TD Bank VS California First National Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Wide variety of accounts offered
  • Specific checking accounts available
  • Business prepaid cards
  • Good variety of CD options

Cons:

  • Products not available everywhere
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Interest rates are low
  • Not all checking accounts earn interest
  • Financial Rates: 1.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Reimbursement of ATM fees
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • Interest rates are not tiered
  • Free first order of checks with checking

Cons:

  • Not a wide variety of accounts
  • High opening required amounts
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Not all CDs offer competitive rates
TD Bank Review

TD Bank offers a large selection of bank accounts. They offer personal checking, savings, and money market accounts. CDs, loans, and prepaid cards are offered. TD Bank offers accounts for small and commercial businesses. Checking, savings, and money market accounts are available for businesses. Loans, CDs, and credit cards for businesses are also offered.

TD Bank offers two specific checking accounts. One is for those over 60 years old, and another account specific for students. The student checking account does not have a monthly fee. The TD 60 Plus account requires $250 be in the account to waive the $10 monthly fee. The TD 60 Plus checking earns interest.

TD Bank offers three prepaid cards for businesses. You can use the cards to pay employees their paycheck or as part of an incentive program. Load a specific amount for expenses to the card or use them as a reward or refund. TD Bank offers reloadable cards or one-time use cards. The cards are accepted anywhere Visa is accepted.

TD Bank offers a good variety of CDs. TD Bank’s No-Catch CDs allow you to make one withdrawal each CD term without penalty. Step Rate CDs increase your interest each year. The 12-month Rate Bump CD offers competitive interest rates. To qualify for that CD, you must have a qualifying checking account in good standing. The rate bump increases the amount of interest your CD earns by more than a full percent. Only $250 is required to open all TD Bank CDs.

Accounts with TD Bank are not offered everywhere. To qualify for an account, you must have an address within the footprint of TD Bank. Those areas are on the East Coast, ranging from Maine to Florida. They are also in parts of Canada.

Most all TD Bank accounts have a monthly maintenance fee. The fees range from $4 to $25 each month, depending on the account. Not all account fees are easy to waive. Having a required amount in the account is the most common way to waive the account fees. Signing up for online statements will lower the monthly fee, not waive it. Having a direct deposit into the account will not waive the monthly fees.

Interest rates for TD Bank accounts are low. They are competitive with your typical brick and mortar bank rates. The TD Bank account rates are not competitive with online-only accounts. Only a few CDs offer interest rates competitive with online-only accounts.

Not all TD Bank checking accounts earn interest. The Premier, Relationship, and the TD 60 Plus checking account are the three that earn interest. The 60 Plus checking account does not require a large balance to avoid the monthly fee. The Premier account requires $2,500, and the Relationship requires $20,000 between TD Bank accounts.

Read the full TD Bank review.

California First National Bank Review

You can withdraw money from any ATMs with the specific “Plus” logo. If you withdraw money from another ATM, you are reimbursed for the fees charged. CalFirst will reimburse up to $6.00 each statement cycle in ATM fees.

Most CalFirst accounts offer competitive interest rates. The interest rates are not tiered, so you earn the highest rates offered on any balance in the account. Interest is paid monthly on the actual daily balance.

The interest rates for CalFirst accounts are not tiered. Any amount you have in their accounts earns the competitive interest rates. You do not have to have a certain amount in the account to earn the most competitive rates.

The first order of checks is free when you open an interest checking account. You get an ATM card when you open an interest checking account. Free online bill pay comes with each CalFirst checking account opened.

CalFirst does not have a wide variety of accounts. No business accounts are available, only personal deposit accounts. One money market account and savings account are available. There is an interest checking and one regular checking account. CalFirst only offers five different CD terms.

CalFirst accounts have high opening amounts. The money market account and CDs require $5,000 to open. The interest checking account requires $2,500 to open. The savings account and regular checking account both require $1,000 to open.

The accounts at CalFirst all have a monthly fee. The fees range from $10 to $20 a month, depending on the account you open. Waive the fee by keeping a set amount in CalFirst accounts. You can also have a combined balance between a variety of CalFirst accounts.

Not all the CD terms offer competitive rates. The most competitive rates are the three-month, six-month, and the one-year terms. The two-year and three-year terms have interest rates much lower than the other terms. Regular CDs require $5,000 to open. The IRA CDs require $2,000 to open. The only fees are if you withdraw the money before the maturity date.

Read the full California First National Bank review.

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American Express
Savings (Rate as of 11/21/2024)
APY 4.00%
Rate 3.92%
Min to Open $0
Min to Earn APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Min to Avoid Fee $0
Checkbook No
Member FDIC
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EverBank
Savings (Rate as of 11/21/2024)
APY 4.75%
Rate 4.64%
Min to Open $0
Min to Earn APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Min to Avoid Fee $0
Checkbook No
Member FDIC No monthly maintenance fee, $0 to open, easily grow your money
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