Citizens Bank VS Home Savings

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: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Low opening requires amounts
  • Business accounts available
  • Online CDs offers competitive rates

Cons:

  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Tiered interest rates for MMA
  • Low interest rates
  • High yield accounts have high opening sum
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.

Home Savings Review

Home Savings offers a variety of personal deposit accounts. They offer interest earning and free checking accounts. They offer a checking account for students and those over 50 years old. They offer a holiday savings account and savings accounts for kids and youth. Home Savings offers an online savings account and CDs. The CDs range from 28-days to five-year terms.

Most accounts have low opening requires amounts. The online savings account requires $50 to open. The holiday savings and youth savings accounts require $10 to open. Most checking accounts requires $25 to open. The interest earning checking does require $100 and must be opened in a branch location. The regular CDs require $500 to open.

Home Savings offers a variety of business accounts. They offer checking and savings accounts for small or commercial businesses. Lending options, money market accounts, and deposit services are also offered for businesses. You must visit a branch location to open business accounts.

Home Savings offers two CDs, for new investments, with competitive rates. The terms are an 18-month and 36-month CD. Money deposited in these CDs cannot be from other accounts in Home Savings accounts. The interest rates are competitive with other online CD accounts. These CDs require $500 to open and can be opened online.

Not all Home Savings accounts can open online. Some accounts require visiting a branch location, including the interest-earning checking account. Visit a branch to open the holiday savings account and savings accounts for kids.

The MMA and the Platinum savings accounts have tiered interest rates. These accounts require a $100,000 balance to earn the best rates. Balances lower than $100,000 still earn interest, just lower rates.

Most Home Savings accounts do not offer competitive interest rates. Some accounts have tiered interest rates. Other accounts have interest rates similar to typical brick and mortar bank rates. Only a few accounts offer rates competitive with online accounts.

The high yield Home Savings accounts have high required opening amounts. The Platinum savings account requires $5,000 to open. The money market account requires $10,000 to open. The money market account can be opened online. To open the Platinum Savings requires a branch location.

Read the full Home Savings review.

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