CommunityWide FCU VS Dime 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: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Most accounts have low opening balance
  • myDime Student account
  • ATM fees refunded with DimePrime
  • Business accounts are available

Cons:

  • Opening accounts done at a branch
  • Accounts not offered everywhere
  • Low-interest rates
  • Most accounts have monthly fees
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.

Dime Bank Review

Most of the Dime accounts only need $25 to open the account. Those accounts include checking, savings, and money market accounts. The cost to open a CD is $500. The money market account requires $500 to establish the account. The minimum amount per check is $500 for money market accounts.

The myDime Student account is a basic checking account for students. There is no minimum balance to open the account. This account refunds fees charged from using other banks ATMs. myDime account offers an "oops rebate." Students are refunded the fee of one overdraft per calendar year. Online, mobile banking and bill pay are available. When students open this account, they receive three free deals from DimePerks.

DimePrime offers free withdrawals from any ATM. If you use a non-Dime ATM, they will refund the ATM fees. They refund up to $10 each month in ATM fees. To qualify for DimePrime, you must have $15,000 in Dime checking and savings accounts. Another option to qualify is to have a consumer or residential Dime loan balance of $150,000.

Dime offers a variety of business accounts. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available for your business. CDs, commercial mortgages, loans, and credit lines are also available.

Even when you meet the required account balance to earn interest on your accounts the interest rates are low. Only a few of the CD term interest rates are competitive. All other interest rates are considerably lower than other online-only banks. They are competitive with typical banks.

To open an account with Dime, you have to visit a local branch. Their branches are in southeast Connecticut and west Rhode Island.

Since you have to visit a branch to open an account, accounts are not available everywhere. To be an account holder, you must live in southeast Connecticut or western Rhode Island.

Most all Dime accounts have a monthly service fee. The fees vary in range from $2 to $20 per month. The fees vary from accounts. To have the fee waived there are requirements you must meet. You must also have a certain amount in the accounts to earn interest.

Read the full Dime Bank review.

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