Popular Direct VS Quorum Federal Credit Union

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
4.60%APY
Savings/MMA
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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: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • No required amount to open account
  • Most accounts do not have fees
  • MMA and CDs offer competitive rates
  • ATM fee reimbursement

Cons:

  • Must become a member to open accounts
  • Most accounts do not have competitive rates
  • Tiered interest rates on accounts
  • No business accounts available
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.

Quorum Federal Credit Union Review

Quorum does not have a set amount required to open their HighQ savings account. The basic savings account only requires $5 to open, which Quorum will pay for you. The checking accounts offered through Quorum do not have a set amount required to open.

Most Quorum accounts do not have monthly fees. If the accounts do have a fee, that fee is easy to waive. Electronic statements waive the fee for the basic savings account. Waive the checking account fees by having a set amount in direct deposits or a set account balance. You must also sign up for electronic statements.

The HighQ savings account and some CDs offer the most competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online-only accounts. There is no required amount to open the HighQ account and no monthly fees. This account can be opened online. The CDs require $1,000 to open.

The QChoice checking account offers ATM reimbursement. There are a variety of ATMs that are free of charge to Quorum customers. However, if you use an ATM that charges a fee, Quorum will reimburse that fee up to $15 per month. The fee reimbursement will deposit automatically into your account on the second business day of the following month.

To open an account with Quorum, you must become a member of the credit union. To open an account online, you must be over 18. If you are under 18, you must mail in the application. To establish your membership, you must open a basic savings account. The required amount is $5, but Quorum will fund that amount.

Most Quorum accounts do not offer competitive interest rates. Most account rates are competitive with typical brick and mortar bank rates. The HighQ savings account offers the most competitive rate. That account offers interest that is competitive with other online accounts.

Most Quorum account interest rates are tiered. The checking account requires a $20,000 balance to earn the most competitive rate. The money management account requires $250,000 to receive the best rate.

The only accounts offered through Quorum are personal deposit accounts. No specific business accounts are available. Those personal deposit accounts include checking and savings accounts, and CDs. The CDs range from three-months to five-year terms.

Read the full Quorum Federal Credit Union review.

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