VirtualBank VS Home Savings

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Low required opening deposit
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • eMoney Market account offers high rates
  • Online and Mobile Banking

Cons:

  • Monthly fees on accounts
  • High-interest rates require large amounts
  • CDs require a large opening deposit
  • No checking accounts offered
  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Low opening requires amounts
  • Business accounts available
  • Online CDs offers competitive rates

Cons:

  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Tiered interest rates for MMA
  • Low interest rates
  • High yield accounts have high opening sum
VirtualBank Review

VirtualBank money market accounts have a low required opening deposit. The required amount is only $100. That opening deposit is for the eMoney Market and the Jumbo eMoney Market.

The interest rates on VirtualBank accounts are competitive with other online-only accounts. You only need one penny in the eMoney Market account to earn interest. To earn the highest interest on the Jumbo eMoney Market, you must keep at least $250,000 in the account. Anything over $0.01 earns interest, just not the highest rates.

The eMoney Market account offers a competitive introductory rate. New customers to VirtualBank receive a higher interest rate for the first year of the account being open. After the first year, the rate drops considerably. The lower rate is still much higher than your typical brick and mortar bank rates. Money already in a VirtualBank account does not qualify for the higher rate.

All VirtualBank accounts come with online and mobile banking. With online banking, you can see account balances, transfer funds, and receive e-Statements. Everything that can be done online can be done through mobile banking. You can also deposit checks through the app.

The eMoney Market and the Jumbo eMoney Market account have a monthly fee. The fee is $5. To waive the monthly fee, you must keep $100 in the account.

The Jumbo eMoney Market requires $250,000 to earn the highest interest rate. You still earn interest on any amount less than $250,000. To earn the highest amount, you must have that balance. This account only requires $100 to open. The eMoney Market account earns the same amount of interest not matter how much you have in the account.

VirtualBank CDs require $10,000 to open. The CDs range from a one-month term to a five-year term. There are 11 different CDs between those term lengths. The interest rates for each different term are competitive. The longer the term, the higher the interest rates.

VirtualBank does not offer checking accounts. They used to offer an eChecking account, but it no longer available. Because no checking accounts are offered, there are no ATM or debit cards. Bill pay is not available. You can have money directly deposited into VirtualBank money market accounts.

Read the full VirtualBank review.

Home Savings Review

Home Savings offers a variety of personal deposit accounts. They offer interest earning and free checking accounts. They offer a checking account for students and those over 50 years old. They offer a holiday savings account and savings accounts for kids and youth. Home Savings offers an online savings account and CDs. The CDs range from 28-days to five-year terms.

Most accounts have low opening requires amounts. The online savings account requires $50 to open. The holiday savings and youth savings accounts require $10 to open. Most checking accounts requires $25 to open. The interest earning checking does require $100 and must be opened in a branch location. The regular CDs require $500 to open.

Home Savings offers a variety of business accounts. They offer checking and savings accounts for small or commercial businesses. Lending options, money market accounts, and deposit services are also offered for businesses. You must visit a branch location to open business accounts.

Home Savings offers two CDs, for new investments, with competitive rates. The terms are an 18-month and 36-month CD. Money deposited in these CDs cannot be from other accounts in Home Savings accounts. The interest rates are competitive with other online CD accounts. These CDs require $500 to open and can be opened online.

Not all Home Savings accounts can open online. Some accounts require visiting a branch location, including the interest-earning checking account. Visit a branch to open the holiday savings account and savings accounts for kids.

The MMA and the Platinum savings accounts have tiered interest rates. These accounts require a $100,000 balance to earn the best rates. Balances lower than $100,000 still earn interest, just lower rates.

Most Home Savings accounts do not offer competitive interest rates. Some accounts have tiered interest rates. Other accounts have interest rates similar to typical brick and mortar bank rates. Only a few accounts offer rates competitive with online accounts.

The high yield Home Savings accounts have high required opening amounts. The Platinum savings account requires $5,000 to open. The money market account requires $10,000 to open. The money market account can be opened online. To open the Platinum Savings requires a branch location.

Read the full Home Savings review.

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