The Safest Banks (Updated!)

13 Responses to “The Safest Banks (Updated!)”

1. 1
   urbantux Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 10:44 am

   iGoBanking is another good one, they have competitive rates at 3.03% and a 4 star safe and sound ranking. They are a division of the Flushing Savings Bank in New York.

2. 2
   Heather Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 1:34 pm

   I know you mentioned Pentagon Federal in your post about your mortgage, what about this institution as well as USAA?

   Thanks!

   Heather

3. 3
   Lynn Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 4:29 pm

   Thanks for the updates and the interest rates. Keep up the good work.

4. 4
   Gail Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 9:54 pm

   How do you feel about earning good interests from savings accounts but having to use this as income interest for taxes? How do we get ahead?

5. 5
   DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad Says:
   February 4th, 2009 at 7:38 am

   Glad to see one of my banks in the top three, but where are the “Superior” banks? (That’s a rhetorical question).

6. 6
   thomas Says:
   February 4th, 2009 at 12:32 pm

   Customer service can overwrite savings rates. I’ll be happy taking .5% lower rates in order to have solid CS. ING fits this category.

7. 7
   James Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 7:14 am

   I found this a link to this list on Wise Bread, and when I got here I was counfounded to not see Branch Banking & Trust on here. Their Bank Rate Safe & Sound was a 3 and they cover most of the East Coast with the exclusion of New England.

   So I was just wondering what else you were using to base this list off of besides the Bank Rate Safe & Sound and the banks being fairly large. Forgive me if I’m being naive.

8. 8
   nickel Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 8:15 am

   James: This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list of every safe bank out there. Rather, I’m simply listing the Safe & Sound ratings for the most prominent online banks (which are available to anyone, anywhere in the country). There are simply too many banks out there for me to cover them all, especially when many banks don’t have a truly national presence.

9. 9
   James Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 8:46 am

   Ok, thanks for clearing that up for me. Love the blog, and you have a new subscriber from me. Have a good day.

10. 10
    Jensen Says:
    February 19th, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    I’m surprised HSBC is only ranked 2 stars. They are the only int’l bank not to have taken bailout money. HSBC also has an extensive branch network in Asia where personal savings rates are much higher. Maybe this ranking is for the US subsidiary only.

11. 11
    John Says:
    June 12th, 2009 at 1:11 pm

    Hi. Thanks for your list. Wondering why there is no mention of GMAC or the new name they are going by, Ally?

12. 12
    bill Says:
    September 5th, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    There is no such thing as ‘a safe bank’. Bank accounts may be raided by a court order at any time, such as IRS going after a lien they may put against a person. To collect they may (I’m sure it’s in the banking codes of law – federal reserve act) go after, court ordered, a persons bank account. That’s correct, any time they wish. If you met a judge and he didn’t like the way you look – well, you get the picture, sure that one is an exageration. Truthfully, this is 100% accurate information! NO LIES, NO BULLSHIT!! Also may be done in other fashions such as getting arrested, even for a trumped-up charge, yes that’s correct – wait for it – another “Court Order” – signed by a judge. There is a great deal to learn about the USA corrupt “justice” system. And I love this country, I’m not the one who had any part in corrupting it. There is a lot more down this rabbit hole baby! And none of what I’m saying is made-up or nonsense – it can all be verified in codified law – USC – laws or codes of laws the justice system uses against people. LEARN – START READING SOME OF THOSE ‘boring’ LAWS – it ain’t easy and a lot of it from my experience is boring and some of it may be tough to understand. IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE. Guess what, in the good ‘ol USA this is a truth. Many of you have experienced this for yourselves. So, it’s every individuals own decision to study (more of what ‘they’ did not teach all of us, that I know of, in school, instead – memorizing the presidents names – HaHa – remember that one. That to me was a difficult pain in the a__, who knows maybe some of you enjoyed it, who am I to judge, did it ever assist in ‘making money’ for you, well for those few who applied this knowledge of history into a profession – honestly – great for you. How about conveniently not teaching everyone the basics of taking care of one’s own vehicle – changing the oil and filter(I agree, it’s messy (especially for girls) and you may need a good jack, changing an air filter, adding all those fluids, checking the air in tires, a bit more work and tools – replacing the correct spark plugs. Options – sure would be great for schools to teach all sentient beings the basics of survival in today’s society – cooking, sewing (the basics, dude, sewing a button back on that favorite shirt that’s falling apart anyway (hey, I’ve owned some of those over the years), vehicle basics (besides turning the key in the ignition and re-fueling), ironing – yes, my opinion – cotton shirts do feel better on the skin, how about how to earn money! – that would bust the school system wide open.
    Now, if the basics of living, in today’s society (not homeless on the street, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it) were taught in k-12 school, then everyone would have more options and not be ‘forced’ to take the car to a mechanic for a ‘tune-up’ or oil change or just a new air filter – hey, what’s that plastic box hold inside of it under the hood of my car? – could be the air filter (example – go to car parts store, I just learned OSH has an auto section, pop hood open, extract air filter, cause you read the manual and learned where it’s at or your dad showed you, take that dirty thing (put it in a bag) into the store with you, now you have something to compare a new one to so you know, pretty-much for sure, you’re getting the correct replacement, find a new one, buy it, clean out the box it goes into, leaves, dirt, ect., put into box under the hood of you car, close the box lid properly so air does not leek around the filter, and you’re done. You just saved $__, a few bucks and feel more confident with you car, hopefully – HaHa. Peace Love Joy

13. 13
    Ayden Says:
    October 14th, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    I’m the 13th commenter. Perfect. I enjoyed James’ thought process about DIY lifestyle above, and do feel cautioned by the very real specter of a court-ordered gutting of accounts. It doesn’t make sense to me, but neither do many awful circumstances that occur. That said, thank you as well for the suggestions by others about further online savings accounts. IMG keeps getting my attention…
    In practical service to money while tending the nourishment of the spirit, Ayden