EBSB Direct VS Limelight Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • High interest rates on accounts
  • CDs have low opening required amounts
  • Accounts are entirely online
  • Debit card offered for MMA

Cons:

  • Limited deposit accounts offered
  • Highest rates require a large amount
  • MMA has a fee and high opening amount
  • Must link to another account
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Interest rates are not tiered
  • No fees and low opening required amounts
  • Everything for an account is online

Cons:

  • Limited accounts offered
  • Customer service not available 24/7
  • No business accounts offered
  • Link CD accounts to external accounts
EBSB Direct Review

The EBSB Direct accounts offer good interest rates. The rates are slightly lower than other online-only accounts. They are higher than your typical brick-and-mortar bank rates.

The EBSB Direct accounts have low opening required amounts. The 15-month CD only requires $1,000 to open. The six-month CD and the money market account both require $2,500 to open.

EBSB Direct accounts are entirely online accounts. You apply for the accounts online, not at a branch location. You can make transactions for your EBSB Direct accounts at an EBSB branch location. Everything for your EBSB Direct accounts are online.

The money market account with EBSB Direct offers a debit card for you to access your money. Federal regulations allow six withdrawals per month from the money market account. There is a fee if you withdraw more than six times.

EBSB Direct only offers a money market account and two personal CD terms. The term lengths are six-months and 15-months. There are no other personal or business accounts available.

To earn the highest interest rate offered on the MMA, you must have at least $10,000 in the account. Balances from $10 to $9,999 earn interest, but a lower rate. The highest interest rate requires at least $10,000.

The money market account has a monthly fee of $8. Waive the fee by keeping at least $2,500 in the account. That is also the amount required to open the MMA. Keeping $2,500 in the account waives the fee and earns the lower interest rate.

To make electronic transfers, link your EBSB Direct accounts to an external account. You can link the accounts to another financial institution in the United States. More than one account can be linked to your EBSB Direct account.

Read the full EBSB Direct review.

Limelight Bank Review

The interest rates on Limelight CDs are competitive. They are competitive with other online CD accounts. Limelight interest rates are much higher than typical brick and mortar bank rates.

Limelight interest rates are not tiered. Any amount in the CD earns the most competitive rate offered. There is no set balance required to earn the most competitive rate.

Each of the Limelight CDs only requires $1,000 to open. There are no monthly fees. The only fees with Limelight CDs are from withdrawing money before the account reaches maturity. You can withdraw money during the grace period without a fee.

Limelight Bank is an entirely online bank. There are no branch locations. You open your account online, and everything for your account is online. Any U.S. citizen, who is 18 years or older, with an SSN or ITIN can open an account.

Limelight Bank offers limited options for personal deposit accounts. They only offer personal deposit CDs. Those CD terms include a six-month term, 12-month term, or 18-month term. Limelight Bank does not offer a savings, checking, or money market account.

Limelight customer service is not available 24/7. The most common way to reach customer service is through email. There is a phone number listed on the website. Customer service hours are not listed on the website.

Limelight Bank does not offer business accounts. The only account offered are personal deposit CDs. Those terms include a six-month, 12-month, and 18-month terms.

Limelight does not offer a checking or savings account. To fund the CDs requires the accounts to be linked to an external account. Once the account is linked to an external bank account, you can easily make transfers into and out of the CDs. Transfer money during the CD grace period or when the CD reaches maturity to avoid a fee.

Read the full Limelight Bank review.

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