Investors Bank Review 2019
At Bankrate, Mary Wisniewski writes on a variety of fintech and banking subjects. Previously, she covered fintech for American Banker and edited op-eds for the publication's BankThink section. She was also a blogger and editor at Bank Innovation and served as a fashion editor for National Jeweler, where she reported on fashion shows and jewelry news. Mary grew up in the Michigan suburbs and now lives in Los Angeles with a maltipoo, a record player and an espresso machine.
3.6/5
Investors Bank has been around for more than 90 years and offers a variety of banking products online and at more than a hundred branches.
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Bankrate's overall ratings for financial institutions comprise weighted averages up to five stars of five main categories: customer service, savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts (MMAs) and certificate of deposit (CDs).
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When a financial firm offers more than one checking, savings or MMA accounts, Bankrate reviews the account with the highest APY. Each bank is evaluated based on the 12-month certificate of deposit (CD) it offers.
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About Investors Bank
Investors Bank was founded in 1926 as an organization trying to make homeownership more affordable to the community.
Now, Investors Bank, which is based in Short Hills, New Jersey, operates more than 145 branches in New York and New Jersey. It offers certificates of deposits, checking accounts, savings accounts and money market accounts. The bank is known for offering some of the highest APYs on money market accounts.
Investors Bank is good for consumers who are shopping for a money market account with a high APY. If you prefer to do banking in person, you will want to pick another bank if you live outside of its footprint.
Pros
- Low deposit requirements.
- Offers high-yield money market accounts.
- Provides useful digital banking features.
Cons
- Physical branches are limited to New Jersey and New York.
- Not all products are available online.
- Its high-yield savings account requires you to also get a checking account.
Investors Bank Services
3.2/5
At Investors Bank, customers have access to CDs with terms ranging from three months to five years. The standard CD rates aren’t competitive, but from time to time, there are CD specials available that pay a higher yield. Penalties for early withdrawals depend on the length of the CD term. For 12-month CDs, the cost of pulling money out before the term ends is losing 180 days of interest.
Pros
- Interest is compounded daily and posted monthly.
- The minimum deposit for the standard CDs is low ($500).
Cons
- CDs must be opened in a branch.
- CD yields are much lower than what online banks offer.
- There’s no 18-month CD available.
CDs available from other banks
2.7/5
Investors Bank has a High-Yield Savings account that’s available for those who have a YourStyle Plus Checking account. Balances of $5,000 or more in the High-Yield Savings account currently earn twice the national average APY.
Pros
- High-Yield Savings APY is twice the national average on balances of $5,000 or more.
- Minimum to open the High-Yield Savings account is only $50.
Cons
- Balances under $5,000 in High Yield Savings earn an APY that’s half the national average.
- YourStyle Plus Checking account is required to have the High Yield Savings account.
Savings accounts available from other banks
3.0/5
The YourStyle Plus Checking account earns tiered-interest rates. The checking account from Investors Bank can be opened for as little as $50. It’s somewhat tough to avoid the $20 monthly service fee. Account holders must maintain a $20,000 average monthly balance across qualifying accounts and direct deposit at least $1,000; make 15 point of sale transactions; or be an eligible investments customer. If you don’t care about earning interest on your checking balance, Investors Bank has the YourStyle Checking account. It can be opened with a $50 deposit. The $10 monthly service fee will be waived by maintaining a $1,000 average monthly balance; making a direct deposit of at least $500; or making 10 or more monthly point-of-sale transactions.
Pros
- Unlimited free non-Investors ATM transactions for YourStyle Plus Checking customers.
- Up to $10 of rebates of other bank fees per statement cycle for YourStyle Plus Checking customers.
- $10 off first order of checks.
- Interest on all positive balances; $2,500 or more earns the highest rate.
Cons
- Difficult to avoid monthly service fee.
- Physical branches are limited to New Jersey and New York.
- Interest rates are fairly low but on par with the standard savings account rate.
Checking accounts available from other banks
4.3/5
The Investors eAccess Money Market is available in 48 states — every state except for New Jersey and New York. The eAccess Money Market is a way for you to earn one of the highest APYs around, which is nearly 12 times the national average. The eAccess Money Market doesn’t require a minimum balance to open the account. You won’t have ATM access with this account. But you can withdraw money by using online banking to initiate ACH debits of the eAccess Money Market. These debits are limited to $250,000 per month, and you’re limited to six withdrawals per calendar month. The account isn’t serviced by its brick-and-mortar branches.
Pros
- The eAccess Money Market account has a top-tier APY.
- Don’t need to make a minimum opening deposit with eAccess Money Market account.
Cons
- Balances over $2 million won’t earn interest in the eAccess Money Market.
- You can’t access this account from an ATM.
MMAs available from other banks
3.2/5
As a brick-and-mortar bank, Investors Bank doesn’t skimp on its digital banking tools. With your online Investors Bank account, you can link in data from your other bank accounts. In doing so, you can analyze your money across all of your accounts from a single digital hub. You can also pay for things through your smartphone. Bank accounts work with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Note that the bank's Android app has only earned 3.2 out of 5 stars as of mid-April. Its iOS app has earned more praise from reviewers: The app has earned 4.7 out of 5 stars. While it doesn’t make available 24/7 customer service via the phone, you can reach a bank representative on the phone seven days a week.
