CIT Bank Review: Is It Good?

If you want to earn a more impactful return on your savings, look beyond traditional savings accounts that pay very little interest. You can find other savings options that offer higher returns.

In this review, we will look at how CIT Bank's High Yield Savings Accounts, CD Rates, and Money Market Accounts can help grow your savings fast.

• What CIT Bank Offers
  
• Online Banking Features
  
• Savings Builder High Yield Savings
  
• Money Market
  
• Certificate of Deposits
  
• Custodial Accounts
  
• Pros & Cons of CIT Bank
  
• Common Complaints
  
• How to Open an Account
  
• Other Services

About CIT Bank

CIT Bank is the online bank of CIT Group Inc., a financial holding company with over 100 years in business.

Today, CIT provides commercial banking, plus financing and leasing to small businesses through CIT Group. It is headquartered in Pasadena, California and has about $30 billion in deposits.

CIT Bank savings accounts are FDIC insured. This means that if CIT Bank defaults, the federal government will pay back what you had, up to $250,000.

What CIT Bank Offers

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CIT Bank offers savings products (no checking) with some of the highest interest rates on the market. The accounts they offer work in different ways.

• CIT Money Market Account: Offers 1.85% annual percentage yield (APY). This account gives you more flexibility in how you access your money. It allows person-to-person payment and bill pay (coming soon).

• Savings Accounts: The Savings Builder account rewards active savers or high-balance savers with up to 2.30% APY.

  The account works much like a typical savings account, except that CIT Bank does not have physical branch locations or an ATM network.

• Term, No-Penalty, and Jumbo CDs: CIT offers a few different CD options. CDs often have a higher minimum deposit than savings accounts. Due to these requirements, some CDs earn a higher APY than savings accounts.

  CDs require you to deposit your savings for a set period of time. Typically, withdrawing funds from a CD before the term ends will incur a penalty.

Now that we've covered the basics, let's get into the specifics.

Open a CIT Bank 2.30% APY Savings Builder High Yield Savings Account
Click Here to See Terms

CIT Online Banking Features

All accounts have free 24/7 online banking. You can:

• Withdraw funds up to the federal limit of 6 times per statement cycle (you get unlimited transfers or withdrawals by mail or phone via check).

• Make deposits via the mobile app.

• Make transfers to other bank accounts or between CIT accounts.

• Get direct deposits into the Money Market account.

• Money Market account has People Pay, where you can send money directly to people with an email address or mobile number.

Savings Builder Account

Savings Builder account offers one of the highest savings APYs currently on the market. It rewards active savers or high balance savers with a higher interest rate.

Here's how it works:

You can earn 2.30% APY if you do ONE of the following:

• Maintain a balance of $25,000, OR
  
• Open an account with $100 minimum deposit, and deposit at least $100 per month

If you fail to meet the balance or deposit requirements, your APY will drop to 1.26% that month. If you do meet the requirements next month, it will go back up to 2.30%.

As an introductory offer, CIT Bank will reward you with the 2.30% APY for the first month. There are no fees to open or maintain the account.

Open a CIT Bank 2.30% APY Savings Builder High Yield Savings Account
Click Here to See Terms

Compare Savings Rates

HSBC Direct Savings - 2.30% APY
• Earn 2.30% APY on all balance tiers
• No monthly maintenance fee
• Minimum balance to earn APY is $1
• Member FDIC
Get Deal

Online Savings Account - Earn 2.10% APY
Get Deal
• No fees
• No minimum opening deposit
• No minimum balance required

UFB High Yield Savings - Earn up to 2.45% APY
Get Deal
• Earn 2.45% APY on balances of $10,000 and above
• Member FDIC

Money Market Account

CIT's Money Market Account offers a rate even higher than the High Yield Savings and most of the CDs. If you want a good rate plus more access flexibility, this account is hard to beat.

The opening minimum deposit is $100.

Money Market Account - 1.85% APY

Click Here to Get Deal

• 1.85% APY
• $100 Minimum Opening Deposit
• No monthly maintenance fee
• FDIC Insured

The CIT Bank Money Market Account offers People Pay. People Pay is a free service that lets you send money to anyone with an email address or cell phone number.

Certificate of Deposit (CD)

CIT Bank offers a few CD options to fit different needs. All CDs have no account opening or service fees.

• Term CDs: Term CDs are available starting from 6 months all the way to 5 years. Your rate is locked in for the entire term. The minimum to open is $1,000.

  CIT offers the highest rate on their 18-month Term CD. The 1-year and 13-month CDs are pretty good as well. For any other terms, you're better off with the CIT money market or savings products.

• No Penalty CDs: This CD has one fixed term of 11 months. It gives you the flexibility to withdraw your full balance with no penalty (starting from 7 days after account funding). This is good if you suddenly need your money. The minimum to open is $1,000.

• Jumbo CDs: Jumbo CDs award slightly higher APYs for keeping a higher balance. Terms are available from 2-year to 5-year terms. You need at least $100,000 deposit to open a Jumbo CD account. However, if you have that much to save, then the Savings Builder account offers a higher APY.

Note that CDs are not available as IRAs. However, they are available as custodial accounts.

Here are the current CIT Bank CD promotions:

Open a CD with CIT

Open a CD

Term CDs

• $1,000 Minimum Opening Deposit
• Up to 2.40% APY
• Up to 5 years
• No monthly maintenance fee
• FDIC insured
• Daily Compounding Interest

Get Deal

No-Penalty CD

• Option to Withdraw Full Balance and Interest After 7 Days of CD Funding Date
• $1,000 Minimum Opening Deposit
• Up to 2.05% APY
• 11 Months
• No monthly maintenance fee
• FDIC insured
• Daily Compounding Interest

Get Deal

Jumbo CDs

• $100,000 Minimum Opening Deposit
• Up to 1.75% APY
• Up to 5 years
• No monthly maintenance fee
• FDIC insured
• Daily Compounding Interest

Get a High Interest Rate

Custodial Accounts (UTMA)

Any CIT account can be set up as a custodial account for a minor. This means the account is in the child's name, but you control it until the child reaches 18. You can also designate up to age 25 if you wish.

You can contribute as much as you can to it. But note that there are gift tax rules. For 2018, the annual exclusion is up to $15,000 per year, without being taxed.

There are also some tax advantages. A portion of the interest earnings are tax-free.

Why We Like CIT Bank

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Here are a few things that we like about CIT Bank's high yield savings accounts and CDs:

• Low minimum deposits: If you have just started saving or want to set aside a small balance, CIT can be a great choice. Their minimum deposits for high yield savings, term CDs, and no-penalty CDs are some of the lowest in the industry.

• High rates: Because CIT is an online bank, it can pass the overhead savings to you in form of high interest rates. The Savings Builder account offers one of the best rates currently on the market (provided that you meet the balance or deposit requirements). CIT's Money Market Account is another great option for a high rate without balance requirements.

• Minimal fees: CIT cuts out many fees that other banks profit from. For example, you will not be charged any account opening or maintenance fees.
  Some fees CIT charges are (though you probably won't encounter them often):

  • $10 outgoing wire transfer (for accounts less than $25,000)
    
  • $10 excessive transaction fee for Money Market account
    
  • $25 overdraft fee for Money Market account
    
  • $30 stop bill pay fee for Money Market account

Reasons You Might Skip CIT Bank

For all of CIT's advantages, the bank does have some downsides:

• No checking accounts: This isn't a huge setback for those who are familiar with transferring money between financial institutions. If you like to keep all of your accounts in one place, this could be a downside.

• No branch locations: In exchange for the high interest rate on your Premium savings account, you'll have to do your CIT banking online and over the phone. And since CIT has no ATM network, you won't be able to deposit or withdraw cash directly to/from your account.

  Solution: link up to a checking account with a brick-and-mortar bank.

• No IRAs: CIT personal banking products are limited to savings accounts, CDs, and custodial accounts. These CDs do not qualify for use in a retirement or trust account.

• No Relationship Rewards: Some retail banks in the US are now offering relationship bonuses to incentivize their customers to keep all of their business in one place.

  If you move your savings balance to CIT from your retail bank, you may miss out on some of these bonuses. Contact your bank for more details.

CIT Bank Common Complaints

Here are some common complaints about CIT Bank.

• Customer Service. One downside of online banking is that there are no physical location to visit. You have to contact them by phone or email. Customers report having to wait on hold when they try to phone in with questions.
  CIT Customer Service: The customer service number is 855-462-2652. They are available by phone from:

  • Monday - Friday: 8:00 am - 9:00 pm (ET)
    
  • Saturday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (ET)
    
  • Sunday: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm (ET)
    
  • Home Loans Division: Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 8:00 pm (ET)

  You can access your account online and by Automated Telephone Banking 24/7.
  

• Hold times on incoming funds. CIT Bank does state in their account agreement that an ACH transaction may be held for up to 5 business days. Checks deposited to your account may be held for 7 business days.

• Electronic transfers out may take a few days too. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time if you need to use the money. It's best that the accounts are used as truly savings accounts. They're not meant for day-to-day funds and frequent withdrawals.

How to Open a CIT Account

All CIT accounts must be opened online. You can do so through here. You must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident and provide the following information:

• Social Security Number
  
• Driver's license or other valid state ID
  
• Primary home address
  
• Valid email address
  
• Valid phone number

After you've opened an account, you must fund it. You can fund it by:

• Transferring funds electronically from a bank checking or savings account. CIT Bank's Routing/Transit number is 124084834.

• Mailing a check to CIT Bank, N.A. Attn: Deposit Services, P.O. Box 7056, Pasadena, CA 91109

• Wiring funds to your new account

CIT Bank will first make two "test" micro deposits to your funding account (must be a bank checking or savings account). They'll then offset the test deposits with a single withdrawal.

Within 3 business days, you'll get an email with instructions on how to verify the micro deposits. As soon as you have verified, CIT Bank will process the transaction to fund your new account.

Open a CIT Bank 2.30% APY Savings Builder High Yield Savings Account

Click Here to See Terms

How it Compares

Money Market Account - 1.85% APY
Click Here to Get Deal
• 1.85% APY
• $100 Minimum Opening Deposit
• No monthly maintenance fee
• FDIC Insured

HSBC Direct Savings - 2.30% APY
• Earn 2.30% APY on all balance tiers
• No monthly maintenance fee
• Minimum balance to earn APY is $1
• Member FDIC
Get Deal

Online Savings Account - Earn 2.10% APY
Get Deal
• No fees
• No minimum opening deposit
• No minimum balance required

UFB High Yield Savings - Earn up to 2.45% APY
Get Deal
• Earn 2.45% APY on balances of $10,000 and above
• Member FDIC

Common Questions

If you're still interested, you probably have some questions. We'll clear up some of the basics here:

• Is CIT Bank Safe? Yes, CIT Bank uses layers of security to make sure your information is safe. It has anti-virus protection, firewalls, and 128-bit Secure Socket Layer encryption.

  Though it doesn't have physical locations like traditional banks, CIT Bank follows the same rules and legal regulations. All CIT accounts are FDIC insured up to $250,000 per deposit for each account category. However, CIT, N.A. and OneWest Bank, a division of CIT Bank, N.A. are technically the same institution.

  Therefore, money held between both banks would count jointly toward the $250,000 federal insurance limit. They would not be insured separately in the unlikely event of the banks closing.

• Should I open a CD or savings account?
  Everyone has different investment goals. The decision comes down to:
  • How much money you're looking to set aside

  • How much risk you are willing to assume

  • How much you'll need to access your savings.

  Contact your financial professional for guidance.

  If you can avoid touching your savings for at least 1 year and can meet the minimum deposit, you may be able to earn a higher interest rate with a CD versus a savings account.

  But if you need liquidity, a savings account allows you to more flexibility to withdraw your savings when needed.

• How can I deposit funds with CIT Bank?
  For both savings accounts and CDs, there are three ways to deposit funds: transfer funds electronically, mail a check, or wire funds to your new account.

CIT Bank Other Services

Besides deposit accounts, CIT Bank offers some other services, including:

• Home loans. CIT Bank offers both purchase loans and refinance loans at both fixed rates and adjustable rates. There is also a Low Down Payment Program that allows borrowers to qualify for a loan with as little as a 3% down payment.

• Business loans. You can get a business loan up to $150,000. Pick terms from 6-18 months.

• Business equipment financing. Need equipment to get your business started? You can get equipment financing up to $250,000 without financials, or up to $1 million with financials. Pick terms from 12-72 months.

Bottom Line

If you're ready to start building your savings, then CIT's deposit accounts may be right for you. CIT offers higher rates than many other competitor online banks.

The Savings Builder account offers one of the best rates in the nation for relatively low requirements. And even if you only have $100, you can earn decent interest in their money market or high yield savings account .

Or if you have at least $1,000 set aside and aren't concerned about liquidity, you can earn an even greater return with an 18-month CD.