LendingClub VS Limelight 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
5.00%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates
  • Free Rewards checking account
  • Checking account cash back option
  • No fees and low opening required amounts

Cons:

  • Required account balance for high rates
  • Specific stipulation for cash back benefit
  • High monthly fee for two checking accounts
  • Other accounts have low rates
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Interest rates are not tiered
  • No fees and low opening required amounts
  • Everything for an account is online

Cons:

  • Limited accounts offered
  • Customer service not available 24/7
  • No business accounts offered
  • Link CD accounts to external accounts
LendingClub Review

The accounts offered through LendingClub offer competitive interest rates. The high-yield savings account offers rates up to 0.60%. Their checking account earns a lower rate than the savings account, but does offer some interest earning at 0.15%.

LendingClub offers a Rewards checking account. This account does not have monthly maintenance fees. This checking account earns cash back, and interest, if you meet the requirements. It requires $100 to open the account. After you open the account, there are no monthly fees or required amounts to avoid the fees, but a set balance amount to earn the rewards.

With the Rewards checking account, customers can earn up to one percent back on their debit card purchases. The debit card is linked to your Rewards checking account. Purchases made online or in-store are eligible for the cash back option.

Most of the accounts at LendingClub do not have monthly maintenance fees. Once you open the high-yield savings account with $100, there is not a monthly fee or minimum requirement to keep in the account to avoid a monthly fee. The opening required amounts for most accounts are low. The high-yield checking account only requires $100 to open.

The interest rates for the high-yield account is high, but in order to earn that amount, you must keep a set amount in the account. This account requires a balance of $2,500 to be in the account to earn the highest interest amount. Balances that fall below $2,500 will receive a much lower interest rate of 0.05%.

In order to earn the cash back, you must have your account open for 30 days and have $2,500 in the account from direct deposits or another source of income. The credit comes from purchases made online or in the store using your debit card signature option. To earn the cash back option, you MUST choose the credit option instead of the debit option when making your purchase. Transactions made with your PIN are not eligible for the cash back. The money you earn will be credited into your account at the end of each earning period.

The Essential Checking account has a monthly fee of $9. You can waive this fee by keeping a set amount in the account, but this amount is high as well. To waive the monthly fee, you must have at least $5,000 in the checking account at all times. If the account balance falls below $5,000, you will be charged the fee. The Tailored checking account has a monthly fee of $10 if you do not have at least $5,000 in the account.

Not all accounts offer competitive interest rates. The CDs, money market account, and basic savings account do not offer competitive interest rates. Those rates are much lower than the high-yield savings account rates.

Read the full LendingClub review.

Limelight Bank Review

The interest rates on Limelight CDs are competitive. They are competitive with other online CD accounts. Limelight interest rates are much higher than typical brick and mortar bank rates.

Limelight interest rates are not tiered. Any amount in the CD earns the most competitive rate offered. There is no set balance required to earn the most competitive rate.

Each of the Limelight CDs only requires $1,000 to open. There are no monthly fees. The only fees with Limelight CDs are from withdrawing money before the account reaches maturity. You can withdraw money during the grace period without a fee.

Limelight Bank is an entirely online bank. There are no branch locations. You open your account online, and everything for your account is online. Any U.S. citizen, who is 18 years or older, with an SSN or ITIN can open an account.

Limelight Bank offers limited options for personal deposit accounts. They only offer personal deposit CDs. Those CD terms include a six-month term, 12-month term, or 18-month term. Limelight Bank does not offer a savings, checking, or money market account.

Limelight customer service is not available 24/7. The most common way to reach customer service is through email. There is a phone number listed on the website. Customer service hours are not listed on the website.

Limelight Bank does not offer business accounts. The only account offered are personal deposit CDs. Those terms include a six-month, 12-month, and 18-month terms.

Limelight does not offer a checking or savings account. To fund the CDs requires the accounts to be linked to an external account. Once the account is linked to an external bank account, you can easily make transfers into and out of the CDs. Transfer money during the CD grace period or when the CD reaches maturity to avoid a fee.

Read the full Limelight Bank review.

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