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Sallie Mae VS Presidential Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • 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
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Variety of Terms: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Required Opening Amount: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon

Pros:

  • Low opening required amounts
  • Good variety of CD terms
  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Can choose how to receive interest rates

Cons:

  • High early withdrawal fees
  • Short grace periods after maturity
  • Limited ways to contact customer service
  • Closing CDs requires notice in writing
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.

Presidential Bank CD Review

The Presidential Bank CDs have low opening required amounts. Each of the CD terms require $1,000 to open. You must keep this balance of $1,000 in the CD to earn interest on the account.

There are a good variety of CD terms available through Presidential Bank. The terms range from 30-days to five years. There are a total of eight CD terms offered. You can apply for the CD terms online or through the mail.

All Presidential Bank CD terms offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CD accounts. Their rates are much higher than typical bank rates. Presidential Bank interest rates are not tiered. Any amount over the required opening balance earns the competitive interest rates. The short-term CDs offer interest rates competitive with other online short-term CDs.

Presidential Bank customers can choose how to receive interest earned from CDs. You can have the interest mailed to you in a check each month. You can deposit the interest into another Presidential account. You can also send the interest to an external bank account.

The early withdrawal fees for Presidential Bank CDs are high. For terms from 30 to 60-days, the fee is 30 days of interests on the withdrawn amount. For CDs from 90-days to 182-days, the fee is three-months of interest on the withdrawn amount. The fee for one-year CDs is six-months of interest on the withdrawn amount. Two-year CDs require 12-months of interest. The five-year CD requires 24-months of interest on the withdrawn amount.

The grace periods for Presidential Bank CDs are shorter than other similar online CD terms. The 30-day CD only has a grace period of one business day. The other CD terms have a grace period of seven days. Each of these grace periods start the day your CD reaches maturity.

Presidential Bank has nine branch locations in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. If you do not live by a branch location, there are limited ways and times to contact customer service. You can reach a representative through phone, mail, or email. Their hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

To close your Presidential Bank CD, you must notify customer service in writing of your decision. They must receive the notification of your plans to close the CD before or during the grace period. You can take the document to a branch location or mail it in to customer service. But, notification in writing is required to close the CD.

Read the full Presidential Bank review.

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