HSBC Direct Bank VS DCU

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Options of personal deposit accounts
  • Low required opening amounts
  • Business accounts available
  • Variety of other products offered

Cons:

  • Checking accounts have a monthly fee
  • Low-interest rates on accounts
  • Amount required to waive fees is high
  • Tiered interest rates
  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Variety of accounts offered
  • Competitive interest rate for savings
  • Can open all accounts online
  • Low opening amounts and no fees

Cons:

  • Must become a member first
  • Tiered interest rates on MMA
  • High balances to earn interest
  • Only one withdrawal per month for Ltd.
HSBC Direct Bank Review

Each type of personal deposit account has more than one option. There are four different checking accounts and three different savings accounts offered. This allows you to find the account to fit your needs best. There are only three different term lengths of CDs offered. A six-month, one-year, and two-year terms.

The HSBC savings accounts all require only $1 to open. The checking account does not have an amount required when you open the account. The HSBC CDs require $1,000 to open.

There are a wide variety of different business accounts offered through HSBC. Savings accounts, checking accounts, and CDs are all available through HSBC. There are loans and credit cards for businesses. There are options for corporate accounts. Different cash management options are also available.

Along with business accounts, HSBC offers a wide variety of other products. That includes credit cards and insurance. They offer options for investing and retiring. There are also different loan options to meet your needs.

HSBC checking accounts have a monthly fee. The fees range from $3 to $50 each month. Most of the fees can be waived by meeting certain requirements. One checking account only allows eight checks or withdrawal slips to be written. After those eight you are charged for each check you write.

Interest rates on HSBC accounts are not competitive. They are much lower than other online-only accounts. Their rates are competitive with other brick and mortar banks.

The amounts required to keep in HSBC checking accounts to waive the fees are high. The amounts range from $1,500 to $100,000, depending on which account you open. Some accounts allow the fee to be waived if you have a direct deposit into the account of certain amounts. Know the fees and requirements to waive the fees before you open an account.

To receive the highest interest rates offered on HSBC accounts you must have a large balance. The savings accounts require $100,000 to earn the best rates offered. Lower amount still earn interest, just a lower rate.

Read the full HSBC Direct Bank review.

DCU Review

Digital Federal Credit Union offers a wide variety of personal deposit accounts. These accounts include:

  • Free checking with different benefit levels
  • HSA checking
  • Primary savings
  • Money market savings
  • Ltd. savings
  • Holiday Savings Club
  • Regular CDs with terms from 3 to 60 months
  • Jumbo CDs from 3 to 60 months
  • Jump-Up CDs with a 15-month and 27-month term
  • QuickStart CDs from 3 to 60 months
  • Loans and credit cards
  • Business accounts and lending options

The Primary savings account offers competitive interest rates. For the first $1,000, you earn over a six percent interest rate. Any amount over $1,000 earns a lower rate of 0.25 percent. Between the two rates, the account earns competitive interest rates. The Primary savings account is the account you must open to become a member of DCU.

You can open all DCU accounts online. You do not need to visit a branch location to open the accounts. To open DCU accounts, you must be at least 18 years old. You must provide a government-issued ID and Social Security Number. Your address, phone number, and date of birth are also required.

The highest amount required to open a DCU checking or savings account is only $5. To earn interest for some accounts requires a larger balance. The CDs require $100 or $500, depending on the CD. Jumbo CDs require $25,000. DCU accounts do not have monthly fees or a required amount to keep in the account to avoid a fee.

To open an account with DCU, you must become a member of the credit union. You become a member by opening the Primary savings account with at least $5. Once you open that account and become a member, you can open any other DCU account.

The DCU money market account has tiered interest rates. To earn the most competitive interest rates requires a balance of at least $100,000. Lower balances earn interest, just not the highest rate.

The Ltd. savings account requires a balance of $25,000 to earn any interest. Any balance over $25,000 earns the most competitive rate, but balances below do not earn any interest.

Only one withdrawal is allowed per month from the Ltd. savings account. For every other withdrawal, there is a fee of $25. To earn interest on this account requires a balance of $25,000. There is no required amount to open the account.

Read the full DCU review.

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