Citizens Bank VS Colorado Federal Savings Bank

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
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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: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 2.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Can open all accounts online
  • No monthly fees or required balances
  • Competitive interest rates
  • Savings has a low opening amount

Cons:

  • Limited accounts offered
  • Must link external bank account
  • Premier account requires large amount
  • CDs require a large opening deposit
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.

Colorado Federal Savings Bank Review

Colorado Federal Savings Bank is an online bank. Opening an account is completed online. You do not have to mail information in or wait for the bank to send you information. All the information you need to open an account is on their website.

Colorado Federal Savings Bank accounts do not have monthly maintenance fees. The accounts are completely free. There are no fees to transfer money into the account with electronic transfers.

The interest rates for CFSB are competitive. Their rates are much higher than your typical brick-and-mortar rates. They are competitive with other online-only accounts. CFSB rates are not tiered. Any amount over the required opening deposit earns the competitive rates offered.

The high yield savings account only requires $1.00 to open the account and keep in the account. The interest rates are competitive. The only fee is if you withdraw more than six times each billing cycle.

CFSB offers limited accounts. Only an online savings account and CDs are available. No checking or money market account is available. There are no business accounts available. Only those few personal deposit accounts are available through CFSB.

To fund your CFSB accounts, you must link an external bank account. Once you link the accounts, you can make transfers between the two accounts. Electronic transfers between linked accounts are how you access your CFSB money.

CFSB has a Premier Savings account offering competitive interest rates. The minimum account balance is $50,000. To open the Premier Savings account, you must be a new customer. This means you have not maintained a CD or savings account with CFSB in the previous 60 days.

To open a CD through CFSB requires $5,000. There are six CD terms. They range from six-months to five-year terms. The only fee is if you withdraw your money before it reaches the maturity date. The interest rates for each of the terms are competitive.

Read the full Colorado Federal Savings Bank review.

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