Ratings Methodology for Banks and Credit Unions

Ratings Methodology for
Banks and Credit Unions

NerdWallet’s overall ratings for banks and credit unions are weighted averages of ratings in the following categories: Checking accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, customer experience and access, and overdraft fees and policies.

Data collection and review process

Our survey of more than 100 financial institutions includes the largest U.S. banks by assets, internet search traffic and other factors, as well as the nation’s largest credit unions based on deposits and broad-based membership, plus notable or emerging players in the industry.

We considered more than 60 data points for each bank, credit union and banking technology firm (or neobank). Depending on the category, these included account fees and rates (such as annual percentage yields), ATM and branch access, account features, account bonuses, customer service access and user-facing technology such as innovative tools and mobile apps. We gathered this information for each financial institution from its website, a media representative or both.

The stars represent ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars). Ratings are rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a star (e.g. 3.4, 4.9).

» Want to learn about where to open an account? Go to NerdWallet's list of bank and credit union reviews.

The review team

The review team is made up of seasoned writers, researchers and editors who cover personal banking deposit accounts, such as checking, savings and certificates of deposit, as well as related banking services, such as overdraft programs and ATM networks. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet’s strict guidelines for editorial integrity.

In addition to NerdWallet, the work of our team members has appeared in The New York Times, The Associated Press, USA Today, Nasdaq, MSN, MarketWatch, Yahoo! Finance and other national and regional media outlets. The Banking team’s writers and editors combined have more than 60 years of experience in finance.

For checking accounts

We paid close attention to the following:
• Monthly fees (45% of the rating).
• Free access to U.S. ATMs (28.2%).
• Benefits such as interest or cash back (13.2%).
• Minimum opening deposit (3.6%).
• Overdraft category rating (10% of Checking rating; see more in overdraft section).
• Sign-up bonus (up to 15% extra when applicable).

The best checking accounts generally have no monthly fees, free access to a network of more than 10,000 ATMs, no or low minimum opening deposits, low-cost overdraft programs and some additional benefit, such as the ability to earn interest or cash back. Checking accounts with a sign-up bonus get extra marks.

» For some of the strongest options, check out NerdWallet's best checking accounts

For savings accounts

We analyzed:
• Interest rate (50%).
• Monthly fees (25%).
• Distinguishing features for saving or budgeting (15%).
• Minimum opening deposit (10%).
• Any sign-up bonus (up to 15% extra when applicable).

The best savings accounts generally have interest rates at least 10 times the national average rate, no monthly fees, a low minimum opening deposit (such as $100), and some savings or budgeting features that can genuinely help customers track goals or allocate funds for specific purposes. Savings accounts with a sign-up bonus get extra marks.

» For some of the highest rates, check out NerdWallet's best high-yield online savings accounts.

For certificates of deposit

We considered factors for some of the most popular terms including:
• 1-year CD rate (30%).
• 3-year CD rate (40%).
• 5-year CD rate (20%).
• Minimum opening deposit (10%).
• Select specialty CD(s) offered (up to 20% extra when applicable).

Banks with the best CDs — and credit unions with the equivalent, the best share certificates — generally have interest rates for one-year, three-year and five-year terms that are at least two to three times their national averages. Minimum opening deposits tend to be lower than $3,000, but not always. Institutions with at least one of four specialty CDs (no-penalty, add-on, step-up or bump-up CDs) get extra marks. Banks with a limited number of term lengths receive lower marks.

» For some of the most competitive products, check out NerdWallet's best CD rates.

For customer experience

We evaluated the following: • Ease of finding key details online, such as rates, fees and customer support phone number (30%).
• Availability of customer service through multiple channels: phone and live chat (40%).
• Access to a branch network (10%).
• iOS and Android app store ratings (20%).

Banks and credit unions with high marks for banking experience have multiple channels for live customer service beyond 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays; make it easy for website visitors to find important information on fees, rates, branch and ATM networks, and more; and receive better than 4 stars for iOS and Android app store ratings.

For overdraft fees and services

We consider:
• A lack of (or amount of) a standard overdraft or nonsufficient funds fee (30%). Daily limit on overdraft or NSF fees (20%).
• Availability and cost of an overdraft line of credit and/or an overdraft protection program with transfers from linked savings accounts (40%).
• A lack of (or amount of) an extended overdraft fee or continuous negative balance fee (10%).
• No-fee overdraft coverage up to a fixed amount (up to 20% extra when applicable).

The most overdraft-friendly checking accounts tend to have no overdraft coverage fees, multiple ways to cover a negative balance (such as overdraft transfer from a linked savings account or line of credit), and low costs for those alternative overdraft programs. Banks can charge more than $30 per overdraft and have a daily fee limit of four or more (see a list of overdraft fees by institution). Institutions with a no-fee overdraft coverage program up to a set dollar amount get extra marks.

For cash management accounts

Cash management accounts are evaluated under a different rubric from other deposit accounts. We paid close attention to the following:
• Monthly fees (10% of the overall rating).
• Interest rate (12%).
• Minimum opening deposit and balance requirements (8%).
• Method and availability of cash withdrawal and withdrawal limits (10%).
• Whether the account offers debit cards and/or checkwriting (9%).
• Reimbursements for out-of-network ATM fees (6%).
• Special features such as subaccounts and budgeting tools (7%).
• The account’s overdraft program (8%).
• Overall customer experience and service options (30%).

The best cash management accounts generally have no monthly fees, high interest rates, free access to a large ATM network and/or ATM fee reimbursements, and an overdraft protection program.

» For some of the strongest options, check out check out NerdWallet's best cash management accounts.

Note on star-rating penalties

In some cases, a financial institution’s review may show a penalty. This penalty reflects that an institution has engaged in behavior or practices that run counter to adequately serving its consumers, and this factors into the star-rating calculation.

Three types of star-rating penalties may be imposed on financial institutions:

1. Penalty for a settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: The institution has had a CFPB settlement within the past three years that was a result of an improper or illegal banking practice that negatively impacted deposit-account customers. The penalty is 0.5 star from the Banking Experience rating category or 0.5 star from the overall rating for an institution, depending on the severity of the settlement.

2. Penalty for out-of-proportion CFPB complaints in the past year: The institution has a far-above-average number of public CFPB complaints in the past year relative to its size. To calculate this, NerdWallet’s editorial team created a ratio of number of CFPB complaints to domestic assets (referred to as asset size) of an institution or partner bank for each institution we review and/or analyze, where data was available. This ratio provides a way to compare complaints across institutions of different sizes. If an entity has a ratio 90% higher than the average ratio across institutions analyzed, and complaint volume reaches a minimum threshold, it receives a penalty. The penalty is 0.5 star from the overall rating for an institution.

Disclaimer: The CFPB complaint database is a public third-party source used by the U.S. government, consumer advocacy groups and news media to shed light and/or act on consumer issues at financial institutions. The database does not represent all customer issues or a statistical sample of issues at an institution. The database may contain complaints outside an institution’s control or duplicates, meaning multiple complaints filed by the same person for the same issue. The CFPB publishes each complaint after the company addressed in the complaint replies, or after 15 days, whichever comes first.

3. Penalty for outsized complaints tied to a specific event in the past year: The institution has had a surge in public complaints in the past year as a result of an event within the institution’s control, such as a merger or acquisition. The penalty is 0.5 star from the overall rating for an institution.

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