PNC VS MutualOne Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Virtual Wallet rates are competitive
  • Relationship Rates offer higher rates
  • Student accounts offered
  • Business accounts are available

Cons:

  • Low interest rates for other accounts
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • High required balances to avoid fees
  • Must open CDs at branch locations
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Low required opening amounts
  • Checking account earns interest
  • Business accounts offered
  • Competitive interest rates

Cons:

  • To earn highest rates requires a large sum
  • Some accounts have fees
  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Low interest rates on MMA
PNC Review

Opening PNCs Virtual Wallet accounts earn competitive interest rates. This includes three specific accounts: the Spend, Reserve, and Growth accounts. The Spend account is your checking account for everyday spending. The Reserve account is a short-term savings account. It offers overdraft protection for the Spend account. The Growth account is for longer-term goals, like a down payment, car, or vacation. Virtual Wallet accounts offer interest rates that are competitive with other online accounts. You must link these accounts together to earn competitive rates.

Some Growth savings accounts offer slightly higher rates with Relationship Rates. You must qualify to earn the Relationship Rates. To qualify, you must have a set amount directly deposited into the Spend account. Making five debit transactions also qualifies you. The amounts of direct deposits vary from $500 to $5,000 depending on the account. If you qualify, your money will earn even higher interest rates.

PNC offers accounts for college students. With proof you are enrolled in college, the monthly fee is waived. This account offers a debit card and online and mobile banking. The same features of Virtual Wallet are available for the college account. Parents can sign up to receive alert texts when balances are low or overdrawn. Some colleges offer other perks with the account. For example, one college allows you to use your student ID card as a PNC ATM card.

PNC offers small and commercial business accounts. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available. CDs, credit cards, and online services for your business are available. Bill pay, remote check deposits, and online payroll are services offered.

PNC standard account interest rates are low. To earn the competitive rates on Virtual Wallet accounts, you must meet the set requirement. If you open a standard account or do not meet the requirements, interest rates are low. To earn the competitive rates, be sure you open the right accounts and meet the requirements.

Most PNC accounts have a monthly fee. The fees range from $5 to $25 depending on the account. There are ways to waive the fees. Having a set amount in the account or in qualifying PNC accounts will waive the fees. Direct deposits of a set amount or if you are 62 years or older will waive some fees. As of March 2019, PNC loan and investment balances are not included to waive monthly fees.

The amounts required to have in PNC accounts to waive the monthly fees are high. The money market account requires $5,000 to avoid the monthly fee. Virtual Wallet accounts require $500 to $5,000 to waive the fee or $10,000 to $25,000 across all PNC deposit accounts. After March 2019, loans and investment balances will no longer count toward the total amount to waive fees. Their standard savings account only requires $300 to waive monthly fees.

Customers must open PNC CDs at a branch location. Most PNC CDs required $1,000 to open. The CDs with terms of seven to 89 days require $5,000 to open. PNC has branch locations in 19 states and the District of Columbia.

Read the full PNC review.

MutualOne Bank Review

MutualOne accounts have a low required amount to open the accounts. There are 15 different CDs to choose from. Three CDs require $5,000 to open, but the rest only need $500 to open. Checking accounts only need $100 to open. The MMA requires $500. All MutualOne saving accounts only require $10 to open.

The MutualOne Advantage checking account earns interest. The account only requires $100 to open the account. Any amount over $10 will earn interest. The rates are tiered so to earn the highest rates, you must keep $50,000 in the account. Amounts under that still earn competitive interest rates, just not the highest amount.

MutualOne offers competitive, tiered interest rates on their accounts. The more money you have in the accounts, the higher the interest rates you earn on your money. The MutualOne online savings account earns competitive interest rates and is entirely online. Any amount earns the highest rate.

Business accounts are available through MutualOne Bank. A checking account, savings account, money market account, and CDs are available. There are two different checking accounts. One tailored to commercial businesses. To find out more about business accounts, or apply to open one, you must contact a personal banker.

To earn the highest interest rates available, you must keep a certain amount in the accounts. The advantage checking account required $50,000 be in the account to earn the highest rates. To earn the highest MMA rates, $200,000 must be in the account. The online saving account only requires $100 to earn the highest rates. Lower amounts in these accounts earn interest, just not the highest rate.

Some MutualOne accounts have a monthly maintenance fee. There are ways to waive the fees. Keeping a set amount in the account, or between deposit and loan accounts, will waive the fees. The monthly fee amounts are not listed on the website.

Not all MutualOne Bank accounts are available to open online. The online savings account and CDs can be opened online. Checking, money market, and some savings accounts require a personal banker. Business accounts need a personal banker to open.

To earn the highest interest rates on MMAs, you must have $10,00 in one account and $200,000 in the other MMA. The interest rates for balances under those amounts are low. They are competitive with your typical brick and mortar banks. The more money you invest, the higher the rates. However, the rates for lower amounts are not competitive with other online accounts.

Read the full MutualOne Bank review.

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