PNC VS Northeast 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: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Low required amounts to open accounts
  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Business accounts offered
  • Pearl MMA earns a good rate

Cons:

  • Low interest rates on accounts
  • Some accounts have tiered interest rates
  • Accounts opened in branches
  • Monthly fees for most accounts
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.

Northeast Bank Review

The required amounts to open Northeast Bank accounts are low. The savings account requires $100. The holiday club requires $2, and all CDs only require $500 to open. One checking account requires $25 to open. The other three checking accounts require $100 to open.

Northeast Bank offers a variety of personal deposit accounts. They offer a savings account for youth, regular savings, and a holiday savings account. Two money market accounts are offered. There are four checking accounts, including one for those 50 or older. There are a variety of CD terms, ranging from six-months to five-years.

Along with personal deposit accounts, Northeast Bank offers business accounts. Those include savings, checking, and money market accounts. They offer lines of credit, business, and equipment loans. Cash management options are available. Each account comes with online bill pay and banking, and merchant card processing.

The Pearl money market account is available to open to those who live by a branch location. This money market account earns more competitive interest rates than the other accounts. This account is only for new customers to Northeast Bank. Any amount over $0.01 earns the competitive rates. The minimum opening amount is $5,000. The account fee amount or required balance is not listed on the website.

The interest rates for most Northeast Bank accounts are low. They are not competitive with other online accounts. Northeast Bank checking accounts earn interest. Some accounts have tiered interest rates.

To earn the highest interest on some Northeast Bank accounts requires a large sum. The regular money market account requires $100,000 to earn the most competitive rate. The business MMA requires $75,000. The Northeast Express Gold personal checking account requires $50,000. Any balance earns some interest, just not the most competitive rate. The most competitive rate offered is not competitive with other online accounts.

The accounts listed on the Northeast Bank website are only able to open in a branch location. No online accounts are offered directly through the Northeast Bank website. Online accounts are offered through ableBanking, their online division.

Most accounts offered through Northeast Bank have a monthly fee. The fees range from $1 to $7 a month, depending on the account. To waive the monthly fee requires a set balance be in the account. That amount varies from $100 to $10,000.

Read the full Northeast Bank review.

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