Wells Fargo VS FNBO Direct

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 1.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Opportunity checking account
  • Business accounts are available
  • Checking account for teenagers
  • Low opening required amounts

Cons:

  • Low-interest rates
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Few CD options and high opening amount
  • No money market account offered
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
3.90%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • No monthly fees or required amounts
  • Accounts offer competitive rates
  • Low opening balance
  • Any amount earns highest interest rate

Cons:

  • No business accounts available
  • Interest rates for CDs low
  • Limited personal deposit accounts
  • Savings account must be linked
Wells Fargo Review

Wells Fargo offers an Opportunity Checking account. This account is for those who do not qualify for a regular checking account. It offers checks, a debit card, bill pay, and mobile banking. With the Opportunity account, there is a $10 monthly fee. There are options to waive the fee.

Many business accounts are available through Wells Fargo. Business savings and checking accounts are available. They offer CDs, loans, and credit cards. Commercial finance options are available. Wells Fargo offers retirement and investment options for businesses, along with payroll options.

Wells Fargo offers a checking account specifically for kids 13-17 years old. A parent must open the account with the child. There are no monthly fees and it offers a debit card and mobile banking. Parents can set limits on the number of purchases and withdrawals made from the account.

To open a Wells Fargo checking and savings requires a low opening deposit. The savings and checking accounts only need $25 to open. The accounts may require more money to earn interest, but to open the account only requires $25.

The interest rates for Wells Fargo accounts are low. They are not competitive with other online-only accounts. Even the highest interest rates offered are low compared to other online accounts.

Most Wells Fargo accounts have a monthly fee. The fees range from $10-30, depending on the account. Ways to waive the fees include:

  • Signing up for electronic statements
  • Having an average daily balance above a set amount
  • Setting up a reoccurring savings deposit
  • Account holder is between a certain age
  • Having a direct deposit over a certain amount
  • Combined account balances are above a set amount
  • Making a set number of debit card transactions

Wells Fargo does not offer many CD term lengths. There are only four CDs with an opening amount of $2,500. Those terms are three-month, six-month, and one-year CDs. The 9, 29, and 39-month CDs require $5,000 to open. The Step Rate CD is a 24-month term. To open requires $2,500 and must be done in a branch location.

Wells Fargo does not offer a money market account. They offer a basic and a Platinum savings account. Neither account offers interest rates competitive to online accounts.

Read the full Wells Fargo review.

FNBO Direct Review

The accounts offered through FNBO Direct do not have a monthly fee. There is not an amount required to keep in the account. There are no fees for not having that amount in the account each month.

FNBO Direct savings and checking accounts offer competitive interest rates. Those rates are competitive with other online-only accounts. They are much higher than your typical brick and mortar bank rates.

The amounts required to open FNBO Direct accounts is low. The savings and checking account only require $1 to open. The different CD terms all only require $500 to open. There is no set amount to keep in FNBO Direct accounts.

Any amount deposited in FNBO Direct accounts earns the highest interest rates offered. The interest is not adjusted based on the account balance. The minimum amount to open a savings and checking account is $1. Any amount over $0.01 earns the highest interest rate offered. The CD requires $500 to open.

There are no business accounts available through FNBO Direct. The only accounts offered are personal deposit accounts. There is a saving and checking account and different term lengths of CDs. The terms range from a six-month CD to a five-year CD.

The interest rates offered on the FNBO Direct CDs are lower than other online banks. They are not as competitive as FNBO Direct rates for their savings and checking accounts. Other online bank accounts offer more competitive interest rates for CDs.

There is a limited option of personal deposit accounts available through FNBO Direct. There is only one savings account, one checking account, and CDs. There are eight different CD term lengths. The terms range from six-month terms to a five-year term. There is no money market account offered.

The FNBO Direct savings account must be linked to a checking account. You must link an external account to transfer money electronically. You can link up to three external accounts.

Read the full FNBO Direct review.

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