Citizens Bank VS CIBC Bank USA

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 1.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • No set amount to open most accounts
  • Good variety of accounts available
  • Overdraft Pass
  • Can open most accounts online

Cons:

  • Products not available everywhere
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Limited CD terms offered
  • Low interest rates for accounts
  • 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
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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
Citizens Bank Review

Checking, savings, and money market accounts do not have required opening amounts. However, to earn the best rates, you must be a Platinum member. A Platinum member has at least $25,000 in Citizen Bank accounts. The basic checking and savings accounts do not require you to be a Platinum member.

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

  • Four personal checking accounts
  • Three personal money market accounts
  • Four personal savings accounts
  • CD terms of 11, 14, and 24-month CDs
  • IRA accounts
  • Personal credit cards, lending, retirement, and investment options
  • Business savings, checking, and money market accounts
  • Business CDs
  • Credit cards, lending, and investment options for businesses

Checking and money market accounts include $5 Overdraft Pass. If you overdraw your account for $5 or less, there will not be a fee. To avoid other overdraft fees, deposit money into your account as soon as possible. There is no limit to how many overdrafts qualify for the pass.

If you live where Citizens Bank account are available, you can open most personal accounts online. The application is entirely online. To open the College Saver savings account, you need to visit a branch location. Business and IRA account must also be opened in a branch.

Accounts are not available everywhere. Citizens Bank currently operates in 11 states. If you do not live in one of these states, you cannot open an account. Those states are:

  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

Citizen Bank accounts have fees. The fees range from $3.99 to $25 each month. There are ways to waive the fees. Those included making deposits and having set account balances. The balances range from $2,500 to $25,000, depending on the account. You can waive some money market and savings account fees by opening a Platinum checking account.

There are only three standard CD terms offered through Citizens Bank. They offer 11, 14, and 24-month CDs. The 14-month CD is an online-only account. Each term requires $1,000 to open. Business and IRA CDs are also available.

Most Citizens Bank accounts have low rates. The interest rates compare to typical brick-and-mortar bank rates. The CDs offer slightly higher rates if you also open a Citizens Bank checking account. Even those higher rates are not competitive with other online accounts.

Read the full Citizens Bank review.

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.

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