First Bank VS Radius 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
No Rate Information
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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: 1.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • High interest rates on accounts
  • Business accounts offered
  • Most accounts do not have fees
  • Low opening required amounts

Cons:

  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Limited CD term lengths opened online
  • Only one savings account offered
  • Highest interest rate requires a large sum
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.

Radius Bank Review

The Radius Hybrid checking account offers competitive interest rates. You earn the competitive interest rate on any balance over $2,500. The savings account offers competitive interest rates as well. You earn higher interest rates on balances over $25,000. The interest rate under $25,000 is still competitive, just a slightly lower rate.

Radius Bank offers a variety of business accounts. Four different checking accounts are available. The accounts vary in benefits. This allows you to find the best fit for your business. A money market account and CDs are available for businesses also.

Most Radius accounts do not have monthly fees. The only account that has a monthly fee is the Essential checking account. That fee is $9 a month. After you make the opening required deposit, there is no required amount to keep in Radius Bank accounts.

The Radius savings account and two checking accounts only require $100 to open. The basic checking account only requires $10 to open. There are three CDs you can open online, the one-year, 18-month, and the three-year. Each of those CDs only require $500 to open. Open different CD term lengths at branch locations. Those CDs require either $500 or $1,000 depending on the term.

At this time, only a few Radius accounts are available to open online. Three Radius checking accounts can be opened online. The Radius High-Yield savings account and CDs can also be opened online. To open a business account, visit their financial center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Only three Radius Bank CD terms are available to open online. The CDs include a 12-month, 18-month, and three-year CD. Each CD only requires $500 to open. The interest rate on the CDs are competitive with other online-only accounts.

Only one savings account is available through Radius Bank. They do not offer a money market account. There is no monthly fee for the savings account. The opening amount required is $100. You can request an ATM card for this savings account. Federal regulations only allow six transactions per statement cycle.

To earn the highest interest rates for the Radius savings account, you must have $25,000 in the account. Any amount over $10 earns interest. Those rates are low; similar to typical bank rates. Having $2,500 in the account will earn much higher rates. Rates for balances over $2,500 are good but still less than the interest you earn if you have over $25,000. To earn interest on your Radius checking account balance, you must have $2,500 in the account. Any amount less does not earn interest.

Read the full Radius Bank review.

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