BMO Harris Bank VS People's United Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • 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
  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • Low opening required amounts
  • Checking accounts offer ATM rebates
  • Variety of CD term lengths
  • Business accounts available

Cons:

  • Accounts are not offered everywhere
  • MMA needs a large initial deposit
  • Low interest rates
  • Must have a checking to open savings
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.

People's United Bank Review

The amount required to open a checking or savings account is low. People's United checking accounts only require $25 to open. The savings accounts require $50.

Two of the People's United checking accounts offer free ATM use or reimburse ATM fees. The Advantage checking account has unlimited rebates for out of state ATM fees. The Premier Advantage checking account has free ATMs, including international ATMs. These accounts require high investment balances to waive the monthly fee. The Advantage is $7,500, and the Premier is $75,000 across all investment accounts.

People's United offers a variety of CD term lengths. Their terms range from 91 days to five years. The interest rates vary depending on the term. The best interest rate on a People's United CD is the One Year Plus CD. Those interest rates are competitive with other online accounts; the other rates are not.

There are a variety of different business accounts offered through People's United. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available. CDs, credit cards, loans, and investment opportunities are available.

People's United accounts are not offered everywhere. The branches are currently in the North Eastern states. Those include Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. If you do not live in one of these states, you cannot open an account with People's United Bank.

The amount required to open a money market account is $2,500. There is not a monthly maintenance fee on the money market account. You will earn interest on the money deposited into the account. The money market account offers tiered interest rates. This means the interest you earn depends on the amount you have in the account.

The interest rates of the different accounts are not competitive. They are much lower than other online-only accounts. The interest rates are similar to your typical bank rates. The Plus CDs offer slightly more competitive rates.

You have to have a checking account with People's United to open a savings or money market account. The checking account determines what savings and money market account you can open. You must open a checking account before a savings account can be opened.

Read the full People's United Bank review.

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