TIAA Bank VS Navy Federal Credit Union

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • No monthly fees for accounts
  • High-interest rates on select accounts
  • Variety of business accounts offered
  • Interest on checking, high for first year

Cons:

  • Checking interest drops after first year
  • Large amount required to open accounts
  • Basic accounts have lower interest rates
  • ATM fee reimbursement requires high sum
  • 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:

  • Low opening required amounts
  • Variety of accounts available
  • ATM fee reimbursements
  • Competitive rates on most accounts

Cons:

  • Must become a member first
  • Accounts have tiered interest rates
  • Daily cash limits on withdrawals
TIAA Bank Review

Note: TIAA has acquired EverBank, rebranding the bank as TIAA Bank. The acquisition completed on June 12, 2018.

The Yield accounts at TIAA Bank do not charge monthly maintenance fees. There is no amount required to keep in the accounts to avoid fees. You will earn interest on any amount you have deposited in the account.

TIAA Bank guarantees that their account offerings will earn the top five percent interest in the nation. This makes them a competitive bank in the field of high-interest rates.

Business accounts are available through TIAA Bank. Your business can earn the high interest rates you earn with personal banking. There are checking accounts for small businesses and non profits. Interest earning and basic business checking accounts are available. Money market accounts, CDs, and credit cards are also available for your business.

The Yield Checking account offers a one-year spotlight APY. The rate for one year is much higher than the regular interest rates. This rate is only for new customers. Earn interest on any amount above $5,000, but less than $250,000.

After the one-year spotlight APY, the rate drops. The account still earns interest, but lower than the first year. The interest you earn after the first year depends on the amount you have in the account. The rates drop by almost one whole percentage point for balances under $10,000.

The high interest earning accounts have a high required opening balance. You must have $5,000 to open the Yield Pledge Checking, Yield Pledge Money Market, and Yield Pledge CD accounts. Once you open one of these accounts, you will earn the top five percent of yields on your money. TIAA Bank ensures the top interest rates on these accounts.

To open the TIAA Bank accounts with the high interest rates you must have $5,000. TIAA Bank does offer a basic checking and savings account. These accounts only require $25 to open. There is no monthly fee as long as you keep $25 in the account. The basic CDs only required $1,000 to open. These basic accounts get lower interest rates, but still competitive.

TIAA Bank does reimburse fees charged at ATMs, but only if your account balance is over $5,000. TIAA Bank does not charge fees for using their ATMs. The fees are only for other bank ATMs.

Read the full TIAA Bank review.

Navy Federal Credit Union Review

Navy Federal accounts have low opening required amounts. The savings account only requires $5 to open. The money market account does not have a set amount required to open, but to earn interest requires $2,500. The checking accounts do not have a set amount required to open. The CDs have tiered opening required amounts. The lowest amount to open a regular CD is $1,000. Special CD offers require lower opening amounts.

There are a wide variety of accounts offered through Navy Federal. They offer a savings account, money market account, and CDs. Their CD terms range from three-month terms to seven-year terms. Navy Federal offers five checking accounts. Those accounts include one for students, an online account, and an active duty account. Navy Federal also offers loans and credit cards.

Most Navy Federal checking accounts offer ATM fee reimbursement. Only the Everyday Checking account does not. The reimbursement amount ranges from $10 to $20, depending on the account. Some accounts require a direct deposit to earn the reimbursement.

Most all Navy Federal accounts offer competitive interest rates. The CDs offer the most competitive interest rates. Navy Federal savings and checking accounts earn interest. The rates are lower than online account rates. The money market account rates are slightly lower than online rates. These rates are higher than typical bank rates.

Before you open an account with Navy Federal, you must first become a member of the credit union. Servicemembers and veterans are eligible to join Navy Federal. Department of Defense employees are eligible. Family members of each of these groups can become members of Navy Federal Credit Union.

Navy Federal money market and Flagship checking account have tiered interest rates. To earn the most competitive rate on the MMA requires a balance of at least $50,000. The checking account requires $25,000. To earn the most competitive rate on Navy Federal CDs requires $100,000.

Navy Federal only allows for a daily cash withdrawal of $600. This includes cash from an ATM, a branch, or receiving cash back. There is a daily transaction limit of $3,000 for most checking accounts and $5,000 for the Flagship checking. Their accounts do not typically have limits on the number of transactions.

Read the full Navy Federal Credit Union review.

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