CIT Financial institution Evaluation – Excessive-Yield Financial savings Accounts & CDs


CIT Financial institution routinely seems on our finest checking account promotions listing, and for good motive.

CIT Financial institution is the net banking arm of CIT Group, a big monetary firm that has been round for greater than 100 years. CIT Financial institution itself has existed since 2000, making it one of many oldest on-line banks in steady operation. Like nearly all of U.S.-based on-line banks, CIT Financial institution’s deposit accounts include FDIC insurance coverage as much as $250,000 per account.

CIT Financial institution’s focus is firmly on excessive yields, with a stable high-yield checking account and a bevy of high-yield financial savings accounts, CDs, and cash market accounts. or bank cards. Quite, it focuses on all kinds of versatile, enticing financial savings merchandise, together with financial savings accounts (with good account opening bonuses) and CDs. CIT Financial institution additionally provides custodial accounts for minors and younger folks below age 21, together with a wide range of residence loans for potential homebuyers and present householders.

Although CIT Financial institution’s deposit accounts aren’t perfect for day-to-day use, they’re enticing for these seeking to earn above-average yields on saved funds. With no administration charges, account holders don’t have to fret that the financial institution will slowly eat away on the worth of their financial savings. And, CIT’s No-Penalty CDs supply uncommon flexibility, permitting holders to withdraw funds earlier than maturity with out incurring penalty expenses. Nevertheless, excessive minimal deposit quantities for some accounts imply CIT’s merchandise usually are not fitted to everybody.

Key Options of CIT Financial institution

Right here’s a take a look at CIT’s prime banking merchandise and options:

Financial savings Join

Financial savings Join* has a wonderful yield (at the moment 3.75% APY) for account holders who full these straightforward qualifying actions:

  • Open Financial savings Join account with a minimal opening deposit of $100
  • Make a $200 digital cost (deposit) into your Financial savings Join account every month to earn the highest Financial savings Join APY

There’s no month-to-month service payment right here, and sure ATM charges assessed by different banks could also be reimbursed as much as $30 per thirty days.

* APY — Annual Share Yield is correct as of September 23, 2025. Curiosity Charges for the Financial savings Join Account are variable and should change at any time with out discover. The minimal to open a Financial savings Join account is $100. Charges may scale back earnings on the account.

Platinum Financial savings

Platinum Financial savings* has an excellent higher yield than Financial savings Join — at the moment 3.85% APY — however there’s a catch: you need to have not less than $5,000 within the account (common every day steadiness) to earn it.

In any other case, your steadiness yields 0.25% APY. However both means, you simply want $100 to open the account, and also you’ll by no means pay a month-to-month upkeep payment.

* Platinum Financial savings is a tiered rate of interest account. Curiosity is paid on all the account steadiness based mostly on the rate of interest and APY in impact that day for the steadiness tier related to the end-of-day account steadiness. *APYs — Annual Share Yields are correct as of September 23, 2025: 0.25% APY on balances of $0.01 to $4,999.99; 3.85% APY on balances of $5,000.00 or extra. Curiosity Charges for the Platinum Financial savings account are variable and should change at any time with out discover. The minimal to open a Platinum Financial savings account is $100.

No-Penalty CD

CIT Financial institution provides a No-Penalty CD with an 11-month time period and a present yield of three.35% APY, topic to alter with prevailing charges.

The CIT No-Penalty CD doesn’t cost an early withdrawal payment — interval — in the event you want entry to your funds earlier than maturity.

The minimal opening deposit is $1,000, however there’s no upkeep payment thereafter.

* APY — Annual Share Yield is correct as of September 23, 2025. With a No-Penalty CD, you might withdraw the full steadiness and curiosity earned, with out penalty, starting 7 days after funds have been acquired to your CD. No withdrawals are permitted through the first 6 days following the receipt of funds.

Financial savings Builder Account

Financial savings Builder is a financial savings account with a stable yield. One of the best APY — at the moment 1.00% APY — is reserved for accountholders who can do one of many following:

  • Keep a minimal steadiness of $25,000 or extra
  • Make not less than one month-to-month deposit of $100 or extra into the account

Transferring ahead, there’s no account upkeep payment.

Cash Market Account

The CIT Financial institution Cash Market account has an excellent yield on all balances (at the moment 1.55% APY) with no month-to-month upkeep or service charges. There’s a $100 minimal opening deposit, however no minimal steadiness thereafter.

Time period CDs

CIT Financial institution has eight time period (conventional) CDs, with time period lengths starting from 6 months to 60 months. Yields are stable all through, particularly on the 18-month CD. All yields are topic to alter with prevailing rates of interest and CIT Financial institution coverage.

All CIT time period CDs include a minimal opening deposit and steadiness of $1,000. Early withdrawal penalties are 90 days’ curiosity for phrases lower than 12 months, 180 days’ curiosity for phrases between 12 and 36 months, and 360 days’ curiosity for phrases longer than 36 months. These penalties apply to most of CIT’s Jumbo CDs as nicely.

On the brilliant facet, CIT CDs (together with the opposite variations described under) don’t have any account opening or recurring upkeep charges.

Jumbo CDs

CIT Financial institution’s Jumbo CDs have barely higher yields than their conventional counterparts. All require a minimal opening deposit of $100,000.

eChecking Account

CIT Financial institution’s eChecking account requires a minimal opening deposit of simply $100 and provides a really enticing yield on balances above $25,000 (although yields aren’t too dangerous on decrease balances both). It’s largely free, with no month-to-month upkeep charges and a promise to reimburse qualifying ATM charges charged by different banks as much as $30 per thirty days.

CD Ladders

CIT Financial institution makes it straightforward to create and customise a CD ladder for long-term and emergency financial savings. The most typical configuration is a three-tiered ladder consisting of equal-sized 12-, 24-, and 36-month Time period CDs. When your 12-month CD matures, you may withdraw any funds wanted for short-term bills and reinvest the remaining right into a 36-month CD. Repeat this course of the next yr, when your 24-month CD matures, and also you’ll then have three 36-month CDs set to resume at 12-month intervals.

IRA Choices

Just about all of CIT Financial institution’s accounts will be structured as conventional or Roth IRAs, the one exception being the 6-month CD. All IRA accounts include the identical phrases, yields, and restrictions (minimal opening balances, for instance) as their non-IRA counterparts.

Custodial Accounts

Any CIT Checking account, besides IRA merchandise, will be structured as a custodial account. Custodial accounts are opened in each the grownup custodian’s and baby’s identify, however stay below the management of the custodian till the kid turns 21.

Mounted-Fee House Buy Loans

CIT Financial institution provides a wide range of fixed-rate residence buy loans (mortgages) for homebuyers. Phrases vary from 10 to 30 years. Jumbo fixed-rate loans are additionally out there on 15- and 30-year phrases. Curiosity-only choices can be found on 30-year loans for very well-qualified debtors.

Adjustable-Fee House Buy Loans

CIT Financial institution points adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) with 5/1, 7/1, and 10/1 configurations. Curiosity-only funds can be found for all three configurations.

Relationship Pricing for Mortgage Clients

CIT Financial institution provides relationship pricing for present clients who originate residence loans with the financial institution’s lending arm. All residence debtors get $525 money again on profitable closings. Debtors with substantial CIT Financial institution deposits take pleasure in discounted mortgage pricing:

  • 0.10% low cost with 10% of the mortgage quantity in new deposits
  • 0.20% low cost with 25% of the mortgage quantity in new deposits

In different phrases, a borrower who deposits 10% of the full mortgage quantity knocks a 5.00% fee mortgage all the way down to 4.90%.

Cellular Banking

CIT Financial institution has Android and iOS cell apps out there for obtain. These apps have all the most important options and features of the desktop web site. That stated, CIT’s desktop web site appears nice on a smartphone and is straightforward to navigate on any gadget, so you might not even want the cell app.

Buyer Help

CIT Financial institution’s buyer help equipment features a name middle with stay representatives and a web-based contact kind that usually produces a response inside one enterprise day. The decision middle is open throughout prolonged weekday enterprise hours and restricted weekend hours.

Benefits of CIT Financial institution

CIT Financial institution has a number of upsides. These are the highest the reason why you would possibly wish to open a checking account right here.

  • Excessive CD Yields. CIT Financial institution has among the finest CD yields within the on-line financial institution enterprise. Should you’re seeking to park some funds for the medium time period, CIT needs to be in your shortlist.
  • No-Penalty CD Provides Extra Flexibility. The No-Penalty CD is a versatile long-term financial savings car for patrons who count on to want their funds earlier than maturity. There’s no penalty for early withdrawal right here, irrespective of how a lot you will have on deposit or whenever you withdraw your funds.
  • Above-Common Financial savings Yields. CIT Financial institution’s two financial savings accounts boast above-average yields on all balances, although you might want to leap via some hoops to earn the total yield in your Financial savings Builder or Financial savings Join accounts. Should you’re searching for above-average yields, however don’t wish to decide to a prolonged CD time period, give CIT Financial institution a more in-depth look.
  • Good Checking Yields. CIT Financial institution’s eChecking account provides an above-average yield for a free on-line checking account, making it a very good place to park extra money you count on to want quickly sufficient.
  • Glorious Buyer Service Availability. Although it’s not 24/7, CIT Financial institution’s customer support workforce has not less than some availability every single day of the week, together with an extended daytime block each weekday. That’s considerably higher than many smaller on-line banks.
  • Cellular-Pleasant Web site. With massive textual content, easy scrolling, and a transparent coloration scheme that appears good on screens of any dimension, CIT Financial institution’s essential web site completely blends cell responsiveness and desktop-friendliness. Should you don’t have the cell app however wish to entry your CIT accounts in your smartphone, visiting the financial institution’s essential website is a seamless expertise.

Disadvantages of CIT Financial institution

CIT Financial institution does have some drawbacks. Think about these downsides earlier than opening an account right here.

  • No Enterprise Accounts. CIT Financial institution doesn’t present any industrial accounts or credit score choices, so it’s not perfect for small enterprise homeowners. Some on-line banks do have industrial deposit accounts and financing departments.
  • Few Borrowing Choices. Apart from residence loans, CIT Financial institution has little in the best way of borrowing choices. Should you choose to borrow from the identical financial institution you retain your deposits with, look to another like First Web Financial institution, which provides bank cards, mortgages, auto loans, private loans, and industrial credit score merchandise.
  • Required Disclosures Are Onerous to Discover. U.S.-based banks are required to make sure disclosures about account charges and phrases. Web sites for on-line banks typically have clearly marked hyperlinks to “Disclosures” or “Charges and Disclosures” on the backside of every web page or inside account-specific pages. CIT’s usually are not clearly seen wherever on its web site. There’s only a perfunctory payment schedule (which doesn’t even cowl basic items like inadequate funds expenses) for every account.

Ultimate Phrase

I’m at all times eager to seek out on-line banks that enhance the worth of my hard-earned cash. And I’ve definitely discovered that in CIT Financial institution, whose wonderful financial savings and CD yields are a minimize above (most of) the remaining. In my e-book, banks with above-average yields are at all times price a more in-depth look.

Sadly, until CIT Financial institution provides a checking account sooner or later, you’ll have to look to a different on-line financial institution for my day-to-day spending wants. Good factor there are many these round nowadays. Take a look at our top-rated free checking accounts for extra choices.

For full listing of account particulars and charges, see our Private Account disclosures.

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