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Colorado Federal Savings Bank VS Sallie Mae

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Variety of Terms: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Required Opening Amount: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Early withdrawal penalty low
  • Good variety of CD terms available
  • The bank is completely online

Cons:

  • Enrolling in online banking is required
  • High opening required amounts
  • Must link another account to CDs
  • Does not offer interest rate guarantee
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Variety of Terms: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Required Opening Amount: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Good variety of CD terms offered
  • Interest rates on CDs not tiered
  • Penalty for early withdrawals is low

Cons:

  • CDs have a required opening amount
  • Must keep set amount in account
  • Does not offer guarantee for rates
  • Link CDs to external bank accounts
Colorado Federal Savings Bank CD Review

The interest rates for Colorado Federal Savings Bank CDs are competitive. Their interest rates are competitive with other online CD rates. CFSB interest rates are much higher than typical bank rates. Each of the CD terms offers competitive interest rates.

The penalty for withdrawing money from your CFSB CD before the maturity date is low. Most CDs have a penalty for withdrawing money before the maturity date. Colorado Federal Savings Bank fees are much lower than other bank fees. For terms less than six months, the fee is one month of interest. Terms from six to twelve months require three months of interest. For terms longer than twelve months, the penalty is only six months of interest.

Colorado Federal Savings Bank offers a good variety of CD terms. The shortest terms available is a one-month CD. The longest term offered from CFSB is a five-year CD. They offer a total of nine different CD terms between these two CD lengths. These CDs are for consumer accounts.

Colorado Federal Savings Bank is an entirely online bank. There are no branch locations. You apply for an account online and access your accounts online. They offer consumer CDs as well as an online savings account. CFSB also offers some lending options. Each of these services is online. You must open accounts online. You cannot apply for an account through the mail or in person.

Because CFSB is an entirely online bank, to open an account, you must enroll in online banking. This is how you will access all CFSB accounts. With online banking, you can see your account balances and account history. You can transfer money between CFSB accounts and to external bank accounts. You must receive your statements online.

The amount required to open any of the Colorado Federal Savings Bank CDs is high. Each CD term requires $5,000 to open. You must keep at least $5,000 in the account to earn interest on the CDs. If your balance drops below the $5,000, CFSB may close your account.

You must link your Colorado Federal Savings Bank CD to an external bank account. When you decide to close your account, CFSB will not send you a check for the amount from the account. To receive your money from the closed CD, CFSB transfers the money back into your linked account.

The CDs with Colorado Federal Savings Bank does not offer an interest rate guarantee. They offer competitive interest rates, but the rates you receive when you open the CD is the rate for the CD term. If the interest rates increase shortly after you open the CD, you will not receive a higher rate.

Read the full Colorado Federal Savings Bank review.

Sallie Mae CD Review

Each Sallie Mae CD offers competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CD accounts. Sallie Mae rates are much higher than typical bank rates. The longer the CD term the higher the interest rates offered. Sallie Mae’s five-year CD offers very competitive interest rates.

Sallie Mae offers a good variety of CD terms. The terms range from 6-months to 60-months. There are 11 CD terms in total. Sallie Mae offers CD terms in more than just traditional terms. Those term lengths include an 11-month CD, a 13-month CD, a 15-month CD, and a 30-month CD. These options allow customers to find the best fit for their money.

The CD interest rates for Sallie Mae CDs are not tiered. You do not have to have a large account balance to earn the most competitive rates available. Any balance above the required opening amount earns competitive interest rates.

Most CDs have a fee if you withdraw the money before the CD reaches maturity. The penalty for Sallie Mae CDs is less compared to other banks CD fees. The penalty for withdrawing money from CD terms 12-months or less is 90 days of interest. The fee for CDs over 12-months is 180 days of interest.

There is a set amount required to open Sallie Mae CDs. Each of the CD terms requires $2,500 to open. Make deposits through an electronic transfer or an e-deposit on the mobile app. You can also mail a check.

To earn interest on the Sallie Mae CDs, you must keep an account balance of $2,500. If your balance drops below that amount, you will not earn any interest. Sallie Mae CDs offer competitive interest rates if you keep that set balance.

Sallie Mae CDs do not come with a guarantee to lock in the best rate. The interest rate at the time you open the CD is the interest rate you receive for the life of the term. The rate you lock in is fixed for the life of the CD term.

Sallie Mae CDs must be linked to an external account to make electronic transfers. Once you link an external account, you can transfer money electronically. Customers can withdraw earned interest from the CD. To withdraw the interest, transfer the money into the linked external account.

Read the full Sallie Mae review.

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