PenFed CDs have competitive interest rates. The rates on CDs are competitive with online-only accounts. The longer you can invest the money in the CD the higher the interest rates you will earn. CD terms range from six months to seven years.

All accounts, other than CDs, have a low opening balance of only $25. The more you invest in the money market account, the higher interest rates you will earn. However, you are only required to have $25 to open an account with PenFed.

PenFed offers CDs designed to save specifically for education costs. These CDs only require $500 to open instead of $1,000. The education CDs range in term from one year to seven years. The interest rates earned on these CDs are competitive with other CD accounts.

Only the checking account has a monthly maintenance fee. The fee is low and is easy to waive. The fee is waived by having a daily balance of $500 in the account. Having a direct deposit into the account of more than $500 each month will also waive the fee. The savings account and money market accounts do not have a monthly fee.

To open a CD, PenFed requires $1,000. The CD terms vary in length from six months to seven years. The longer you can invest your money in a PenFed CD the higher interest you will earn over the CD term. The interest rates on these CDs are competitive with other online-only CDs.

The interest rates for PenFed savings, checking, and money market accounts are not competitive. The rates are low. Those interest rates are competitive to your typical bank rates. Online only accounts offer much higher interest rates for these accounts.

To earn the highest interest on the PenFed checking account, a daily balance of $20,000 to $50,000 is required. If you do not have at least $20,000, you will earn much lower interest rates. Any amount earns interest. To get the highest rates, your daily balance must meet the requirements.

PenFed only offers one checking account, savings account, and money market account. This does not allow you to find the account that best fits your needs.

Read the full PenFed Credit Union 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.