Rossen Reports: Are online-only banks legit? Get the facts here
You wanted to know — what’s the best place to put your money? An online bank, or a traditional brick-and-mortar bank? Chief National Consumer Correspondent Jeff Rossen compares your options in this week’s Rossen Responds.
Our viewer Cindy emailed in asking, “Could you please explain how online banks can issue larger interest on my savings as opposed to brick-and-mortar banks? Also, are these banks safe? I’m concerned because I can’t actually walk into the bank and speak with anyone. How do you avoid fraud?”
Online banks have less infrastructure and overhead costs to maintain. Since they’re online only, they don’t have multiple branch locations they have to pay for, so they can use those savings to pay you higher interest rates.
If the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures your online bank, you’re protected just like a traditional brick-and-mortar bank. To know if the online bank you're considering joining is FDIC-insured, you can search it using the FDIC’s BankFind Suite tool here.
Ultimately, deciding between an online bank and a brick-and-mortar is up to your personal preferences. If in-person service is important to you, you might want to stay with a brick and mortar. If you’re fine doing things online, an online bank might be better for you. There's also no reason why you couldn't do a combination of the two, like having a high-yield savings account with an online bank, but using a brick-and-mortar for your traditional checking transactions. Do some comparison shopping and find the best deal for you.
Have a question for Jeff Rossen? He’s answering your consumer questions every Friday in the new segment "Rossen Responds." Email your questions to him at RossenResponds@hearst.com.