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Vio Bank VS VirtualBank

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: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • A wide variety of CD terms available
  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Low required opening amount
  • Can choose how to receive interest

Cons:

  • CDs are not eligible for fund transfers
  • Early withdrawal has penalty and fee
  • No interest rate guarantee
  • Customer service has specific hours
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.5 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
  • Good variety of CD terms available
  • Encourages CD laddering
  • Options for how to receive interest

Cons:

  • High opening required amounts
  • CDs are personal deposit accounts only
  • Does not offer interest rate guarantee
  • Early withdrawal fee effects principal
Vio Bank CD Review

Vio Bank offers a wide variety of CD terms. There are 11 different CD terms available through Vio Bank. The terms range from 6-months to 120-months. Each of the CD terms can be opened online. You must be 18 years or older to open an account with Vio.

The Vio Bank CDs offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online accounts. They are much higher than typical bank rates. Each term offers rates competitive with other online CDs of the same term length. Vio Bank regularly monitors interest rates. This helps to ensure their rates are competitive with national rates.

The amount required to open Vio Bank CDs is low. Each CD only requires $500 to open. You can open any of the CDs online, with that set amount. With the required opening amount, you will earn the competitive interest rates on the CD.

When you open a CD with Vio Bank, you can choose how often and how to receive earned interest. Choose how often your interest credits to your CD. There may be options on what account to have the interest credit to as well. If you close your account before the interest credits, you will not receive your earned interest.

Vio Bank CDs are not eligible for fund transfers. Only the savings accounts are eligible for the fund's transfer. If you try to transfer funds to or from your Vio Bank CD, you will receive an error message.

To withdraw money from the CDs before the maturity date has a set penalty and a fee for terms longer than 31 days. For terms 31 days or shorter, the penalty is all the earned interest on the withdrawn amount. For terms from 32 days to 12 months, the penalty is one percent on the withdrawn amount and a $25 fee. For terms longer than 12-months, the penalty is three percent of the withdrawn amount and a fee of $25.

Vio Bank does not offer an interest rate guarantee. The rate on the day you open your Vio Bank CD is the rate you earn for the life of the CD term. If the rates increase shortly after opening your account, your CD rate will not increase.

Vio Bank is an entirely online bank. Customer service has specific hours and ways to contact them. Reach a representative through phone, email, or mail. Vio does offer extended customer service hours. But, a representative is not available anytime.

Read the full Vio Bank review.

VirtualBank CD Review

VirtualBank offers online CD accounts. Each term offers competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CDs. VirtualBank interest rates are much higher than typical bank rates.

Even the shorter-term CDs offer competitive interest rates. These rates are very competitive compared to other short-term CDs.

There are a good variety of CD terms offered through VirtualBank. They offer CD terms from one month to 60-months. There are a total of 11 CD terms. All the CD terms are online accounts. You can apply online or send your application through the mail.

VirtualBank encourages CD laddering. They have a CD laddering calculator on their website. With the calculator, you can see how much interest you would earn by CD laddering. CD laddering is opening different CD terms, so your CDs mature at a variety of times. This allows you to open longer-term CDs to earn higher interest rates, but still, have access to your money.

There are options for how to receive the interest you earn on VirtualBank CDs. When you open the account, you can choose to have the interest credited monthly or quarterly. Credited the money back to the CD or you can transfer the money into another VirtualBank account. You can also choose to have the interest mailed to you in a check.

VirtualBank has a high required amount to open their CDs. Each CD requires $10,000 to open. That amount is high compared to other online CDs. If you have the $10,000 required opening amount, you can open any of VirtualBank CDs.

The CDs offered through VirtualBank are only for personal deposit accounts. At this time, these CDs are not available for business accounts. There are no specific business accounts available through VirtualBank. Only personal deposit accounts are currently offered.

VirtualBank CDs do not offer an interest rate guarantee. The interest rate you earn for the life of your CD term is the rate on the day you open your account. They do not offer an interest rate guarantee. If the interest rates increase shortly after you open your CD, your rate will not increase. VirtualBank CDs offer fixed interest based on the day you open your CD.

Early withdrawal fees for VirtualBank CDs are high. The fees may affect your principal amount. For CDs under one year, the fee is 100 percent of the interest earned on the withdrawn amount. For terms from one year to two years, the fee is one percent of the principal amount withdrawn. For CDs longer than two years, the fee is two percent of the principal amount withdrawn.

Read the full VirtualBank review.

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