CIT Bank Review: Checking, Savings, CDs
CIT Bank has several savings options that offer competitive rates with low fees.
Overall bank rating
Money market
Money market
Savings
Savings
Checking
Checking
CD rates
CD rates
Banking experience
Banking experience
Overdraft fees
Overdraft fees
4.0
The bottom line: CIT Bank is an online bank with a notable money market savings account, checking account, certificates of deposit and high-yield savings option. You won’t pay monthly maintenance fees with CIT, and many of their interest rates are competitive — but keep in mind that there’s no free ATM network, which is unusual among online banks with checking accounts.
Pros
No monthly fees for checking and savings accounts.
Great rates on CIT’s money market and high-yield savings accounts — and checking pays a little interest, too.
Reasonable minimum deposit for the money market account.
Cons
No free ATM network.
High minimum deposit for checking.
Full review
CIT Bank Money Market Account
4.5
NerdWallet ratingAPY
0.50%
With $100 minimum balance
Money market accounts are a type of savings account, and among CIT Bank's savings options, the money market account comes out on top. There is no catch to its 0.50% APY. You’ll earn that rate no matter your balance. This is notable because other money market accounts can demand $2,500 or more to earn high rates. There are also no monthly fees, though you will need at least $100 to open a CIT money market account.
CIT Bank Savings Builder
4.5
NerdWallet ratingAPY
0.45%
With $100 minimum balance
CIT Bank's other savings account is attractive, too, though our overall bank rating does not include it. The Savings Builder account pays 0.45% APY, but to get it, you’ll have to maintain a minimum balance of $25,000 or commit to depositing at least $100 each month. Otherwise, you’ll earn 0.29%.
The account requires $100 to open. To compare, you can open some competitors’ online savings offerings without a deposit, but others require around $5,000 to open or earn interest.
Overall, the strong rates and no-fee status earn CIT Bank a mention among NerdWallet’s best high-yield online savings accounts and best money market accounts.
CIT Bank eChecking
4.5
NerdWallet ratingMonthly Fee
$0
APY
0.10%
With $100 minimum balance
It’s a bit unusual to earn interest on a standard checking account, so the fact that CIT pays 0.10% APY on balances under $25,000 is a bonus. (The APY is slightly higher for larger balances.) Other online checking accounts pay more, but they often require a series of spending and deposit qualifications to earn the high rate.
Another upside is that CIT offers $30 per month in reimbursements of outside ATM fees, and it doesn’t charge any ATM fees itself. However, the bank doesn’t offer its own free ATM network. If you withdraw cash more than a few times a month, it could be an expensive proposition. Many other online banks partner with networks that offer tens of thousands of free ATMs nationwide.
There is no monthly fee on CIT's eChecking. Other banks require you to keep a certain minimum balance or complete qualifying activities to avoid monthly surcharges. However, note that CIT requires $100 to open eChecking. Many of its competitors let you open a checking account for free.
» Compare your options with NerdWallet’s best online checking accounts
CIT Bank CD
3.0
NerdWallet rating1-year APY
0.30%
3-year APY
0.40%
5-year APY
0.50%
Minimum Deposit
$1,000
CIT Bank's CD rates are above average. A five-year CD pays 0.50% APY. The bank also has an 11-month CD that doesn't charge an early withdrawal penalty. There is a $1,000 minimum deposit. The amount is typical for national banks, but some online banks and credit unions have lower minimums. In all, CIT Bank’s Term CDs range from six months to five years.
» Want higher interest rates? See our list of best CD rates for the month
Banking experience
3.5
NerdWallet ratingCIT Bank has an easy-to-navigate website that clearly shows rates, contact information and instructions on how to open an account. The customer service center is reachable by phone from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays, along with shorter Saturday hours. In addition, CIT's banking apps earn a 4.6 star rating on iOS and a 4.0 star rating for Android.
As an online bank, however, there are no branches to visit, so there’s no way to do your banking in person. CIT Bank has a Twitter account, with some customer support. And there’s no live chat on the site or apps. Consumers can fund and withdraw money from accounts by electronic transfer with another bank account, wire or mail. And ATMs are an option for withdrawals.
Overdraft fees
3.5
NerdWallet ratingIf you overspend with a CIT eChecking account, you can easily transfer money from your CIT savings account to cover the shortfall — at no charge.
Otherwise, CIT charges $30 per overdraft, up to 4 times a day — so if you don’t have your savings account linked when you go over your balance, you could run up $120 per day in charges.
CIT Bank Money Market Account
4.5
NerdWallet ratingAPY
0.50%
With $100 minimum balance
Money market accounts are a type of savings account, and among CIT Bank's savings options, the money market account comes out on top. There is no catch to its 0.50% APY. You’ll earn that rate no matter your balance. This is notable because other money market accounts can demand $2,500 or more to earn high rates. There are also no monthly fees, though you will need at least $100 to open a CIT money market account.
CIT Bank Savings Builder
4.5
NerdWallet ratingAPY
0.45%
With $100 minimum balance
CIT Bank's other savings account is attractive, too, though our overall bank rating does not include it. The Savings Builder account pays 0.45% APY, but to get it, you’ll have to maintain a minimum balance of $25,000 or commit to depositing at least $100 each month. Otherwise, you’ll earn 0.29%.
The account requires $100 to open. To compare, you can open some competitors’ online savings offerings without a deposit, but others require around $5,000 to open or earn interest.
Overall, the strong rates and no-fee status earn CIT Bank a mention among NerdWallet’s best high-yield online savings accounts and best money market accounts.
CIT Bank eChecking
4.5
NerdWallet ratingMonthly Fee
$0
APY
0.10%
With $100 minimum balance
It’s a bit unusual to earn interest on a standard checking account, so the fact that CIT pays 0.10% APY on balances under $25,000 is a bonus. (The APY is slightly higher for larger balances.) Other online checking accounts pay more, but they often require a series of spending and deposit qualifications to earn the high rate.
Another upside is that CIT offers $30 per month in reimbursements of outside ATM fees, and it doesn’t charge any ATM fees itself. However, the bank doesn’t offer its own free ATM network. If you withdraw cash more than a few times a month, it could be an expensive proposition. Many other online banks partner with networks that offer tens of thousands of free ATMs nationwide.
There is no monthly fee on CIT's eChecking. Other banks require you to keep a certain minimum balance or complete qualifying activities to avoid monthly surcharges. However, note that CIT requires $100 to open eChecking. Many of its competitors let you open a checking account for free.
» Compare your options with NerdWallet’s best online checking accounts
CIT Bank CD
3.0
NerdWallet rating1-year APY
0.30%
3-year APY
0.40%
5-year APY
0.50%
Minimum Deposit
$1,000
CIT Bank's CD rates are above average. A five-year CD pays 0.50% APY. The bank also has an 11-month CD that doesn't charge an early withdrawal penalty. There is a $1,000 minimum deposit. The amount is typical for national banks, but some online banks and credit unions have lower minimums. In all, CIT Bank’s Term CDs range from six months to five years.
» Want higher interest rates? See our list of best CD rates for the month
3.5
NerdWallet ratingCIT Bank has an easy-to-navigate website that clearly shows rates, contact information and instructions on how to open an account. The customer service center is reachable by phone from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays, along with shorter Saturday hours. In addition, CIT's banking apps earn a 4.6 star rating on iOS and a 4.0 star rating for Android.
As an online bank, however, there are no branches to visit, so there’s no way to do your banking in person. CIT Bank has a Twitter account, with some customer support. And there’s no live chat on the site or apps. Consumers can fund and withdraw money from accounts by electronic transfer with another bank account, wire or mail. And ATMs are an option for withdrawals.
3.5
NerdWallet ratingIf you overspend with a CIT eChecking account, you can easily transfer money from your CIT savings account to cover the shortfall — at no charge.
Otherwise, CIT charges $30 per overdraft, up to 4 times a day — so if you don’t have your savings account linked when you go over your balance, you could run up $120 per day in charges.
How does CIT Bank compare?
Member FDIC | Federally insured by the NCUA | |
|---|---|---|
APY0.50% With $0 minimum balance | APY0.50% With $0 minimum balance | APY0.55% With $100 minimum balance |
BonusN/A | BonusN/A | BonusN/A |
RATING METHODOLOGY
NerdWallet’s overall ratings for banks and credit unions are weighted averages of several categories: checking, savings, certificates of deposit or credit union share certificates, banking experience and overdraft fees. Factors we consider, depending on the category, include rates and fees, ATM and branch access, account features and limits, user-facing technology, customer service and innovation. The stars represent ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars). Ratings are rounded to the nearest half-star.
