust Bank offers regular and jumbo CDs. The regular CDs require $500 to open. The jumbo CDs require $100,000 to open. The interest rates are the same for regular CDs and jumbo CDs. Both rates are not competitive with other online CDs. The CD terms range from seven-days to five-years.

Read the full Citizens Trust Bank review.

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