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CIT Bank Review 2024

Updated May 29, 2024
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At a glance

4.2
Rating: 4.2 stars out of 5
Bankrate Score
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CDs

Rating: 2.8 stars out of 5

Checking

Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5

Savings

Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5

MMA

Rating: 3.9 stars out of 5

About Bankrate Score

Overview

CIT Bank is a great choice for customers looking for savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs) that pay above-average yields as well as an interest-bearing checking account at an online bank. But you must be comfortable solely banking online to earn those yields.

Highlights

  • ATM Fee Refunds
  • Top Savings Rate
Sponsored offers
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Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
3.80
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 12/22/2024
Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer:
Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
3.80
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 12/22/2024
Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer: It only takes about 5 minutes to open a fee-free account.
Bank logo
Member FDIC
CD
4.25
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 12/22/2024
Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5
$500
Minimum deposit
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer:

Overall

CIT Bank is an online institution that offers competitive annual percentage yields (APYs) on its Savings Connect savings account and some of its certificate of deposit accounts (CDs). It also offers an interest-earning checking account, a money market account and various types of CDs.

While interest rates are competitive for some CDs, other CDs and the money market accounts have a less competitive rate. But customers won’t have to worry about high fees eating into their deposits, since the bank waives most fees, including monthly service fees, overdraft fees and incoming wire transfer fees.

Pros

  • Checkmark Icon

    CIT offers competitive yields on its savings and some of its CD accounts.

  • Checkmark Icon

    There are no monthly fees for any accounts.

  • Checkmark Icon

    The checking account earns interest.

  • Checkmark Icon

    Customers get up to $30 in ATM surcharges reimbursed per month.

Cons

  • Some of the APYs for CDs fall below the national average for their respective terms.

  • The bank doesn’t have physical branch locations.

CTA We want to know what you think about CIT Bank

We want to know what you think about CIT Bank

Do you have experience with CIT Bank? Let us know your thoughts.

CIT Bank banking products

4.6
/5
Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5
SCORE BREAKDOWN
APY offering:
4.35%
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance for APY:
$5,000.00
Rating: 2 stars out of 5
2/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Good
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
4/5
Info Icon
FEATURES
Invest Rate Icon
4.35% APY
Info Icon
Savings Icon
$5,000 minimum balance for APY
Loan Icon
$100 minimum deposit to open

CIT Bank savings overview

CIT Bank’s Savings Connect account is the bank’s most accessible savings account, with only a $100 minimum opening deposit and no monthly fee. The account also earns a competitive APY.

The highest-earning CIT savings account is its Platinum Savings account. While there’s only a $100 minimum opening deposit, the top-notch yield only applies to balances of $5,000 or more. Otherwise, you’ll earn a much lower yield. There are no monthly fees for this account.

CIT Bank also offers its Savings Builder account. This account has a much lower APY but still yields more than the national average for savings accounts. Savings Builder is a little more complex, since you need to have at least a $25,000 monthly balance or recurring deposits of $100 or more every month to earn this APY. The account doesn’t have a monthly service fee.

Pros

  • Checkmark Icon

    The Platinum Savings and Savings Connect accounts offer a top-tier yield.

  • Checkmark Icon

    The Savings Builder can motivate you to save since you need to deposit at least $100 each month in order to get the top APY.

  • Checkmark Icon

    There are no monthly fees for any of the savings accounts.

Cons

  • Compared with other savings accounts at online banks, the Savings Builder doesn’t offer a competitive APY.

  • While the minimum opening deposit of $100 for the Savings Connect account is low, some accounts have lower or no minimum requirements.

  • See how rates for this account have changed over time. Interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

    CIT Bank
    APY
    APY
    Info Icon
    National average APY
    How do we get this data?
    Info Icon

Bank fees

Fee Charged?
Overdraft fee None
Non-sufficient funds fee None
Monthly maintenance fee None
Out-of-network ATM fee None
Excessive transaction fee None

Customer experience

Customer support. CIT has no branches, but customers can reach a customer service representative by phone 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time weekdays and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern. There’s also an automated telephone service that’s available 24/7. 

Digital experience. CIT Bank’s mobile banking app is highly rated by iOS users but receives low reviews from Android users. The app takes care of the basics, such as letting you check your transaction history and transfer funds between your CIT Bank accounts. The app also allows you to make mobile check deposits.

Low satisfaction. CIT Bank ranked below average in overall satisfaction among online banks that offer savings accounts, according to J.D. Power’s 2024 Direct Banking Satisfaction Study.

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Bankrate staff insights

“I love the high yield CIT Bank offers,” said a Bankrate staff member with a CIT account. Transferring from this account to another bank is simple.”

Disclosure: To enhance our product reviews, Bankrate employees often open accounts and provide feedback. They may have been compensated for their time and account maintenance, but this does not affect the integrity of their review.

How CIT Bank compares to other banks

Compare different account types offered by CIT Bank. Annual percentage yields (APYs) shown were updated between Dec. 15, 2024 and Dec. 21, 2024.

Selected bank
CIT Bank savings account
CIT Bank Logo
Member FDIC
Bankrate score
Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5
4.6
Info Icon
Most comparable
Popular Direct savings account
Popular Direct Logo
Member FDIC
Bankrate score
Rating: 4.8 stars out of 5
4.8
Info Icon
Read review
Search for or select a bank:
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Bankrate score
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Read review
APY
Info Icon
4.35% 4.60%
Minimum balance for APY
$5,000.00 $100.00
Estimated earnings
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$2,175 $2,300
CIT Bank’s Platinum Savings account earns a competitive yield on balances of $5,000 or more. Lower balances earn an APY that’s below the national average. The account requires a low minimum opening deposit, and it doesn’t charge monthly maintenance fees. Popular Direct’s high-yield savings account earns a rate that’s tough to beat, and the $100 minimum required opening deposit is manageable. The account allows for mobile check deposit, although an ATM card is not included.
  • The Platinum Savings account earns a competitive rate on balances of $5,000 or more.
  • There’s no monthly maintenance fee.
  • Popular Direct’s savings account earns a top-notch APY.
  • There’s no monthly service fee, and the minimum deposit to open the account is low.
    N/A
  • With a balance under $5,000, you’ll earn an APY below the national average.
  • The account doesn’t come with ATM access.
  • The account does not come with an ATM card.
  • An early account closing fee of $25 is charged when you close the account within 180 days of opening it.
    N/A
APY offering:
4.35%
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance for APY:
$5,000.00
2/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Good
4/5
Info Icon
APY offering:
4.60%
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance for APY:
$100.00
4/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Good
4/5
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Bankrate does not currently track additional product details for this bank.

CIT Bank vs. Citizens Bank

While CIT Bank is online-only, Citizens Bank might be a good fit for someone living in the Eastern U.S. who wants access to branches and a fee-free ATM network. However, one of the benefits of banking with an online bank like CIT Bank is that you can get much higher yields. CIT Bank offers a very competitive yield on its Savings Connect account and even offers a decent yield on its checking account; savers will not get the same boost at Citizens Bank.

Another factor to consider is fees. CIT Bank charges few fees. Meanwhile, Citizens Bank’s checking account comes with a lofty overdraft fee and out-of-network ATM fee — neither of which are charged at all by CIT Bank.

CIT Bank FAQs

Review methodology

With so many financial institutions to choose from, it can be hard to know who to trust. Bankrate’s ever-growing list of bank and credit union reviews is updated regularly. Our editorial team analyzes and reviews each institution across deposit products such as savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market accounts (MMAs). Banks are rated by important factors such as offered interest rates, fees, minimum balance requirements, access to funds and more.

We assign a score to each type of account and its features, weigh them carefully based on importance to account holders and determine an overall score. Read our full review methodology.

CIT Bank customer reviews

CTA CIT Bank has 19 reviews

CIT Bank has 19 reviews

Dive into community reviews below and see what others think about CIT Bank.

4.6 Star Icon
19 ratings
Info Icon
Score breakdown
5 stars
68%
4 stars
26%
3 stars
5%
2 stars
0%
1 star
0%
Score by category
Overall Rating 4.6 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4.3 / 5
Amount of fees 4.3 / 5
Customer support 4.4 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4.6 / 5
Verified Badge Icon Bankrate methodology disclosure

In July 2024, Bankrate collaborated with a third-party vendor to survey 1,200 bank account holders nationwide. Bankrate and our vendor collected and summarized account holder responses to five rating questions on a 5-point scale as well as open-ended reviews of the banking experience. Responses are based on individual account holder product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Reviewers received an incentive for their feedback. Their ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by the associated bank or credit union, nor do these responses reflect Bankrate's own expert review of these banking products.

Community Reviews

See what users like you are saying about CIT Bank.
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Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Citi bank is a really good and reliable bank to bank with. Fast and accurate deposit dates I've never had a issue and the customer service is excellent.
Score by category
Amount of fees 5 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 5 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Interest growth on credit card using checking account. Interest rate, checking account credit card connection, mobile access.
Score by category
Amount of fees 3 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3 / 5
Customer support 4 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Make sure you invest the right amounts, this way you do not have any fees. The factors that influenced my choice of this bank were honesty, rates, and fees.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Very good. Trustworthy.
Score by category
Amount of fees 5 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 5 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Trusted, secure and convenient. Location Good Reviews Security.
Score by category
Amount of fees 5 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 5 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
It has been a great experience with this bank so far with my checking and my savings account. I have heard good things about this brand from many people.
Score by category
Amount of fees 5 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 5 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
I have a good digital experience with them and their customer support team has been very good about addressing my specific issues. Savings on interest for savings and checking accounts, good customer service, low fees.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 4 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Very normal experience customer service was as I expected. Word of mouth and passed experience with the brand.
Score by category
Amount of fees 3 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3 / 5
Customer support 3 / 5
Website / Mobile app 3 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Citi bank is the best thing ever. love it so much. it’s amazing. They’re the best bank in the world. I love doing business with them.
Score by category
Amount of fees 5 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 5 / 5
Customer support 4 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Save every time you write checks. My experience is that I can instantly withdraw the money and it is always there. It doesn't say there isn't any at the ATMs.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 3 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4 / 5