This is comprehensive review of the best online banks, specifically those with a high interest savings account and high yield savings accounts available (high interest refers to the interest rate). Given the recent economic uncertainty, interest rates have come down from their earlier highs and so “high yield” is more a relative term than an absolute one. Gone are the days of 5% and 6% APYs, today the best ones are in the 2-3% range. While not incredible, they are certainly better than the 0% your local bank is likely giving you on your savings accounts nowadays. In this post, Everbank, Ally Bank, E*Trade, HSBC Direct and WTDirect are given brief looks to see how strong they are in the current rate environment.

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After sixteen months of sitting in carbonite, the funds in my Emigrant Direct MyWay CD matured and I withdraw the last of my funds from Emigrant Direct. Ever since I discovered that Dollar Savings Direct was the same as Emigrant Direct, except with a much higher interest rate, I’ve been putting all my funds there. Fortunately, the Emigrant Direct MyWay CD was yielding me a fat 4.50% APY for the last sixteen months so I wasn’t complaining too loudly. Now that it had matured, I was ready to close the account because it had outlived its usefulness.

One minor bit of advice, Emigrant Direct compounds interest daily but credits your account monthly, so I would wait until the start of a new month before transferring out assets and requesting closure.

1. Transfer all of your assets to your external bank account.
2. Click “Customer Service” and send customer service a message that you’d like to close your account. My message was a succinct “I would like to close all of my accounts.”
3. Wait.
4. The next business day, they’ll send you a message within their internal system notifying you that they’ll be closing your account.

Here’s the message I received one day later:

Dear JIM, Thank you for contacting Emigrant Direct. While we are disappointed that you will be closing your account with us, it is our pleasure to assist you. We have received your request to close your account. Please allow 1 to 2 business days for your request to be processed. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 1-800-836-1997. We are here to assist our customers seven days a week from 8:00am to 11:30pm Eastern Time. Once again, thank you for contacting us and we are sorry to lose you as a valued customer. Sincerely, Kim P.

And just like that, account closed!

If you are looking for a high yield savings account to earn more money, you have come to the right place. This page will give you three of my choices for the best online bank along with their rates, a list of comparable banks, and between the two you will find a savings account that will beat your current one.

High yield savings accounts are the rage these days, with people pouring billions of dollars into banks and certificates of deposit. A few years ago, the only online bank with a high yield savings account was ING Direct. At first I was a little apprehensive – an entirely online bank with no physical branches I could visit? But they were FDIC insured and it’s turned out well. Since then, dozens have popped up to offer high yields because they run leaner than traditional brick and mortar banks. No branches, no tellers, no managers, no paper statements – all result in higher yields.

Enter in a new class of deposit account – the high yield savings account. It follows all the rules of a regular savings account except the bank running it is cutting costs wherever it can and passing it along to you, the customer, in higher interest rates. So which online banks offer the best high yield savings accounts?

Best High Yield Savings Accounts

Everbank’s 2.51% Bonus Rate

If you’re looking for the best rate you can get from an a high yield savings account, Everbank is the one for you. Right now you get an interest rate of 2.51% for three months, which is certainly among the highest, and the initial deposit requirement is only $1,500. You only earn the bonus rate on the first $50,000 you deposit, anything over earns 1.50%. EverBank, along with every bank on this site, is FDIC insured since 1998 (FDIC Cert. #34775) up to $250,000.

In terms of accolades, they have collected several in their years in the business. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance once named them the “Best Checking Account” because their yields were often 10X that of industry averages while Money Magazine named them a “Best of the Breed.” For five years in a row, Forbes.com named them the “Best of the Web.” This isn’t a bank that will pull a bait and switch, they’ve been here for a while and their reputation speaks for itself.

Ally Bank

A relatively new entrant into the online savings account world is Ally Bank. Ally Bank is an online bank that’s been FDIC insured since August 2nd, 2004 under FDIC Certificate 57803. They are a unit of GMAC Financial Services and was once known as GMAC Bank before changing their name in May of 2009. The reason I like Ally Bank is because they have no minimums on any of their deposit accounts, they offer plenty of options from an online savings account to no penalty certificates of deposit; all of which are at market competitive rates. They are certainly worth a look.

Click to apply for an Ally Bank account today!

Best High Yield Savings Accounts Rates

I’ve compiled a list of the best of the best FDIC insured (now up to $250,000 through December 2013) banks below.

* Everbank offers 2.51% promotional rate for the first 3 months, then 1.77% thereafter.

Are these online banks safe? Yes, they are FDIC insured and you can confirm that with the FDIC’s Bank Find tool. In fact, with all the bank failures lately, you might be surprised to learn that not a single one was an online bank.

When Dollar Savings Direct first appeared, I thought Dollar Savings Direct was an Emigrant Direct clone. I chatted with a CSR and learned that it was once Banco Fortuna, Emigrant Bank’s attempt to market to the Spanish-speaking banking market, and merely rebranded in English. While it wasn’t their intent, the end result is clear: Dollar Savings Direct is a clone of Emigrant Direct (both are subsidiaries of Emigrant Bank, FDIC #12054) but with a $1,000 account minimum and a better interest rate (4.00% APY).

Opening a new Dollar Savings Direct account was quick and easy. I did what any sane person would do, I closed my Emigrant Direct account and opened a new Dollar Savings Direct account. Emigrant Direct has a 3.00% APY rate and Dollar Savings Direct offers a 4.00% APY, which leads most high yield savings accounts rates. My plan is to put all new funds into the Dollar Savings Direct account.

On the fact that their clones of each other. On one hand, I’m a little miffed that Emigrant Direct didn’t just fold Dollar Savings Direct into it and just offer the 4.00% rate. On the other hand, it doesn’t really affect me too much as opening new savings accounts don’t affect your credit score (most of the time) and I didn’t have much in my Emigrant Direct account in the first place so it’s not too much hassle.

Savings account interest rates can change. Remember that savings interest rates are not guaranteed, they can change at any time. It’s pretty easy to lock in a much higher CD rate nowadays if you want to go that route. Surprisingly though, since August 30th, when I first looked at them, their rate increased from 3.75% APY to the current rate of 4.00% APY)

One of the biggest concerns people have about online banks is that, for many of them, you can only access them through the web. With these simple techniques, you can mitigate the severity of that risk and take advantage of their high yields without putting yourself in a bad situation.

Recent Online Bank Access Problems

First, is this even a valid concern? I think so.

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Several years ago, ING Direct made a name for themselves when they introduced the Orange Savings Account. At the time, the concept of an online savings account was as foreign as its owners, Dutch-owned ING Group, and many folks wondered if the offer was a scam. At the time, I know my credit union’s savings account APY was sub-1% and here ING was offering 2.60%! It was unheard of!

I had my reservations though. First, the company was Dutch so I didn’t know if that had any implications (it doesn’t). I was new to managing my own money so I was always wary of doing something stupid (I still do stupid things). Lastly, I didn’t want to jump too quickly even with the ING Direct $25 referral bonus dangling out there. Fortunately, my comfort with all things online coupled with my inexperience pushed me towards opening an account at ING Direct and I’m glad I did.

Since then, many banks have begun offering high interest savings accounts and ING Direct has ceased to be one of the top interest rates out there… but it still has some merits and a warm place in my heart.

Account Signup

Signing up for an account takes mere minutes and is actually one of the strengths of ING Direct when ING first started. Back then, opening an account online was practically unheard of. You always had to visit a physical branch so that a teller or account representative could go through the screens themselves. Now, a quick account signup process is the norm.

Account Features

One feature that is noticeably absent from many other online banks is the ability to add new accounts as quickly. Once your first account is opened, subsequent accounts can be added in mere seconds. Everything managed through the same login, which recently benefited from a face lift, and it really does help you save more.

For example, opening new savings accounts are trivial and, given the ability to name them whatever you’d like, you can easily open an account for the purposes of a saving goal. If you have a big expense, such as a vacation, coming up in the future you can set up an account specifically for that. Once you set up an account, you can establish automatic transfers between all of your linked accounts (ING Direct accounts are automatically linked). So, you could set up a monthly transfer from your checking account to your ING Direct savings account and then intra-ING Direct transfer from your main ING Direct account to your vacation savings account. This transferring feature isn’t unique to ING Direct but the ability to add new accounts so easily is.

ING offers a CD laddering form that makes CD laddering a cinch. While the interest rates aren’t especially competitive, the 12 month CD is 3.40% APY and the 60 month CD is 4.00% APY (compared to FNBO Direct’s 3.50% APY high yield savings account), this feature is the only one of its kind I’ve seen available anywhere. When their CD rates become more competitive, I can see this form getting a lot more use.

Overall, I was very pleased with ING Direct. While their rates have lagged their competitors lately, I think the intuitive and friendly interface really puts new online banking customers at ease. I have accounts at Emigrant Direct and HSBC Direct and their banking screens look very antiseptic and austere. While you can’t judge a book by its cover, ING Direct does a great job putting the softer elements into its interface that puts someone at easy.

A reader emailed me, after reading my post about high yield savings accounts, asking whether Emigrant Direct should even belong on the list. She recommended her number one choice, FNBO Direct, because it crushes Emigrant’s 3% APY interest rate. I think I was always partial to Emigrant Direct because they’ve been around for so long, but, she had a point. There are plenty of banks on the north side of 3% and Emigrant doesn’t offer any particularly innovative features that would justify it being in the top five with that rate, so I sought to review her number one choice. (Another name that appeared a couple times in the comments and emails was Provident Direct, the online bank of Provident Bank).

Application Process

Last week, I opened an account at FNBO Direct, a process that took less than five minutes. There were all the obligatory personal information fields, a quick credit verification (where they ask three questions from your credit report), and my online savings account was “opened.” A few more screens later (login credentials, funding the account) and I was done.

One nice feature in the process, one that HSBC Direct also uses, was online bank account verification. You enter in your online access credentials and they try to login to verify you are who you say you are. While it worked at HSBC Direct, it didn’t at FNBO Direct and I had to wait for the two trial deposits. Those arrived the very next day (the ETA was 3 business days). I went back to the FNBO application, entered my two trial deposits, and my application was complete. Within an hour, FNBO sent me an email indicating the initial transfer was being initiated. The next day, I was told my account activated and I could log in.

Here’s where I ran into problems, all of my own doing. I tried to login and was prompted with two security questions – two questions I had never answered. Turns out that at the end of the application, on the page that said “Done,” there was an Activate button. That’s where I was supposed to setup all the security information, select the personal message, etc. After that brief three page process I was set up.

If you were like me and somehow missed that, you can always return to the application, view the confirmation page, and then hit the “Activate” button on that screen.

Account Features

The features of the FNBO Direct account are your standard options for a high yield online savings account. To the right I included a screenshot but it’s very plain looking – which is exactly what I like in a bank website. I want a bank website to be fast loading, simple to navigate, and FNBO delivers on both points. You won’t find a fancy CD laddering form like you can on ING Direct (they’re the only ones, as of this writing, that offer it) but I’ll take a fast loading site over a fancy form any day (ING loads fast too). Plus, the less time they put towards their website, while still giving you the basic functionality, the better. It means they can offer a higher yield.

In the screenshot you’ll see the standard Account Detail, Account Services, Transfer Funds, and BillPay buttons. They all lead to your standard screens with all the expected functionality. I won’t go into those.

More FNBO Direct Information

Here’s some useful information you may need somewhere down the road if you get an FNBO Direct account:

• FDIC Certificate: #5452
• ABA Routing Number: 104000016
• Telephone: 877-370-3707, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Official Website: http://www.fnbodirect.com

Overall, FNBO Direct is as I expected it to be. A functional high yield savings account with a 3.50% APY yield with no minimum balance requirements. I’m going to try to link up other high yield savings accounts to this one, to expedite any transfers, but otherwise this matches up with every other bank.

A few years ago, the only high yield online savings account available was ING Direct. Their rates blew people’s minds. Until then, the only way to get that type of interest rate on an essentially 100% risk-free asset was to lock it up in a 60-month CD. Even today, check out the rates for CDs of your local bank and you’ll be hard pressed to find one under 60 months that comes close to beating the rates of high yield online savings accounts.

Now the landscape is slightly different (and more crowded). There are half a dozen reputable banks offering these high yield savings accounts and they differ by fractions of a percent. At the moment, FNBO Direct, HSBC Direct, and E*Trade all have competitive rates. You would do far better with your funds in any one of those banks than in the one you’re in now (probably).

On Interest Rates

Despite what you may think, interest rate isn’t everything when you’re trying to decide which online bank to put your deposits. It’s important, but there are many other features to consider. Even if you had the FDIC limit available to save in an account, the difference in interest earned between a 3.50% APY and a 3.00% APY is $500 before taxes. If you’re in the 25% tax bracket, that’s a take home difference of $375. You might say – that’s nearly $400, that’s a big difference! Remember that’s on a balance of $100,000… if you’re putting in $10,000, that’s only a difference of $37.50. If you’re talking $5,000, that’s a difference … you get the idea.

Interest rates change frequently. Between when I opened my E*Trade account and when I funded it, the rate fell from 3.50% APY to 3.15% APY (it’s now that 3.30%). Unlike CDs, there is no guarantee on the rates. You get whatever the bank feels like offering. So if you pick a bank based on rate alone, you could be making a mistake because those rates chance quickly.

Don’t decide on rate alone, it’s the features of the account that are important. Those features will help you in save more.

Feature Set

Linking High Yield Savings Accounts:
I was surprised when HSBC Direct let me link my HSBC Direct account with my ING Direct account. The ability to transfer from one high yield savings accounts to another is great, it cuts your transfer time in half (the alternative is to transfer to an intermediary checking account). I was surprised because many other accounts don’t let you do that. You can’t log into an ING Direct account and link it to the HSBC (or E*Trade or Emigrant Direct) account because they require a paper check. In fact, to my knowledge, only HSBC Direct (of the major banks) lets you link up to other online savings accounts (I could be wrong).

Corollary: Linking to Brokerage, Checking Accounts:
The one advantage E*Trade has over the competition is that you can link your savings account with a brokerage account. This allows you to transfer funds instantly between the two, so you’re earning the best possible rate on your cash. E*Trade also has a checking account and that can be linked to the savings account, maximizes the rate.

Washington Mutual, E*Trade, and ING Direct all offer a high yield checking account, in addition to the savings account. You can get checks, an ATM card, and access to your funds whenever you need them. WaMu has the added bonus of brick and mortar branches, if you have one nearby then that’s a definite plus.

Create Additional Accounts Easily:
ING Direct makes it absolutely painless to create sub-accounts. Each of these accounts have their own account number, but they are managed through one customer login. This is valuable because it helps you save more money. If you are able to create a new account for each of your savings goals, you’re more likely to actually save. Planning a cruise over the holidays this year? Open the Carnival Imagination 2008 account, schedule monthly transfers, and start packing your bags. You’re more likely to save because: 1) you’ve made it automatic with monthly transfers, 2) you can see the account grow, rather than seeing some master account grow and “remembering” some of it is earmarked for the trip (or your children’s education, or a new house, etc.)

ING isn’t the only bank that offers this, HSBC does too (Emigrant Direct does not), but they are definitely the easiest.

Promotions:
This is the least important “feature” about a bank. ING Direct has had a standing referral bonus of $25 for new accounts. Click a referral link, deposit more than $250, and you’ll receive $25. The referrer earns $10. HSBC used to run a $50 promotion that expired several months ago but, to my knowledge, no one else has ever run that type of promotion.

The Best Online Bank

The best online bank is the one that has the features you need. If you have savings goals and are having a difficult time achieving them, perhaps ING Direct is your best option. If you don’t need the help and want the highest rate, HSBC Direct has the highest rate.

If you want the flexibility of checking, ING just released their checking program while WaMu and E*Trade have had checking products for quite some time. If you have a checking account at the same bank you have the high yield savings, you can transfer between the two instantaneously (plus the interest rates on the checking accounts are far superior to standard rates).

So don’t pick a bank on interest rate alone, pick the one that offers the types of services that will help you reach your goals.

(Photo: jbhill)

E*Trade just sent out an email notifying us that the interest rate will be increasing from 3.15% APY to 3.30% APY, effective tomorrow, July 2nd. This takes their interest rate from 6x the national average to 8x the national average. This is a better rate than both ING Direct ($25 sign-up referral bonus) and Emigrant Direct but less than the 3.50% APY available from HSBC Direct, but that rate is only guaranteed through September 15th.

There’s no mention of how long this rate will be active but E*Trade is on an upward rate trend, as are other banks, and there’s no indication this is a promotional offer.