Bangor Savings Bank VS WaFd Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 2.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Business accounts available
  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Most accounts have low opening amounts

Cons:

  • High opening required amount for MMA
  • Tiered interest rates
  • Accounts only for certain residents
  • Some accounts require a checking account
  • Financial Rates: 2.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • Good variety of accounts available
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Business accounts offered
  • Money market and CDs earn good rates

Cons:

  • Low interest rates on accounts
  • Tiered interest rates on some accounts
  • High rates require eligible checking
  • Accounts have monthly fees
Bangor Savings Bank Review

Bangor Savings Bank offers a variety of personal deposit accounts. They offer three checking accounts and savings and money market accounts. Those accounts include a savings account for kids and one for the holidays. Bangor offers CDs that range from three-month terms to five-year terms.

Bangor Savings Bank offers a wide variety of business accounts. Those accounts include business checking and savings accounts. They offer business credit cards and insurance options. Bangor offers cash management and payroll services for businesses.

The Bangor Savings Bank CDs offer competitive rates. The interest rates for these CDs are competitive with other online CDs. The terms range from three months to five years. The amount required to open each CD is $500.

Most Bangor Savings Bank accounts have low required amounts to open. Each of the checking accounts requires $25 to open. Two savings accounts also only need $25 to open. The CDs each need $500 to open.

The Benefit Money Market and Market Rate account have high opening required amounts. These accounts each need $5,000 to open and to earn interest. Balances below $5,000 do not earn interest. There is a $10 monthly fee if the Market Rate account drops below $5,000. The Benefit Money Market does not have a monthly fee.

Some Bangor Savings Bank accounts have tiered interest rates. To earn the most competitive rate for the MMA requires an account balance of $100,000. The savings account requires $25,000. Amounts under that balance earn interest, just not the most competitive rate.

Bangor Savings Bank accounts are not available to anyone across the United States. Only residents of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont can open an account. You can open some accounts online if you are a resident of one of these states. A few accounts require visiting a branch location.

Some accounts require having a Bangor checking account first. To open the Benefit Savings and MMA requires having a Bangor checking account. Once you have a checking account, you qualify to open these other accounts.

Read the full Bangor Savings Bank review.

WaFd Bank Review

WaFd Bank offers a good variety of accounts. Those include:

  • Savings account
  • Savings account for minors
  • Checking accounts
  • Money market accounts
  • CD terms from three-months to five-years
  • Retirement accounts
  • Lending options
  • Credit cards
  • Small business accounts
  • Commercial options

The opening required amounts for WaFd accounts are low. Most savings and checking accounts only require $25 to open. A savings account for minors requires $10 to open. The Stellar Plus checking account requires $100 to open. The money market accounts require $100 to open. All CD terms require $1,000 to open.

WaFd Bank offers business accounts along with personal accounts. Those accounts include small business checking and savings accounts. They also offer some commercial business accounts. To open those accounts, you need to contact a commercial banker.

The WaFd Gold Money Market account has competitive rates. These account rates are the most competitive rates offered at WaFd. They are lower than other online money market accounts but still competitive. The seven-month and 13-month special CDs also earn higher rates than other WaFd CDs.

WaFd accounts besides the Gold MMA and special CD terms have low interest rates. These rates are similar to other brick-and-mortar bank rates. They do not compare to other online-only accounts.

Some WaFd accounts have tiered interest rates. To receive the highest rate for the Stellar Plus checking account requires a $10,000 balance. The regular money market account requires $90,000 to earn the best rate. Even the highest interest rate for these accounts is low.

Specific WaFd accounts require you to open other eligible accounts. To earn the best rates on the special CD terms, you must have an eligible checking account. The rates are only 0.05% higher if you have the checking account.

Most WaFd Bank accounts have monthly fees. The checking account fees range from $0-8 per month. The savings accounts have monthly fees from $3-10 per month. There are ways to waive some of the monthly fees. Those include keeping a set account balance. That balance ranges from $100-$20,000, depending on the account.

Read the full WaFd Bank review.

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