Top 100 Banks Leading the U.S. in 2021
In the old days, most people would simply do their banking at the neighborhood bank. However, with more and more national and online banks, consumer choice is more extensive than ever.
To help make sense of the ever-growing list of options, GOBankingRates put together a list of the top 100 banks for 2021.
The list includes five different classifications of banks:
- Local
- Credit Union
- Regional
- National
- Online
Although each of these bank types tends to have certain strengths and weaknesses, none of these categories is the clear-cut winner for every situation. Banks are complex institutions and each category has banks throughout the list.
That said, only five national banks make the top 100, and all of them are in the top 10. The list covers all different sizes of banks, from Chase Bank and its $2.8 trillion in assets to Space Coast Credit Union with $5 billion in assets.
Each type of bank has different things to offer and aligns with specific lifestyles and financial goals. Here are the top 100:
Top 100 Banks
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JPMorgan Chase Bank Review |
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Choosing the Best Bank
Although we rated the best banks overall, choosing one of the first few on the list isn’t necessarily the best choice for everyone. To make the right decision for you, we have to zoom in a bit. Let’s take a look at the different categories of banks and what each has to offer.
National and Regional Banks
If accessibility is your top priority, national banks and regional banks are worth considering. These banks can be ideal for frequent domestic travelers as you will likely have a branch nearby. That means you can always stop in and talk to someone in-person, regardless of your location.
Local Banks and Credit Unions
Another option for in-person service is your local credit union, which may have even better customer service than the big bank. Smaller banks and credit unions tend to be more invested in their communities, which can lead to more favorable interest rates for business and personal loans. Plus, they may have higher APYs for savings accounts and CDs.
Online Banks
Several online banks on the list have no checking account fees and some of the highest APYs for savings accounts and CDs. Many of these banks partner with nationally-operated ATM networks that allow you to deposit checks and withdraw cash nationwide. In addition, online banks are often friendlier to travelers as they are more likely to reimburse or even waive out-of-network ATM fees altogether. One online bank account that waives international ATM fees is Charles Schwab’s Investor Checking.
Factors to Consider
There is more choice than ever when it comes to opening a bank account. That is a good thing, but it can also make the decision seem overwhelming. Choosing a bank from our top 100 banks means you must take your own lifestyle into consideration.
Customer Service
If customer service is very important to you, then a local bank or credit union may be the best choice. These banks have smaller client bases, meaning it’s in their best interest to keep you as a customer. On the other hand, most credit unions don’t have 24/7 customer support, but some national banks do.
APY and Interest Rates
If you want the best savings rates, a credit union or online bank is your best bet. Online banks often have high APY for savings accounts and CDs because they have much lower overhead than large, national banks.
Credit unions also offer high APY on savings and CD because they are invested in their communities. The same goes for lending; credit unions tend to have lower interest rates on mortgages on personal loans.
ATM Access and Fees
Those who often travel domestically will benefit from a national bank, as they have ATMs all over the country. Online banks, on the other hand, partner with large ATM networks with tens of thousands of locations. Plus, online banks sometimes waive ATM fees entirely, making them particularly good for international travelers.
Summary
Every bank account has different things to offer. That is why you should tailor your choice to your particular lifestyle. In addition, you should determine what is most important to you in terms of what a bank offers. Once you decide what is most important, it becomes much easier to sort through the list and find the right bank for you.
Methodology
To discover the Top 100 Banks, GOBankingRates looked at all institutions with available published data (National, Regional, Local, and Online) from the 2021 Best Banks categories as well as all Credit Unions with over $1 billion in total assets and accessible to a wide audience. GOBankingRates looked at the following factors: (1) total assets as sourced from the FDIC and NCUA; (2) number of branch locations as sourced from the FDIC and NCUA; (3) checking account annual fee; (4) savings account APY rate; (5) 12-month CD APY rate; (6) customer service products offered (24/7 customer service and live chat with a human); (7) Bauer rating (out of 5 stars); (8) products/services offered (auto loans, mortgage loans, credit cards, investment services, and insurance); and (9) the average mobile app rating between the android and apple stores. All factors were then scored and combined, with the lowest score being best. Factors (1) and (4) were weighted 1.5 times in final scoring, factor (2) was weighted 2 times, factor (6) was weighted 0.5 times, and factor (8) was weighted 2.5 times. For all Savings and Checking Account data only the basic accounts/products offered at each institution was analyzed. All data is up to date as of November 4, 2020; rates and fees subject to change.
