TAB Bank VS PenFed Credit Union

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
0.25%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • Variety of accounts offered
  • No monthly maintenance fees
  • Most accounts have low opening amounts
  • Savings account and CDs offer high rates

Cons:

  • Savings account opening balance high
  • Most account interest rates low
  • Opening accounts not entirely online
  • Customer service not available 24/7
  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • CDs have competitive interest rates
  • Low opening required amount
  • CDs offered to save for education
  • Low monthly fee for checking account

Cons:

  • High opening balances for CDs
  • Low-interest rates
  • Best rates require large balances
  • Do not offer a variety of accounts
TAB Bank Review

A variety of accounts are available through TAB Bank. They offer personal and business checking, savings, and money market accounts, along with CDs. The CD terms range from six months to five years. TAB offers personal deposit accounts and accounts for all sizes of businesses.

The accounts at TAB Bank do not have monthly maintenance fees. There is no required amount to keep in the account to avoid a monthly fee. The accounts do have set amounts to earn the most competitive interest rates.

Most TAB accounts have low required amounts to open. The money market account, checking, and basic savings account all only require $25 to open. There is a daily balance required of $1 to keep the account open and earn interest. Each of the CD terms require $1,000 to open.

TAB Bank’s high yield savings account and CDs offer competitive interest rates. These rates are competitive with other online accounts. The interest rate for the high yield account is not tiered. You do need to have a balance of $2,500 to earn the most competitive rate. Amounts under $2,500 still earn interest, just a much lower rate. Each of the CD terms offers competitive interest rates. CDs require $1,000 to open and earn interest.

The high yield savings account has a high opening balance. This account requires $2,500 to open. That amount is also required to keep in the account to earn the highest interest rate. Any amount under $2,500 earns interest, just a much lower rate.

Interest rates for TAB accounts, besides the high yield savings account and CDs, are low. They are not competitive with other online accounts. The interest rates for checking, basic savings, and money market accounts compare to brick and mortar bank rates.

Opening an account with TAB Bank is not done entirely online. The application is online. You must print off the application and fill out the information. Once the application is complete, you can email, fax, or mail it to TAB Bank.

TAB Bank customer service is not always available. TAB customer service is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain Time. On Saturday they open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. TAB customer service is closed Sunday and federal holidays.

Read the full TAB Bank review.

PenFed Credit Union Review

PenFed CDs have competitive interest rates. The rates on CDs are competitive with online-only accounts. The longer you can invest the money in the CD the higher the interest rates you will earn. CD terms range from six months to seven years.

All accounts, other than CDs, have a low opening balance of only $25. The more you invest in the money market account, the higher interest rates you will earn. However, you are only required to have $25 to open an account with PenFed.

PenFed offers CDs designed to save specifically for education costs. These CDs only require $500 to open instead of $1,000. The education CDs range in term from one year to seven years. The interest rates earned on these CDs are competitive with other CD accounts.

Only the checking account has a monthly maintenance fee. The fee is low and is easy to waive. The fee is waived by having a daily balance of $500 in the account. Having a direct deposit into the account of more than $500 each month will also waive the fee. The savings account and money market accounts do not have a monthly fee.

To open a CD, PenFed requires $1,000. The CD terms vary in length from six months to seven years. The longer you can invest your money in a PenFed CD the higher interest you will earn over the CD term. The interest rates on these CDs are competitive with other online-only CDs.

The interest rates for PenFed savings, checking, and money market accounts are not competitive. The rates are low. Those interest rates are competitive to your typical bank rates. Online only accounts offer much higher interest rates for these accounts.

To earn the highest interest on the PenFed checking account, a daily balance of $20,000 to $50,000 is required. If you do not have at least $20,000, you will earn much lower interest rates. Any amount earns interest. To get the highest rates, your daily balance must meet the requirements.

PenFed only offers one checking account, savings account, and money market account. This does not allow you to find the account that best fits your needs.

Read the full PenFed Credit Union review.

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