Golden 1 Credit Union VS North American Savings Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Variety of accounts offered
  • CDs offer competitive interest rates
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Freedom Checking Account for teens

Cons:

  • Must become a member first
  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Monthly maintenance fees
  • Not competitive rates for most accounts
  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Competitive interest rates
  • Online and mobile banking

Cons:

  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Tiered interest rates on accounts
  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • No business accounts offered
Golden 1 Credit Union Review

Golden 1 offers a wide variety of accounts. They offer free checking, interest-earning checking, and checking for students. They offer CDs, a money market, and a basic savings account. They also offer savings accounts for youth, the holidays, and big purchases. They also offer credit cards, investment options, insurances, and loans.

Golden 1 CDs offer good interest rates. The rates are higher than typical brick and mortar bank rates. They are slightly lower than other online accounts. A few of the CD terms do offer rates that are competitive with other online CDs.

Most Golden 1 Credit Union accounts have low opening required amounts. The opening amounts range from $1 to $100 depending on the account. Some accounts do not have a required amount. The CDs require $1,000 to open. The money market account does require $2,500 to open.

This checking account is set up specifically for students ages 16 and 17. To have this account, you must maintain a B average in school. Teens can have freedom of their own finances and learn to manage their money. There is no required amount or monthly fee. They offer online and mobile banking, and mobile deposit.

To open an account with Golden 1, you must first become a member. If you live or work in California, you qualify to be a member. Family members of other Golden 1 members also qualify. You can qualify if you belong to certain employee groups. If these options do not work, you can join the Financial Fitness Association to become a member.

Not all Golden 1 accounts can be opened online. Some accounts require visiting a local branch location to open. All the CDs and most of the savings accounts can be opened online.

The premier checking account and the money market account both have monthly fees. The fees are $5 each month. You can waive those fees by having a set amount in each of the accounts. The checking account requires $1,000, and the money market account requires $2,500.

Most accounts with Golden 1 do not offer competitive interest rates. The checking, savings, and money market account rates are not competitive with other online accounts. They are competitive with other brick and mortar rates.

Read the full Golden 1 Credit Union review.

North American Savings Bank Review

NASB offers a variety of personal deposit accounts. They offer a free, student, and interest-earning checking account. A variety of savings accounts are available as well. They offer student savings, stepping stone savings account, and a premier account. Their CD terms range from six months to 120-month terms.

Most NASB accounts have low opening required amounts. Most of the savings accounts require $25 to $500 to open. The performance savings account does require $5,000 to open. Most of the checking accounts require $50 to $1,000 to open. The money market account and CDs have higher opening required amounts. They require $1,000 to $5,000 to open.

Most NASB accounts offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online accounts. The rates are higher than typical bank rates. Two checking accounts earn interest. Those rates are higher than typical bank rates, but not competitive with online checking accounts.

All NASB accounts offer online and mobile banking. With mobile banking, you can deposit checks, transfer funds, and see account balances. You can pay bills through online or mobile banking. With the mobile app, you can access NASB’s personal finance management tool.

North American Savings Bank accounts have monthly maintenance fees. The fees for each account are $7.50 a month. To waive the fees, you must keep a set account balance. Those balances range from $100 to $15,000 depending on the account.

Most all NASB accounts have tiered interest rates, even the CDs. To earn the most competitive interest rates requires a high account balance. To earn the most competitive rates for CDs requires $5,000 to $10,000. The checking account requires $2,500. The money market account requires $50,000 to earn the best rate. The savings accounts require $50,000 to $75,000 to earn the most competitive rate.

Not all NASB accounts are able to be opened online. Some accounts require visiting a branch location to open. North American Savings Bank offers special online accounts and in-branch accounts. Their website makes it easy to see which accounts are online and which are in-branch accounts.

North American Savings Bank does not offer business deposit accounts. They offer commercial lending options and construction and development loans. NASB only offers personal deposit accounts. Those accounts include savings, money market, and checking accounts, as well as CDs.

Read the full North American Savings Bank review.

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