First Bank VS Dime Community Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Checking account for 55 and older
  • Anywhere Accounts
  • Business accounts offered
  • Variety of personal products offered

Cons:

  • Accounts have fees
  • Online banking is not free
  • Accounts not offered everywhere
  • Low-interest rates
  • Financial Rates: 2.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Low opening required balances
  • Some CDs offer competitive rates
  • Variety of different types of accounts
  • Business accounts are available

Cons:

  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Most account rates are not competitive
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Branch locations only in New York
First Bank Review

FirstBank offers a checking account for anyone over 55 years old. This account earns interest. There is no minimum balance to earn interest or required to keep in the account. This account does not have any fees, and direct deposit is not required.

The Anywhere Accounts are a savings and checking account. Both of these accounts do not have monthly fees. There is no minimum balance required to keep in the account. You can sign up to have money from transactions rounded up to the nearest dollar. The difference is deposited into your Anywhere eSave Savings account. Those transactions include debit transactions, bill pay, or other electronic transfers.

FirstBank offers accounts for businesses. Checking and money market accounts are available. There is a checking account offered specifically for nonprofits. There are no fees for the nonprofit checking and the basic business checking. The other accounts have a monthly fee.

Not just personal deposit accounts are available at FirstBank. Personal credit cards, home equity loans, and personal construction loans are available. Health Savings Accounts and accounts to help save for college are also offered.

Most FirstBank accounts have a monthly fee. The fees range from $5 to $20. The debit card has a yearly fee of $10. You are only allowed 25 deposits into the eSave Savings account per month. You are charged $0.10 for each item over 25.

Account interest rates at FirstBank are not competitive with other online banks. The interest rates are similar to your typical bank rates.

FirstBank offers products and accounts in Arizona, California, and Colorado. They have over 115 branch locations in these three states with over 200 ATMs. To open an account, you must live in one of these three states.

Online banking with FirstBank is only free if you sign up to receive electronic statements. The fee is $3 each month if you do not sign up. The money will be automatically withdrawn from your checking account on the first day of each month. If you want to receive paper statements, you must keep $10,000 in FirstBank accounts to waive the monthly fee.

Read the full First Bank review.

Dime Community Bank Review

Most Dime accounts have a low required opening amount. All the checking accounts only require $25 to open. The money market account requires $1,000, and CDs require $500. The club savings accounts only require $5 to open.

Some Dime CD terms offer competitive interest rates. The rates with the most competitive terms are the 4, 24, 36, 48, and 80-month CDs. The rates for these accounts are competitive with other online CDs. Dime CDs can be opened in a branch location.

Dime offers a variety of personal accounts. The accounts include:

  • Statement savings account
  • Student savings account
  • Money market savings account
  • Club savings accounts
  • Personal checking
  • Fabulous 50 Interest checking
  • Direct Interest checking
  • Prime Dime Interest checking
  • CDs from three months to 84-months
  • Retirement accounts
  • Personal mortgage and lending options

Dime offers many business accounts. Savings, checking, and money market accounts are available for businesses. CDs and lines of credit are available. Business account holders have access to different money management options. Online and mobile banking are also available for business accounts.

You cannot open Dime accounts online. To open a CD and savings account, you must visit a branch location. To open a checking account, you can call customer service or visit a local branch. Dime has branch locations in New York.

Most of the interest rates offered on Dime accounts are not competitive. The interest rates are similar to typical brick-and mortar-rates. Only a few CDs offer interest rates competitive with online-only accounts.

Some Dime accounts have monthly fees. The fees range from $4 to $10 a month. Waive the fees by keeping a set account balance. Those balances range from $500 to $1,500, depending on the account.

All Dime branch locations are in New York. If you do not live close to a branch, you are not able to open those accounts. You must visit a branch location to open Dime accounts. They have 28 branch locations around New York.

Read the full Dime Community Bank review.

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