CIT Bank VS Commerce Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
4.55%APY
Savings/MMA
Advertiser Disclosure
Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon

Pros:

  • Custodial accounts available
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • Wide range of CDs offered
  • No monthly fees

Cons:

  • High opening required amounts
  • Long transaction periods
  • Hard to access custodial account money
  • High early withdrawal fees for CDs
  • Financial Rates: 1.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon

Pros:

  • Rewards for saving in money market
  • Free ATM transactions and refunds
  • Good variety of accounts offered
  • mySpending card

Cons:

  • Only three withdrawals per month
  • Account interest rates are low
  • Monthly fees and other fees on accounts
  • Customer service not open 24/7
CIT Bank Review

CIT Bank offers custodial accounts. You open the account in your child's name, but you control the account until the child is eighteen years old. There are no limits on how much you deposit into the account. There are tax benefits to having a custodial account.

The interest rates for CIT Bank accounts are very competitive. The high yield savings account rates are much higher than your typical bank. CIT Bank rates are even higher than other online-only accounts. CD rates are also competitive.

CIT Bank offers a variety of CDs including regular term CDs, no-penalty CD, jumbo CDs, and Ramp Up CDs. The no-penalty CD is an eleven-month CD. You earn interest on a CD with the options to withdraw the money at any time after the first seven days. The Ramp-Up CDs allow you to get a better rate once during the term of the CD. With the Ramp-Up Plus CD, you can get a better rate and make a deposit once during the term of the CD.

CIT Bank does not have a fee to open any of their banking accounts. There are no monthly maintenance fees for any of their banking accounts either.

The required amount to open a CD with CIT Bank is high. The minimum deposit for CDs is $1,000, including custodial accounts. Jumbo CDs require $100,000 to open. Other CDs require either an opening balance of $25,000 or $50,000. The minimum deposit to open a savings account is $100.

Transferred funds are not available until five to ten business days after the deposit is made. Deposits transferred from an external account are available after five days. Deposits mailed take ten days after the deposit is received.

Any money deposited into a custodial account is an irrevocable gift. You cannot withdraw or transfer the money from the account. It cannot be used for any purpose that doesn't directly affect the child listed on the account. Once the child reaches eighteen years of age, the money can be accessed.

CIT Banks fees for early CD withdrawals are higher than other banks. The fee for withdrawing money early from a CD with a term of more than three years is twelve months of interest. The fee for terms from one to three years is six months interest. Fees for CD terms up to one year are three months interest.

Read the full CIT Bank review.

Commerce Bank Review

Get rewarded for saving money with Commerce Bank. When you open a myRewards money market account, you will earn a bonus at the end of each year. Commerce pays 0.05 percent of the average collected month-end balance after every 12 months. The maximum reward each year is $200.

Checking accounts offer free transactions at Commerce Bank ATMs. The CommerceRelationship checking account offers free transactions at ATMs across the nation. This account also offers up to $10 each month in ATM fee refunds. To have the fees refunded, the transactions must come from the CommerceRelationship account.

Commerce Bank offers a variety of accounts. These accounts include:

  • Five checking accounts
  • Student savings and checking account
  • myRewards savings account
  • myRewards money market account
  • Premier money market account
  • CDs terms from three-months to five-years
  • Personal loans, credit cards, and investment options
  • Business checking and savings accounts
  • Business loans, bonds, investments, and credit cards

Commerce offers a mySpending card, which is a reloadable Visa debit card. Load the amount you want onto the card. The card is accepted anywhere Visa is. There is not a monthly fee. It costs $5.95 to buy the card for the first time. You must load it with at least $20 the first time. There is a loading limit of $3,000 per week.

Savings accounts only allow for three withdrawals per billing cycle. Any more than three will cost you $2.00 per withdrawal. Federal regulations allow six withdrawals from a savings account per billing cycle.

The interest rates for Commerce Bank accounts are low. They are not competitive with other online-only banks. Their rates are typical of brick-and-mortar banks.

Accounts with Commerce Bank have a plethora of fees. They have monthly service charges ranging from $3-20, depending on the account. Some accounts have fees for paper statements, e-statements, and foreign ATM fees. The student checking account has a $2 fee for every check written and for each teller-assisted withdrawal. Know the fees and how to waive them before you open accounts.

Customer service is not open 24/7. Customer service hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. These times are Central Time. There is a 24-hour account information line.

Read the full Commerce Bank review.

Sponsored Offers
From Our Partners

Advertiser Disclosure
Sponsored Offers
American Express
Savings (Rate as of 11/21/2024)
APY 4.00%
Rate 3.92%
Min to Open $0
Min to Earn APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Min to Avoid Fee $0
Checkbook No
Member FDIC
Next >
EverBank
Savings (Rate as of 11/21/2024)
APY 4.75%
Rate 4.64%
Min to Open $0
Min to Earn APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Min to Avoid Fee $0
Checkbook No
Member FDIC No monthly maintenance fee, $0 to open, easily grow your money
Next >