Community First Bank VS Union Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Christmas savings account
  • Business accounts, including nonprofits
  • Business Premium Package
  • Cash Management options for businesses

Cons:

  • Have to open accounts at a branch
  • Interest rates not listed on website
  • Unlimited withdrawals, but only in person
  • Most accounts have high opening deposits
  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Checking and savings account for youth
  • Low opening amount for some accounts
  • Business accounts offered
  • MMA offers tiered interest rates

Cons:

  • Accounts have low interest rates
  • High monthly fees
  • Opening amounts for MMA are high
  • Not all checking accounts earn interest
Community First Bank Review

Community First Bank offers a special savings account for Christmas. This account only requires $10 to open. You can set up automatic transfers for monthly, twice a month, or weekly. After October 1 of each year, you can withdraw an unlimited amount of times until the last day of December. Withdrawals are only allowed those three months. There is a withdrawal fee if not withdrawn during the designated time.

A variety of different business accounts are available. There are four different checking accounts, including one for a nonprofit. Community First Bank offers savings accounts, money market accounts, and CDs. Loans, credit cards, and retirement accounts are available for business accounts.

You can sign up for the Business Premium Package. This sets you up for a checking account, savings account, and a money market account. You also sign up for two other accounts from ten other options. HSA, credit cards, loans, and cash management all qualify. With the package, you receive 100 free additional transactions from your business checking.

The cash management lets you have different levels of authority on accounts. You decide what employees can see about customer accounts. You can add more users to the accounts. The premium option pays taxes and payroll. Cash management automatically deducts customer fees or payments.

You cannot open accounts online. Some account applications are available to download and send to the local branch. To open checking, savings, money market, CDs, and business accounts you must apply in a local branch. Community First Bank only has branches in Wisconsin.

To know the interest rates on Community First Bank accounts, you must call a local branch. The interest rates are not available on the website. You could earn higher interest rates on CDs by opening certain accounts.

The Community First Bank's money market accounts offer unlimited withdrawals. The withdrawals must be made in person at a local branch. You are only allowed six withdrawals from other methods per billing cycle. Those methods include withdrawals made by ATMs, checks, check cards, and electronic transfers.

The basic accounts have low opening balances. However, to earn the competitive interest rates, there is a high opening balance. The required amounts range from $1,000 to $10,000.

Read the full Community First Bank review.

Union Bank Review

Accounts for kids and teens are offered from Union Bank. The Kidz savings account is for children ages 8-12. From ages 13-17, teen savings and checking accounts are available. These youth accounts must be jointly owned with an adult. Youth accounts do not have a monthly fee. The opening deposit amount for the savings accounts is $1. The checking account requires $100. Each deposit of at least $5 into the Kidz savings account earns a stamp. After ten stamps the child earns a gift card.

Union Bank savings, checking, and CDs have a low opening deposit. All checking accounts, except the Priority account, only need $100 to open. The basic savings account requires $50. The youth savings accounts only require $1. Union Bank CDs require $350 to open the CD. Only the seven days to one-month CDs require a higher balance.

Union Bank offers a variety of small and commercial business accounts. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available for small and commercial business. Loans, CDs, and credit cards are available as well. Union Bank offers payable and receivable services for large businesses.

Both Union Bank money market accounts offered tiered interest rates. This means the more money you have invested in the account, the higher the interest you will earn. The regular MMA requires $2,500 to open; the High Rate MMA requires $10,000.

Union Bank accounts do not offer competitive interest rates. Their rates are similar to your brick and mortar bank rates. They are not competitive with other online-only bank accounts.

Most all Union Bank accounts have a monthly maintenance fee. The fees range from $4 to $30 a month depending on the account. Signing up for online statements will lower the monthly fee by $1 for some accounts, but not waive it. Ways to waive the fees include having a required amount in the account or direct deposits. The youth accounts do not have a monthly fee.

There are two money market accounts offered by Union Bank. The basic MMA requires $2,500 to open the account. The High Rate money market account required $10,000 to open. Both accounts have a monthly maintenance fee. Union Bank requires you to link one of their checking accounts to the money market accounts. The interest rates for Union Bank MMA are not competitive.

The Priority bank account is the only checking account that earns interest. The minimum opening deposit for the interest earning account is $1,000. There is a $30 monthly fee. The fee is only waived if you have over $50,000 in combined Union Bank accounts or have a mortgage through Union Bank.

Read the full Union Bank review.

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