CD Bank VS LendingClub

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Good variety of CD terms and no fees
  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Can open any CD account online
  • Short-term CDs offer competitive rates

Cons:

  • Only CDs offered
  • Must link CDs to external accounts
  • High opening required amounts
  • Customer service not available 24/7
  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
5.00%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates
  • Free Rewards checking account
  • Checking account cash back option
  • No fees and low opening required amounts

Cons:

  • Required account balance for high rates
  • Specific stipulation for cash back benefit
  • High monthly fee for two checking accounts
  • Other accounts have low rates
CD Bank Review

There are a variety of CD terms offered through CD Bank. The terms range from three-month to 60-month terms. There are nine CDs offered between those terms. There are no fees to open the accounts or to maintain the account. The only fee is if you withdraw the money before the CD reaches maturity.

Each of the accounts offered through CD Bank offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CDs. The rates are much higher than typical brick and mortar bank rates.

CD Bank is an entirely online bank. You can open any CD term online as long as you meet the requirements. You must be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen or resident alien. The process to open a CD with CD Bank is completely online.

Usually, with CDs, the longer terms earn more competitive interest rates. However, some short-term CDs from CD Bank offer more competitive rates than the longer terms. The 9, 12, 18, and 24-month CD terms offer the most competitive interest rates.

CD Bank offers a limited amount of accounts. They only offer personal deposit CDs. Those CD terms range from three-month to 60-months. There are no other personal deposit accounts available. There are also no business accounts offered through CD Bank.

The easiest way to fund CD Bank accounts is to link the account to an external account. You can mail a check or request a wire transfer. To make electronic transfers does require a linked external account. Money can only be deposited into CD accounts at CD Bank during the grace period after the CD reaches maturity.

The amount required to open any CD with CD Bank is high. Each term requires $10,000 to open. You must also have $10,000 in the account to earn the most competitive interest rate. Balances under $10,000 do not earn the competitive interest rates.

Customer service for CD Bank has specific hours. They are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. If you contact customer service after hours, they will address your issue the next business day.

Read the full CD Bank review.

LendingClub Review

The accounts offered through LendingClub offer competitive interest rates. The high-yield savings account offers rates up to 0.60%. Their checking account earns a lower rate than the savings account, but does offer some interest earning at 0.15%.

LendingClub offers a Rewards checking account. This account does not have monthly maintenance fees. This checking account earns cash back, and interest, if you meet the requirements. It requires $100 to open the account. After you open the account, there are no monthly fees or required amounts to avoid the fees, but a set balance amount to earn the rewards.

With the Rewards checking account, customers can earn up to one percent back on their debit card purchases. The debit card is linked to your Rewards checking account. Purchases made online or in-store are eligible for the cash back option.

Most of the accounts at LendingClub do not have monthly maintenance fees. Once you open the high-yield savings account with $100, there is not a monthly fee or minimum requirement to keep in the account to avoid a monthly fee. The opening required amounts for most accounts are low. The high-yield checking account only requires $100 to open.

The interest rates for the high-yield account is high, but in order to earn that amount, you must keep a set amount in the account. This account requires a balance of $2,500 to be in the account to earn the highest interest amount. Balances that fall below $2,500 will receive a much lower interest rate of 0.05%.

In order to earn the cash back, you must have your account open for 30 days and have $2,500 in the account from direct deposits or another source of income. The credit comes from purchases made online or in the store using your debit card signature option. To earn the cash back option, you MUST choose the credit option instead of the debit option when making your purchase. Transactions made with your PIN are not eligible for the cash back. The money you earn will be credited into your account at the end of each earning period.

The Essential Checking account has a monthly fee of $9. You can waive this fee by keeping a set amount in the account, but this amount is high as well. To waive the monthly fee, you must have at least $5,000 in the checking account at all times. If the account balance falls below $5,000, you will be charged the fee. The Tailored checking account has a monthly fee of $10 if you do not have at least $5,000 in the account.

Not all accounts offer competitive interest rates. The CDs, money market account, and basic savings account do not offer competitive interest rates. Those rates are much lower than the high-yield savings account rates.

Read the full LendingClub review.

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