Commerce Bank VS People's United Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • 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
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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
  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Low opening required amounts
  • Checking accounts offer ATM rebates
  • Variety of CD term lengths
  • Business accounts available

Cons:

  • Accounts are not offered everywhere
  • MMA needs a large initial deposit
  • Low interest rates
  • Must have a checking to open savings
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.

People's United Bank Review

The amount required to open a checking or savings account is low. People's United checking accounts only require $25 to open. The savings accounts require $50.

Two of the People's United checking accounts offer free ATM use or reimburse ATM fees. The Advantage checking account has unlimited rebates for out of state ATM fees. The Premier Advantage checking account has free ATMs, including international ATMs. These accounts require high investment balances to waive the monthly fee. The Advantage is $7,500, and the Premier is $75,000 across all investment accounts.

People's United offers a variety of CD term lengths. Their terms range from 91 days to five years. The interest rates vary depending on the term. The best interest rate on a People's United CD is the One Year Plus CD. Those interest rates are competitive with other online accounts; the other rates are not.

There are a variety of different business accounts offered through People's United. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available. CDs, credit cards, loans, and investment opportunities are available.

People's United accounts are not offered everywhere. The branches are currently in the North Eastern states. Those include Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. If you do not live in one of these states, you cannot open an account with People's United Bank.

The amount required to open a money market account is $2,500. There is not a monthly maintenance fee on the money market account. You will earn interest on the money deposited into the account. The money market account offers tiered interest rates. This means the interest you earn depends on the amount you have in the account.

The interest rates of the different accounts are not competitive. They are much lower than other online-only accounts. The interest rates are similar to your typical bank rates. The Plus CDs offer slightly more competitive rates.

You have to have a checking account with People's United to open a savings or money market account. The checking account determines what savings and money market account you can open. You must open a checking account before a savings account can be opened.

Read the full People's United Bank review.

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