Flagstar Bank VS CIT Bank

Which bank is better for you?

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

  • Variety of accounts offered
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Some CDs offer competitive rates
  • Promotional savings accounts

Cons:

  • Low interest rates on accounts
  • Tiered interest rates
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Cannot open accounts online
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Custodial accounts available
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • Wide range of CDs offered
  • No monthly fees

Cons:

  • High opening required amounts
  • Long transaction periods
  • Hard to access custodial account money
  • High early withdrawal fees for CDs
Flagstar Bank Review

Flagstar Bank offers a variety of personal deposit and business accounts. There are three checking accounts to choose from and three savings accounts. They offer a money market account and many CD terms. Lending options are available for personal accounts as well as business. Flagstar offers business checking, savings, money market accounts, and credit cards.

The amounts required to open Flagstar accounts is low. The checking accounts all require $50 to open. The savings accounts and money market account all only require $1 to open. All CD terms only require $500 to open.

Flagstar offers three CDs with competitive interest rates. Those CD terms are a 13-month, 19-month, and 25-month. Each term requires $500 to open. These CDs must be opened in a branch location. They are only available for Michigan residents.

Flagstar offers promotional savings accounts. The interest rates for these three accounts are competitive. They offer a SimplySavings, MaxSavings, and High Yield Promo account. They guarantee the competitive rate for the first 12 months. There is no minimum balance or checking account required during the promo period. After the promotional period, you can choose which account fits you best. Monthly fees apply after the 12 months. These accounts are only for Michigan residents.

The interest rates for Flagstar Bank accounts are low. They are competitive with other brick and mortar bank rates. Most account rates do not compare with interest rates for online accounts. Only a few interest rates are competitive.

Along with being low, the interest rates for Flagstar accounts are tiered. To earn the most competitive rates for the high yield savings account requires $1 million. To earn a good rate requires $50,000. The SimplyMax savings and checking account earns the best rate for balances over $25,000. The money market and SimplyPlus checking account requires $10,000 to earn the best rate.

Flagstar Bank accounts have monthly fees. Checking account fees range from $10 to $25 a month. Waive those fees by keeping a balance of $1,000 to $5,000 in the checking. Alternatively, waive fees by having $5,000 to $25,000 between multiple accounts. Savings and money market account fees range from $3 to $35 a month. To waive those fees requires a $300 to $50,000 balance, depending on the account. Having a checking account will also waive the savings account fees.

At this time Flagstar Bank personal deposit accounts cannot be opened online. You must visit a branch location to open a checking, savings, or money market accounts, and CDs. You can apply for a mortgage online. The option to apply online may be available in the future.

Read the full Flagstar Bank review.

CIT Bank Review

CIT Bank offers custodial accounts. You open the account in your child's name, but you control the account until the child is eighteen years old. There are no limits on how much you deposit into the account. There are tax benefits to having a custodial account.

The interest rates for CIT Bank accounts are very competitive. The high yield savings account rates are much higher than your typical bank. CIT Bank rates are even higher than other online-only accounts. CD rates are also competitive.

CIT Bank offers a variety of CDs including regular term CDs, no-penalty CD, jumbo CDs, and Ramp Up CDs. The no-penalty CD is an eleven-month CD. You earn interest on a CD with the options to withdraw the money at any time after the first seven days. The Ramp-Up CDs allow you to get a better rate once during the term of the CD. With the Ramp-Up Plus CD, you can get a better rate and make a deposit once during the term of the CD.

CIT Bank does not have a fee to open any of their banking accounts. There are no monthly maintenance fees for any of their banking accounts either.

The required amount to open a CD with CIT Bank is high. The minimum deposit for CDs is $1,000, including custodial accounts. Jumbo CDs require $100,000 to open. Other CDs require either an opening balance of $25,000 or $50,000. The minimum deposit to open a savings account is $100.

Transferred funds are not available until five to ten business days after the deposit is made. Deposits transferred from an external account are available after five days. Deposits mailed take ten days after the deposit is received.

Any money deposited into a custodial account is an irrevocable gift. You cannot withdraw or transfer the money from the account. It cannot be used for any purpose that doesn't directly affect the child listed on the account. Once the child reaches eighteen years of age, the money can be accessed.

CIT Banks fees for early CD withdrawals are higher than other banks. The fee for withdrawing money early from a CD with a term of more than three years is twelve months of interest. The fee for terms from one to three years is six months interest. Fees for CD terms up to one year are three months interest.

Read the full CIT Bank review.

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