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.
There are no monthly maintenance fees for the MySavingsDirect savings account. The CDs do not have monthly maintenance fees. However, there is a fee if you withdraw money before the CD reaches maturity. MySavingsDirect accounts are free.
The MySavingsDirect savings account does not have a required amount to open. You can choose the amount you invest when you open the account. The MySavingsDirect CDs do have a required amount to open. Each of the CD terms requires $1,000 to open.
The interest rates for all MySavingsDirect accounts are competitive. The rates are competitive with other online-only accounts. They are much higher than typical brick and mortar bank rates.
MySavingsDirect account interest rates are not tiered. Any balance in the account earns the most competitive interest rate. The interest rates are competitive with other online accounts.
MySavingsDirect only offers a few accounts. The accounts are a personal deposit savings account and CDs. The CD terms range from 60 months to 120 months. They also offer one 30-month CD term. They do not offer a checking account or money market account. MySavingsDirect does not offer business accounts.
To fund your MySavingsDirect accounts, you must link to an external bank account. MySavingsDirect accounts must link to an existing checking account. Once the accounts are linked, you can transfer money electronically between accounts.
The only way to make deposits or withdrawals are through electronic transfers. Your initial deposit to open the account can be made by mailing in a check. After the initial deposit, all other deposits or withdrawals must be through electronic transfers. Transfer money between your MySavingsDirect account and the linked external bank account.
To open a CD with MySavingsDirect, you must first open a savings account. Once you have a savings account through MySavingsDirect, you may open a CD. The CD terms range from 60 to 120 months. The most competitive CD rate is the six-month CD. MySavingsDirect offers a three-month term, but the rate is lower.