Banesco USA VS California First National Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
1.35%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • Low opening amounts for most accounts
  • Good variety of accounts available
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • Options to contact customer service

Cons:

  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • MMA have high opening amounts
  • Tiered interest rates on some accounts
  • Financial Rates: 1.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Reimbursement of ATM fees
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • Interest rates are not tiered
  • Free first order of checks with checking

Cons:

  • Not a wide variety of accounts
  • High opening required amounts
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Not all CDs offer competitive rates
Banesco USA Review

Most Banesco USA accounts have low opening required amounts. The personal deposit checking and savings accounts only require $100 to open. The personal deposit CDs require $1,500 to open.

Banesco USA has a good variety of accounts. They offer personal checking, savings, and money market accounts. They offer personal and business CDs with terms from 3-months to 60-months. They offer business checking, savings, and money market accounts. Banesco offers personal and business international banking accounts, along with lending options.

The Banesco USA accounts offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online accounts. The rates are much higher than typical bank rates.

There are a variety of ways to contact customer service. You can call during business hours or can have Banesco call you. You send an email, and customer service will call you. You can visit a local branch location or follow Banesco on social media. You can access account information anytime through BanescoVoice or logging in online.

Not all Banesco USA accounts can be opened online. To open their checking accounts, you must contact customer service. Other accounts may not be able to open online. Personal deposit money market and savings accounts can be opened online. Personal deposit CDs are also able to be opened online.

Most Banesco USA accounts have monthly fees. The fees range from $5 to $15 each month. To waive the fees, you must keep a set account balance in the specific account. This balance is not a combination of Banesco USA accounts. Those balances range from $100 to $2,500 depending on the account.

The Banesco USA money market accounts have high opening required amounts. Each of the personal deposit money market accounts require $2,500 to open. You must keep that amount in the accounts to avoid a monthly fee. If the amount falls below $2,500, the fee is between $5 to $15 per month.

Some Banesco USA accounts have tiered interest rates. The BanesFlex money market account requires $2,500 to earn any interest. But, to earn the most competitive rate offered you must have $100,000 in the account. Balances under this amount earn a much lower rate. The BanesGrown savings account only requires $300 to earn the most competitive rate.

Read the full Banesco USA review.

California First National Bank Review

You can withdraw money from any ATMs with the specific “Plus” logo. If you withdraw money from another ATM, you are reimbursed for the fees charged. CalFirst will reimburse up to $6.00 each statement cycle in ATM fees.

Most CalFirst accounts offer competitive interest rates. The interest rates are not tiered, so you earn the highest rates offered on any balance in the account. Interest is paid monthly on the actual daily balance.

The interest rates for CalFirst accounts are not tiered. Any amount you have in their accounts earns the competitive interest rates. You do not have to have a certain amount in the account to earn the most competitive rates.

The first order of checks is free when you open an interest checking account. You get an ATM card when you open an interest checking account. Free online bill pay comes with each CalFirst checking account opened.

CalFirst does not have a wide variety of accounts. No business accounts are available, only personal deposit accounts. One money market account and savings account are available. There is an interest checking and one regular checking account. CalFirst only offers five different CD terms.

CalFirst accounts have high opening amounts. The money market account and CDs require $5,000 to open. The interest checking account requires $2,500 to open. The savings account and regular checking account both require $1,000 to open.

The accounts at CalFirst all have a monthly fee. The fees range from $10 to $20 a month, depending on the account you open. Waive the fee by keeping a set amount in CalFirst accounts. You can also have a combined balance between a variety of CalFirst accounts.

Not all the CD terms offer competitive rates. The most competitive rates are the three-month, six-month, and the one-year terms. The two-year and three-year terms have interest rates much lower than the other terms. Regular CDs require $5,000 to open. The IRA CDs require $2,000 to open. The only fees are if you withdraw the money before the maturity date.

Read the full California First National Bank review.

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