HSBC Direct Bank VS Northfield Bank

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: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Online accounts have competitive rates
  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Online and mobile banking
  • Business accounts available

Cons:

  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Tiered interest rates
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • High required amounts for online
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.

Northfield Bank Review

The Northfield Bank online accounts offer competitive interest rates. The rates for the online accounts are competitive with other online accounts. The online account rates are higher than other Northfield Bank account rates.

There are a variety of personal accounts offered by Northfield Bank. They offer an interest-earning checking account, one for students, and traditional checking accounts. They offer a savings account for children, CDs, and money market accounts.

Northfield offers online and mobile banking for their accounts. These services are not just for the online accounts. All Northfield Bank accounts have the option of online and mobile banking. You can see account balances, transfer money, and deposit checks. You can pay bills and pay others with PopMoney.

Along with personal deposit accounts, Northfield offers business accounts. Those accounts include a checking and money market account for businesses. Northfield also offers credit cards, lending, and cash management services for businesses. All business accounts must be opened in a branch location.

Not all Northfield Bank accounts can open online. Most Northfield accounts require you to visit a branch location to open. Their branches are in the New York and New Jersey area. The accounts you open online include one savings account and CDs. The CD terms include a nine-month, 11-month, 16-month, and 60-month.

The interest rates for Northfield accounts opened in a branch location are tiered. To earn the most competitive rates on those accounts requires large account balances. The money market account requires $15,000. The high yield money market and premier savings account requires $100,000.

Most Northfield accounts have monthly fees. The fees for accounts opened in the branches range from $3 to $25. To waive the fees requires a set account balance. Those balance range from $500 to $100,000. The online savings account has a monthly fee of $8 if your balance falls below $2,500.

The online accounts with Northfield have high opening required amounts. The online CDs require $2,500 to open. The savings account only requires $0.01 to open, but there is an $8 monthly fee if your balance falls below $2,500. Any amount over $0.01 earns interest. You must also link the Northfield account to another bank account. You fund your Northfield online account through the linked account.

Read the full Northfield Bank review.

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