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Salem Five Direct Bank Review 2021
Member FDIC
Savings account
Member FDIC
Checking account
Overall
4.4
Bankrate Score
Salem Five Direct is best for savers who are comfortable banking online and who are seeking a competitive rate.
What we like
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The bank offers competitive annual percentage yields (APYs) on its savings account.
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It provides generous ATM reimbursement on its checking account.
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Its mobile app is favorably reviewed.
What we don't
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The bank offers a smaller selection of CDs.
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The minimum requirement needed to open a CD is higher.
CD rates
3.3
Bankrate Score
Salem Five Direct offers three CDs: 12-month CD, 18-month CD and 36-month CD. At $10,000, the minimum balance required to open a CD is higher than a lot of other online banks.
What we like
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The CD APYs are higher than the national averages.
What we don't
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The bank doesn’t offer a wide selection of terms.
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Salem Five Direct requires a steeper minimum balance to open a CD.
Savings accounts
5.0
Bankrate Score
Member FDIC
Savings account
The eOne Savings account offers savers a very competitive yield and only requires $100 to open the account. There are no monthly fees either.
The account isn’t available to everyone. You can only get an eOne Savings account if you apply online and don’t already have a Salem Five Bank checking or savings account when you apply. But customers who have an eOne Checking account can apply for an eOne Savings account.
What we like
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You only need to deposit $100 to open this account.
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It offers a competitive yield.
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There are no monthly fees.
What we don't
-
The account isn’t available to everyone.
Checking accounts
4.6
Bankrate Score
Member FDIC
Checking account
Salem Five Direct’s eOne Checking account doesn’t require a minimum balance nor does it charge you a monthly fee. You will earn a little bit of interest on your daily balance, and the bank doesn’t charge you fees for using non-Salem ATMs. It will also reimburse you up to $15 per statement cycle if the ATM operator charges you a fee.
What we like
-
The eOne Checking account offers a little bit of interest on the account.
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The eOne Checking reimburses out-of-network ATM fees up to $15 per statement cycle.
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You only need $100 to open this account.
What we don't
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You can find accounts with even lower minimum balance requirements at other banks.
Bank experience
You can reach Salem Five Direct on its 1-800 number as well as on its chat function on its website to help answer your questions.
Its app has earned positive reviews in the Apple app store and in the Google Play store. The app includes Zelle functionality, so you can easily send money to people you know. The app also includes card controls so that you can quickly turn your debit card off within the app if the card goes missing or is stolen.
About Salem Five Direct
Salem Five Direct is an online division of Salem Five, a bank that was founded in 1855 in Salem, Massachusetts.
Salem Five Direct offers certificates of deposit, savings accounts and checking accounts. Its fees are low and its rates are competitive.
Mary Wisniewski @MARYMWISNIEWSKI
Mary Wisniewski is a banking editor for Bankrate. She oversees editorial coverage of savings and mobile banking articles as well as personal finance courses. She occasionally writes on fintech trends — a beat she has covered for more than a decade. Mary is a frequent speaker at a variety of leading digital banking events and podcasts, including: Money Next Summit, the Money Experience Summit, the Future of Fintech, Fintech South, Breaking Banks and more. She was named as one of 200 revolutionists in fintech and one of top 100 fintech influencers in 2019. She was also a judge for the Finovate Awards in 2020 and 2019. Previously, Mary 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. Her work has appeared in American Banker, Bankrate, the Associated Press, Star Tribune, Billboard, MSN and more. Her stories are referenced in numerous industry reports, like this one by Deloitte. Mary grew up in the Michigan suburbs and now lives in Los Angeles with a maltipoo, a record player and roller skates.
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