Salem Five Direct Review: Checking, Savings and CDs

Margarette Burnette
By Margarette Burnette 
Edited by Yuliya Goldshteyn

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Salem Five Direct
  • Savings
  • Certificates of deposit

Overall institution rating

4.0

NerdWallet rating 
The bottom line:

Salem Five Direct offers online checking and savings accounts with no monthly fees. Each has a reasonable $10 minimum opening deposit, and eOne Savings has a strong interest rate, as well.

Salem Five Direct’s eCDs, on the other hand, have a steep $10,000 minimum to open. The few short-term certificates of deposit that the bank offers do have competitive rates, though. Many online banks have wider ranges of terms up to five years.

Salem Five Direct is a subsidiary of Salem Five Bank, based in Salem, Massachusetts. Customers who already have a checking account at Salem Five Bank aren't eligible for online eOne checking.

Best for: Customers who don’t have an existing branch banking relationship with Salem Five Bank and are looking for online checking and savings accounts that pay competitive rates.

» Want more options? See NerdWallet’s analysis of the best savings accounts and the best checking accounts.

Pros

  • Competitive savings rates.
  • Well-rated mobile apps.
  • Reimburses up to $15 in non-network ATMs fees other banks charge.

Cons

  • High overdraft fees.
  • High minimum opening deposit for CDs.
  • Checking and savings account generally aren't available to customers of the brick and mortar Salem Five Bank.

Full review

Savings

Salem Five Direct eOne Savings
Salem Five Direct eOne Savings

Savings

Member FDIC

4.5

/5
 NerdWallet rating 
APY
5.01%
With $0.01 min. balance for APY

Salem Five Direct’s eOne Savings account offers a competitive annual percentage yield and pays interest on balances up to a million dollars. You can open an account with $10 and there are no minimum balance requirements or monthly fees.

Certificates of deposit

Salem Five Direct CD
Salem Five Direct CD

CD

Member FDIC

2.0

/5
 NerdWallet rating 
1-year APY
5.00%
Minimum deposit
$10,000

Salem Five Direct has few CDs, all with short terms (one year or less), and the yields tend to be competitive. However, the minimum deposit requirement is $10,000, which is one of the steepest among online banks.

» COMPARE: Best CD rates

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.