CommunityWide FCU VS Citizens Trust Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Accounts offer competitive rates
  • Low opening amounts and no monthly fees
  • Variety of savings accounts offered
  • Funds savings account

Cons:

  • Must join the credit union first
  • No ATM fee reimbursement
  • Only one checking account offered
  • CD early withdrawal penalty can be high
  • Financial Rates: 1.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Most accounts have low opening amounts
  • Business accounts available
  • Other products offered

Cons:

  • Most accounts have a monthly fee
  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Personal accounts have low rates
  • Jumbo and regular CDs earn same rates
CommunityWide FCU Review

Accounts at CommunityWide FCU offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online accounts. CommunityWide rates are much higher than typical bank rates. Their rates are not tiered. Any balance above the required amount earns competitive interest rates.

CommunityWide accounts have low opening required amounts. The savings accounts require $5 to open. The checking account requires $15 to open. The CD terms each require $1,000 to open. The CommunityWide FCU checking and savings accounts do not have a monthly fee. If you only open a savings account and the account does not have any activity, there is a $5 dormant account fee. That fee applies for each month with no activity.

CommunityWide offers a wide variety of savings accounts. The accounts offered include:

  • Personal savings account
  • High-yield savings account
  • Funds savings account
  • CD terms from six months to five years
  • IRA accounts

A Funds savings account is available through CommunityWide FCU. This account acts as a savings account but earns a higher interest rate. Members can only withdraw money deposited in the account at specific times. You can choose whether to withdraw the money monthly or quarterly. Money can be deposited into the Funds savings account anytime.

Before you can open an account with CommunityWide, you must become a member of the credit union. To be eligible to join, you must have worked for a certain company or be a spouse of someone who has. Members of certain organizations are eligible. Immediate family members of CommunityWide members qualify to open an account. Once you qualify, you must show a valid government-issued ID and your Social Security Number.

CommunityWide Federal Credit Union does not offer ATM fee reimbursements. They offer over 30,000 ATMs free for members to use. If you make a transaction with another ATM, not in their network, you may be charged a fee. CommunityWide will not reimburse you for those fees.

CommunityWide FCU offers many accounts, but only one checking account. The checking account earns interest for balances over $1 and requires $15 to open. It is the only checking account available through CommunityWide FCU.

The early withdrawal fee for CommunityWide FCU CDs can be higher than other CD fees. CommunityWide FCU uses a specific formula to determine the penalty. First, they take the withdrawn amount times the remaining days at twice the current APR. They then divide the amount by 365. There is not a set penalty based on term length.

Read the full CommunityWide FCU review.

Citizens Trust Bank Review

Citizens Trust Bank has a variety of personal deposit accounts. There is a checking account for students and those over 50 years old. Citizens Trust Bank offers regular savings, holiday savings accounts, and youth accounts. The different accounts require different balances, allowing you to find the best account for your finances.

The opening required amounts for most Citizens Trust Bank accounts are low. The amounts needed to open accounts range from $25 to $100. Most checking accounts require $50 to open. The basic savings account requires $100 to open. CDs require $500 to open. The money market account and Silver Investor savings account have higher opening amounts. They require between $1,000 to $5,000.

Citizens Trust Bank offers business accounts. Checking and savings accounts are available. There are merchant services and cash management options available to businesses. They also offer loans, credit cards, and investment accounts for businesses.

There are a variety of products offered through Citizens Trust Bank. They offer personal and business credit cards and loans. They offer investment accounts, life insurance, disability insurance, and final expense insurance.

Most Citizens Trust Bank accounts have a monthly fee. The fees range from $0.30 per check or debit card transaction to $15 a month. Waive the fees by keeping a minimum balance in the account. The required balances range from $5 to $7,500, depending on the account. Some accounts require enrolling in online banking and receiving eStatements.

Not all Citizens Trust Bank accounts can be opened online. Some accounts require visiting one of the financial centers. The youth savings account and the Christmas Club account must be opened in a branch location.

The interest rates for Citizens Trust Bank are low. The rates are similar to your typical brick and mortar bank rates. Their rates are not competitive with online bank rates.

Citizens Trust Bank offers regular and jumbo CDs. The regular CDs require $500 to open. The jumbo CDs require $100,000 to open. The interest rates are the same for regular CDs and jumbo CDs. Both rates are not competitive with other online CDs. The CD terms range from seven-days to five-years.

Read the full Citizens Trust Bank review.

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