Popular Direct VS MutualOne Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
5.15%APY
Savings/MMA
Advertiser Disclosure
Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon

Pros:

  • High-interest rates on accounts
  • Account available everywhere
  • Variety of CD terms
  • Online and mobile banking

Cons:

  • Opening accounts requires large deposit
  • The savings account has a monthly fee
  • Only offer CDs and one savings account
  • Linked external account required
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon

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
Popular Direct Review

The interest rates on Popular Direct accounts are very competitive. They are considerably higher than your typical brick and mortar banks. The rates are competitive with other online-only accounts.

Because Popular Direct is an online-only bank, the accounts are available everywhere. Applying for the account is quick and completed online. Everything you need for your account is accessed online. There are no branch locations.

Popular Direct offers a variety of different CD term lengths. The terms range from a three-month term to five-year terms. The other terms include six months, one year, eighteen months, two, three, and four-year terms. The interest rates increase the longer the term length.

All Popular Direct accounts come with online and mobile banking. With online banking, you can set up account notifications and see statements. You can transfer funds between the linked external account. Mobile and online banking allow you to transfer money between Popular Direct accounts. You can check account balances and deposit checks.

To open a savings account with Popular Direct, you must have $5,000 as your opening deposit. To open a CD with Popular Direct, you must have $10,000 as the opening required deposit. You will still earn interest if your balance drops below these required amounts.

Popular Direct savings account has a monthly fee. The fee is $4 per month if your balance falls below $500. No fee is charged if your balance remains above $500. There is also a fee for closing the account before 180 days after opening it. A $5 monthly fee is charged each month if your account is inactive for 12 months. Following the 12th month, the fee is charged each month the account is inactive.

Popular Direct only offers CDs and one savings account. They do not offer a checking account, money market account, or any business accounts. The CDs range from 30-day CDs to a five-year term.

Popular Direct requires you link your account to an external account. The linked account allows you to make deposits into your Popular Direct account. The external bank account cannot be changed within the first 60 days of opening the account.

Read the full Popular Direct 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.

Sponsored Offers

Advertiser Disclosure
Featured Offers