If you’re searching for a better banking relationship, check out our sixth annual rankings of the best financial institutions among national banks, internet banks and credit unions, as well as the best institutions for three client profiles: high-net-worth clients, retirees and families with kids. We enlisted the help of financial-data provider Curinos, which compiled information on interest rates, fees and other features on the 39 institutions we studied. To better reflect recent changes in bank policies, we added data on overdraft grace periods (alongside other overdraft data we’ve been examining for years) and early availability for checking-account funds as criteria in our rankings. And compared with previous years, we’ve tweaked how student and senior checking accounts are evaluated in the rankings of national banks, credit unions and internet banks, shifting emphasis to whether institutions have dedicated accounts for those groups.Interest rates listed here are as of early June. Before you commit to a bank, check its current yields. With overall rates on the rise, some yields are likely to adjust after our publishing date.
- Best National Banks
- Best Banks for Higher-Net-Worth Clients
- Best Banks for Retirees
- Best Internet Banks
- Best Banks for Families With Kids
- Best Credit Unions
How We Choose The Top Financial Institutions
With data from Curinos, a financial-data provider, as well as from financial institutions and other sources, we evaluated 13 national and large regional banks, 13 internet banks (including online accounts from brokerage firms) and 13 credit unions. We reviewed checking accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit accounts and certificates of deposit from each institution. We looked at interest rates; minimum deposit and balance requirements; monthly maintenance fees and the ease of waiving those fees; ATM benefits, such as waived or reimbursed fees for out-of- network withdrawals; free or discounted benefits, such as personal checks, cashier’s checks, paper statements and overdraft-protection transfers; overdraft fees and concessions, such as cushions and grace periods; and online and mobile banking features, such as the availability of peer-to-peer payment services. Data is obtained from public sources; accuracy and completeness is not guaranteed. Curinos is not liable for reliance on the data.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
