PNC VS Union 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: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Checking and savings account for youth
  • Low opening amount for some accounts
  • Business accounts offered
  • MMA offers tiered interest rates

Cons:

  • Accounts have low interest rates
  • High monthly fees
  • Opening amounts for MMA are high
  • Not all checking accounts earn interest
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.

Union Bank Review

Accounts for kids and teens are offered from Union Bank. The Kidz savings account is for children ages 8-12. From ages 13-17, teen savings and checking accounts are available. These youth accounts must be jointly owned with an adult. Youth accounts do not have a monthly fee. The opening deposit amount for the savings accounts is $1. The checking account requires $100. Each deposit of at least $5 into the Kidz savings account earns a stamp. After ten stamps the child earns a gift card.

Union Bank savings, checking, and CDs have a low opening deposit. All checking accounts, except the Priority account, only need $100 to open. The basic savings account requires $50. The youth savings accounts only require $1. Union Bank CDs require $350 to open the CD. Only the seven days to one-month CDs require a higher balance.

Union Bank offers a variety of small and commercial business accounts. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available for small and commercial business. Loans, CDs, and credit cards are available as well. Union Bank offers payable and receivable services for large businesses.

Both Union Bank money market accounts offered tiered interest rates. This means the more money you have invested in the account, the higher the interest you will earn. The regular MMA requires $2,500 to open; the High Rate MMA requires $10,000.

Union Bank accounts do not offer competitive interest rates. Their rates are similar to your brick and mortar bank rates. They are not competitive with other online-only bank accounts.

Most all Union Bank accounts have a monthly maintenance fee. The fees range from $4 to $30 a month depending on the account. Signing up for online statements will lower the monthly fee by $1 for some accounts, but not waive it. Ways to waive the fees include having a required amount in the account or direct deposits. The youth accounts do not have a monthly fee.

There are two money market accounts offered by Union Bank. The basic MMA requires $2,500 to open the account. The High Rate money market account required $10,000 to open. Both accounts have a monthly maintenance fee. Union Bank requires you to link one of their checking accounts to the money market accounts. The interest rates for Union Bank MMA are not competitive.

The Priority bank account is the only checking account that earns interest. The minimum opening deposit for the interest earning account is $1,000. There is a $30 monthly fee. The fee is only waived if you have over $50,000 in combined Union Bank accounts or have a mortgage through Union Bank.

Read the full Union Bank review.

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