California First National Bank VS Dime Community 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: 2.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Low opening required balances
  • Some CDs offer competitive rates
  • Variety of different types of accounts
  • Business accounts are available

Cons:

  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Most account rates are not competitive
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Branch locations only in New York
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 Community Bank Review

Most Dime accounts have a low required opening amount. All the checking accounts only require $25 to open. The money market account requires $1,000, and CDs require $500. The club savings accounts only require $5 to open.

Some Dime CD terms offer competitive interest rates. The rates with the most competitive terms are the 4, 24, 36, 48, and 80-month CDs. The rates for these accounts are competitive with other online CDs. Dime CDs can be opened in a branch location.

Dime offers a variety of personal accounts. The accounts include:

  • Statement savings account
  • Student savings account
  • Money market savings account
  • Club savings accounts
  • Personal checking
  • Fabulous 50 Interest checking
  • Direct Interest checking
  • Prime Dime Interest checking
  • CDs from three months to 84-months
  • Retirement accounts
  • Personal mortgage and lending options

Dime offers many business accounts. Savings, checking, and money market accounts are available for businesses. CDs and lines of credit are available. Business account holders have access to different money management options. Online and mobile banking are also available for business accounts.

You cannot open Dime accounts online. To open a CD and savings account, you must visit a branch location. To open a checking account, you can call customer service or visit a local branch. Dime has branch locations in New York.

Most of the interest rates offered on Dime accounts are not competitive. The interest rates are similar to typical brick-and mortar-rates. Only a few CDs offer interest rates competitive with online-only accounts.

Some Dime accounts have monthly fees. The fees range from $4 to $10 a month. Waive the fees by keeping a set account balance. Those balances range from $500 to $1,500, depending on the account.

All Dime branch locations are in New York. If you do not live close to a branch, you are not able to open those accounts. You must visit a branch location to open Dime accounts. They have 28 branch locations around New York.

Read the full Dime Community Bank review.

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