CIBC Bank USA VS BankDirect

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
0.15%APY
Savings/MMA
Advertiser Disclosure
Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon

Pros:

  • Variety of accounts offered
  • High interest rate for CIBC Agility
  • Low required opening amounts
  • Interest Rate Bonus on accounts

Cons:

  • Only one checking account earns interest
  • Account interest rates not listed
  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Financial Rates: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon

Pros:

  • Low required opening amounts
  • Reimbursement of ATM fees
  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Money market account earns good rates

Cons:

  • Highest MMA rate requires large amount
  • High required amount to open CDs
  • Checking accounts have a monthly fee
  • Must mail in application to open account
CIBC Bank USA Review

CIBC offers a variety of accounts. These accounts include:

  • iCan checking
  • myChoice checking
  • myChoice Prestige checking
  • CIBC savings
  • Agility savings
  • CIBC money market
  • CD terms
  • Agility CDs 9, 12, 18, and 24-month terms
  • Personal lending and retirement options
  • Commercial and small business accounts and lending options

The CIBC Agility savings account offers competitive interest rates. This savings account requires $1,000 to open and does not have a monthly fee. The CIBC Agility savings account is an online-only account. The interest rates are competitive with other online-only savings accounts. They are much higher than typical brick-and-mortar banks.

CIBC accounts have low opening required amounts. The MMA and personal savings account require $50 to open the account. You must open these accounts at a branch location. The online savings account requires $1,000 to open. Regular CDs require $1,000 to open.

The myChoice checking account offers an interest rate bonus. This allows you to earn higher interest rates on your checking account balance. To earn the higher rates, you must meet a set amount. The amounts can come from a total of qualifying CIBC accounts. Those include myChoice checking account, money market and savings accounts. CDs and principal balances on personal loans count toward the balance total also. The more money you have in the accounts, the higher the bonus rate you receive.

Only one CIBC checking account earns interest. The CIBC myChoice Checking account is the interest-earning account. You must open this account at a branch location. If you have less than $5,000 in the account, there is a monthly fee.

Interest rates for CIBC accounts are not listed online. Only one CIBC savings account lists the interest rate for the account. The CIBC Agility offers competitive interest rates. The other CIBC accounts do not list the interest rates earned for their accounts. To open those accounts, you must visit a branch location.

Not all CIBC accounts can be opened online. To open a checking or savings account, or CDs, you must visit a branch location. CIBC has 46 branch locations in 19 states. The only accounts you can open online are the CIBC Agility savings account and Agility CDs. Those terms include 9, 12, 18, and 24-month terms

Most CIBC accounts have a monthly fee. To waive the fee, you must keep a set amount in the account. To avoid the checking account fees, you must have over $1,000 in the iCan account and $5,000 in the myChoice account. The savings account requires $250 to waive the fee, and the MMA requires $2,500.

Read the full CIBC Bank USA review.

BankDirect Review

Most of the BankDirect accounts have a low amount required to open the account. BankDirect checking accounts only require $500 to open. Both BankDirect money market accounts require $500 to open. The basic savings account only requires $100 to open.

BankDirect does not own any ATMs; they reimburse their customers the ATM fees. The first four ATM withdrawals per statement cycle are refunded. The refunds are up to $2.50 per transaction. There is a withdrawal limit of $500 from an ATM each day.

BankDirect offers a variety of personal deposit accounts. There are three different checking accounts and two different money market accounts. There are a variety of different CD terms available. BankDirect offers one savings account. There are no business accounts available.

The BankDirect Money Market Plus account offers a competitive interest rate. BankDirect also offers a mileage money market account. This account earns American Airline miles. Both MMA require $500 to open. The mileage money market account earns much lower interest rates. You earn miles instead of interest. There is no monthly fee for either account.

To earn the high rates offered on the BankDirect Money Market Plus account you must have $10,000 in the account. Amounts under $10,000 do not earn any interest. Only $500 is required to open this account, but to earn any interest requires $10,000.

BankDirect offers a variety of different CD terms. The required amount to open any of the CDs is $10,000. There is no monthly fee. The interest rates for CDs are competitive. The 12-month, 18-months, 24-months and 36-month CDs offer the most competitive rates. To open a mileage CD also requires $10,000.

Two of the BankDirect checking accounts have monthly fees. The interest and mileage checking accounts both have a monthly fee. The fee is waived for the interest checking account if you have at least $2,500 in the account. The mileage checking does not list a way to waive that monthly fee.

Opening an account with BankDirect is not entirely online. To open an account, you must fill out the application online, then print off part and mail it in. You will then receive a welcome kit within one to two weeks. Once you get your kit, you can finish setting up your account.

Read the full BankDirect review.

Sponsored Offers

Advertiser Disclosure
American Express
Savings (Rate as of 3/28/2024)
APY 4.35%
Rate 4.26%
For APY $1
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC
Next >
Jenius Bank
Savings (Rate as of 3/28/2024)
APY 5.25%
Rate 5.25%
For APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC. No fees. Easy deposits and quick withdrawals.
Next >
EverBank
Savings (Rate as of 3/28/2024)
APY 5.15%
Rate 5.02%
For APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC
Next >
Barclays
Savings (Rate as of 3/28/2024)
APY 4.35%
Rate 4.35%
For APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC
Next >