California First National Bank VS Dime Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • 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
  • 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
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Pros:

  • Most accounts have low opening balance
  • myDime Student account
  • ATM fees refunded with DimePrime
  • Business accounts are available

Cons:

  • Opening accounts done at a branch
  • Accounts not offered everywhere
  • Low-interest rates
  • Most accounts have monthly fees
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.

Dime Bank Review

Most of the Dime accounts only need $25 to open the account. Those accounts include checking, savings, and money market accounts. The cost to open a CD is $500. The money market account requires $500 to establish the account. The minimum amount per check is $500 for money market accounts.

The myDime Student account is a basic checking account for students. There is no minimum balance to open the account. This account refunds fees charged from using other banks ATMs. myDime account offers an "oops rebate." Students are refunded the fee of one overdraft per calendar year. Online, mobile banking and bill pay are available. When students open this account, they receive three free deals from DimePerks.

DimePrime offers free withdrawals from any ATM. If you use a non-Dime ATM, they will refund the ATM fees. They refund up to $10 each month in ATM fees. To qualify for DimePrime, you must have $15,000 in Dime checking and savings accounts. Another option to qualify is to have a consumer or residential Dime loan balance of $150,000.

Dime offers a variety of business accounts. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available for your business. CDs, commercial mortgages, loans, and credit lines are also available.

Even when you meet the required account balance to earn interest on your accounts the interest rates are low. Only a few of the CD term interest rates are competitive. All other interest rates are considerably lower than other online-only banks. They are competitive with typical banks.

To open an account with Dime, you have to visit a local branch. Their branches are in southeast Connecticut and west Rhode Island.

Since you have to visit a branch to open an account, accounts are not available everywhere. To be an account holder, you must live in southeast Connecticut or western Rhode Island.

Most all Dime accounts have a monthly service fee. The fees vary in range from $2 to $20 per month. The fees vary from accounts. To have the fee waived there are requirements you must meet. You must also have a certain amount in the accounts to earn interest.

Read the full Dime Bank review.

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Jenius Bank
Savings (Rate as of 3/29/2024)
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