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TIAA Bank VS Union Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 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
  • A wide variety of CD terms
  • Bump Rate CD
  • Yield interest rates guaranteed

Cons:

  • High opening amounts for some CDs
  • Basic CDs offer lower interest rates
  • High penalty for early withdrawal
  • Cannot make deposits after opened
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 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:

  • Variety of CD terms available
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Can choose how to receive interest

Cons:

  • Cannot open CDs entirely online
  • No interest rate guarantee
  • Cannot make deposits during the term
  • Only standard CD terms available
TIAA Bank CD Review

The interest rates for TIAA Bank CDs are competitive. Each of the term interest rates is competitive with other online CD accounts. TIAA rates are much higher than typical bank rates. Their CD rates are not tiered. Any account balance earns competitive rates.

TIAA Bank offers a wide variety of CD terms. Their terms range from three-months to five-years. They offer the basic CD terms between these times, but they offer a nine-month term and a 30-month term as well. TIAA Bank also offers a 42-month Bump Rate term.

TIAA Bank offers on Bump Rate CD. This CD term is a 42-month term. This CD only requires $1,500 to open. If interest rates increase during the CD term, you have the option to bump up to the new interest rate. You can bump up the interest rate once during the CD term. Customers can only have one Bump Rate CD opened at a time.

TIAA guarantees their interest rates earned are in the top five percent of the most competitive accounts. Each week TIAA reviews the rates of competitors. Based on their findings they adjust their rates to make sure they are competitive with the best.

The TIAA Bank high yield CDs have a high opening required amount. Each of these CDs terms require $5,000 to open. TIAA Bank offers the option of CDARS. This is if you want to invest an amount over the FDIC insured limit of $250,000 and still be insured. To open a CDARS CD requires an opening deposit of $10,000.

TIAA Bank offers high yield and regular CDs. The regular CD account interest rates are slightly lower. They are not as competitive as the high yield interest rates. The high yield accounts earn high rates but require a higher opening amount.

The early withdrawal penalty for CDs is high. The Bump Rate CD charges 318 days of interest if you withdraw money before the maturity date. The six-month CDs require 45 days of interest. The 18-month CDs require 136 days of interest. The five-year CDs require 456 days of interest. Other early withdrawal fees vary depending on the CD term.

Once you open a TIAA CD, you cannot make deposits into the CD. The opening deposit is the only deposit allowed until the CD reaches maturity. Contact customer service to decide what happens to your CD once it reaches maturity.

Read the full TIAA Bank review.

Union Bank CD Review

Union Bank offers a variety of CD terms. The terms range from 91-days to 60-months. They provide standard CDs as well as agricultural CDs. These are for the farmers of Michigan who have their business accounts with Union Bank.

The Union Bank CDs offer interest rates that are competitive with other online CDs. They offer a special 15-month and a 36-month terms. These terms earn more competitive interest rates. These two CDs are promotional. The other CDs are not promotional and earn competitive rates.

The initial required amount to open standard Union Bank CDs is low. Each of the CD terms only requires $500 to open. The interest rates are not tiered. Any balance over $500 earns competitive interest rates.

You can choose how to receive the interest you earn off Union Bank CDs. You can have the interest added to the CD balance. You can have the money mailed to you in the form of a check. You can also have the interest deposited into another checking or savings account.

Union Bank CDs cannot be opened entirely online. You fill out the initial application online. Once the bank reviews your information, they will contact you. You then set up a time to go into a branch location to finish the account opening process. When you visit the branch, you will pay the initial opening amount.

Union Bank CDs do not offer an interest rate guarantee. If the rates increase shortly after you open a CD, you will not receive the higher rates. Union Bank CD rates are competitive with other online CDs.

The only deposit you can make into Union Bank CDs is the initial deposit when you open the CD. After that, you must wait until the CD reaches maturity to add money to the account. The CD will automatically renew unless you contact customer service to make changes.

The only personal CDs Union Bank offers are standard CD terms. They do not offer IRA, educational, no-penalty, or add on CDs. The standard CD terms range from 91-days to 60-months.

Read the full Union Bank review.

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