Liberty Bank Review: Checking, Savings and CDs
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- Checking
- Savings
- Certificates of deposit
- Banking experience
- Overdraft fees
Overall institution rating
3.0
Liberty Bank is a Black-owned regional institution with branches sprinkled throughout the South and Midwest. Its rates are better than those at large brick-and-mortar national banks but aren't competitive with online institutions. But its overdraft policy is much cheaper and less punitive than what you'll find at many banks.
Best for: Those who prefer to bank with a Black-owned institution, like banking online or live near the bank's branches and ATMs in the South and Midwest.
Pros
- Well-rated mobile apps.
- CD interest can be paid monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually.
- Low overdraft fee.
Cons
- Low interest rates on savings and CDs.
- Only two free withdrawals from savings per statement cycle.
Full review
Checking
Member FDIC
2.5
/5 NerdWallet ratingLiberty Bank’s Personal Checking Account requires a $50 minimum opening deposit. In addition, there is a monthly fee of $10, but you can waive it by keeping your daily balance at or above $500. If you don’t opt into e-statements, you’ll also incur a $12.50 fee for having a paper statement mailed to you.
The account could be useful if you write a lot of checks: It comes with unlimited check writing, and monthly statements include check images.
» Compare more options: See our list of the best checking accounts
Savings
Member FDIC
3.0
/5 NerdWallet ratingYou can open a Personal Savings Account with $50 and avoid the $4 monthly fee by maintaining a balance of at least $200. The account pays 0.01% APY on any balance — that’s on par with what you’ll find at many large banks, but you can find much better rates elsewhere.
Another downside to this savings account is that only two withdrawals are free per statement period; each withdrawal after that costs $2. Most savings accounts allow at least six free withdrawals per period and some don’t have any limits.
» Want to shop around for the best rates? Check out our list of the best savings accounts
CD
Member FDIC
3.5
/5 NerdWallet ratingLiberty Bank requires a deposit of at least $1,000 to open a CD. Terms range from three months to five years. Rates for CDs are much better than what you’ll find at one of the bigger brick-and-mortar banks, but other financial institutions offer even more competitive rates. Unlike checking and savings accounts, CDs can’t be opened online.
One unique feature of the Liberty Bank CDs is that you can choose to have the interest paid monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually. You can also choose to receive the interest payment by check or as a deposit to another account at the bank.
» Find out who has the best APYs: See our list of this month’s best CDs
Banking experience
3.0
NerdWallet ratingInterest rates aren’t available online, so you’ll have to call or go to a branch to find out what they are. The bank has more than a dozen branches sprinkled throughout a few states: Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Liberty Bank ATMs are available only in some of those states, though. The bank charges a $2 fee for using an out-of-network ATM, on top of whatever fee the ATM owner may change.
Customer service is available by phone on weekdays, and the bank doesn’t offer extended hours. You can reach a customer service representative only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. The bank’s mobile apps are rated well.
» Interested in more Black-owned financial institutions? Check out our list of Black-owned banks and credit unions
Overdraft fees
4.5
NerdWallet ratingLiberty Bank charges an overdraft fee, but it’s not severe: The bank charges $1.50 if you overdraw your account, which is charged once daily. It doesn’t offer overdraft protection, but you can manually transfer money from a linked deposit account or personal line of credit to bring your account balance back up. There’s no fee for this (unless it’s from a Personal Savings Account and you’ve already had more than two withdrawals or transfers that month).
» Tend to overdraw your account? Check out our list of the best banks for overdrafts
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.
