American Express vs CIT Bank
The two banks compared as banks: the charter, branches, checking, the other products they sell, their apps and their deposit rates. Each fact has its source and the date it was confirmed.
Choose American Express or CIT Bank
Choose American Express if
- You want a credit card from the same bank. CIT Bank does not offer one.
- You want a personal loan from the same bank (eligible Card Members only). CIT Bank does not offer one.
Choose CIT Bank if
- You want a money market account. Banksparency tracks none at American Express.
- The savings rate matters most. CIT Bank advertises the higher savings APY.
American Express and CIT Bank compared
| Field | American Express | CIT Bank |
|---|---|---|
| What each bank sells | ||
| Savings account | YesBanksparency rate data | YesBanksparency rate data |
| CDs | YesBanksparency rate data | YesBanksparency rate data |
| Money market account | None trackedBanksparency rate data | YesBanksparency rate data |
| Checking account | Yes, open only to U.S. consumer Card Members and existing American Express savings or CD customersBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | YesBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Credit cards | YesBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | No, First Citizens Bank sells credit cards under its own nameBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Personal loans | Yes, eligible Card Members onlyBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | No, First Citizens Bank sells personal loans under its own nameBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Mortgages | Not statedConfirmed Sep 27, 2026 | YesBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Investing | Not statedConfirmed Sep 27, 2026 | YesBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Deposit rates | ||
| Best savings APY | 3.10% APYAdvertised, newest reading Sep 26, 2026 | 3.75% APYAdvertised, newest reading Sep 26, 2026 |
| Best CD APY | 4.25% APY, 10 monthsAdvertised, newest reading Sep 26, 2026 | 4.00% APY, 12 monthsAdvertised, newest reading Sep 26, 2026 |
| Best money market APY | None listed | 1.55% APYAdvertised, newest reading Sep 26, 2026 |
| Checking | ||
| Account compared | American Express Rewards CheckingBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | ECheckingBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Monthly fee | NoneBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | NoneBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| How to avoid the fee | No fee to avoidBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | No fee to avoidBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Overdraft fee | NoneBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | NoneBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Zelle | YesBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | YesBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Branches and ATMs | ||
| Branches | Not statedBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | No branches (online only)Bank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Fee-free ATMs | Allpoint and MoneyPass, 70,000+Bank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | Not statedBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Other banks' ATM fees | Not statedBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | Up to $30 a monthBank site, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Apps | ||
| App Store rating | 4.9 of 5Store listing, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | 4.8 of 5Store listing, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| Google Play rating | 4.8 of 5Store listing, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 | 4.7 of 5Store listing, confirmed Sep 27, 2026 |
| The bank behind it | ||
| Charter | Utah · one of 44 insured banks chartered thereFDIC call report, Q2 2026 | North Carolina · the charter, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company, is one of 38 insured banks chartered thereFDIC call report, Q2 2026 |
| Size | 22nd-largest by deposits of 4,238 insured banksFDIC call report, Q2 2026 | Not shown: the figure describes the charter, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company |
| Deposit growth | Higher than at 34% of 4,226 insured banks over the four quarters to Q2 2026FDIC call report | Not shown: the figure describes the charter, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company |
“Not stated” means the bank’s own pages say nothing that answers the question. “Not confirmed yet” means no one has confirmed the fact against its source.
How each bank has moved its rates
Banksparency reads each bank’s rates every day. A bank that cuts often, or lets a promotion lapse to a lower rate, costs more over a year than its rate today shows.
American Express
- High Yield Savings Account: 4 rate changes since Jan 21, 2026, 3 cuts and 1 raise.The last was on Sep 23, 2026, up 0.10 points.
CIT Bank
- Platinum Savings: 2 rate changes since Jan 21, 2026, 1 cut and 1 raise.The last was on Feb 4, 2026, up 0.10 points.
- 12-month CD, the highest CD rate: 2 rate changes since Jan 21, 2026, 2 raises.The last was on Aug 12, 2026, up 3.60 points.
- Money Market: no rate change since Jan 21, 2026.
What each bank pays on deposits
An advertised rate tells you what a new savings account earns today. It cannot tell you how the bank has priced the savings and money market deposits it already holds, over time. This section shows that. The figure is computed from the interest expense and deposit balances that every bank files with the FDIC in the same form. That is what makes it comparable across banks and across quarters.
American Express
The two figures answer different questions, so they sit side by side and are not combined.
In Q2 2026, American Express paid a higher average rate on savings and money market deposits than 96% of banks that reported a figure (FDIC call report). The all-bank median was 1.45%.
Each figure is that bank's own charter-level average across its whole deposit book, so the two are shown one after the other and are not a ranking.
CIT Bank
The two figures answer different questions, so they sit side by side and are not combined. The 3.75% needs a balance of at least $5,000. Below that, the account advertises 0.25%.
In Q2 2026, First-Citizens Bank&Trust Company paid a higher average rate on savings and money market deposits than 93% of banks that reported a figure (FDIC call report). The all-bank median was 1.45%.
How to read these figures
What the average covers. It is an average across the whole bank, taken from its own quarterly FDIC call report. It covers savings accounts and money market deposit accounts, personal and business, at every balance tier. It also covers accounts that were opened years ago and keep the rate of those years. The FDIC line does not separate consumer accounts.
The second figure. The scale row also shows the average across all interest-bearing deposits: savings, interest checking, money market accounts, CDs, personal and business. That figure covers the whole deposit book. The two are shown separately and are not combined.
What the advertised rate covers. It is the rate that this bank advertises now for a new savings account. Banksparency records it from the bank's website on the date shown beside it.
Why the two differ. They measure different things, so this page shows them side by side and keeps them apart. An advertised rate applies to one account, opened now, at today's price. The average also includes older savings balances at the rates of earlier years, money market balances that were priced in a different rate environment, and business accounts. An average below an advertised rate is the usual result of that arithmetic. On its own it is not evidence about the account that you would open.
What the average is useful for. The bank files the data itself, under reporting instructions that are the same for every filer, and the same computation runs for every bank on this site. That makes it comparable in a way that an advertisement is not. Two things on this page read it: the percentile, which shows where the quarter sits among all filers, and the chart, which shows the direction the figure has moved across quarters.
What the average cannot tell you. It cannot tell you the rate that you would earn. No single customer earns the average. For your rate, read the advertised rate above and the rate tables on this page, each with the date it was observed.
What to do next. Use the advertised rate to work out what a new account earns. Use the chart to see how the quarterly average has moved against the all-bank median. Then compare the advertised rate against the current rates on the savings-rate tables before you open an account.
Definitions: Call Report · Rate Paid on Deposits · Interest-Bearing Deposits · Front Book and Back Book · Deposit Rate Percentile
Average annualized rates paid on savings and money market deposits, and on all interest-bearing deposits, quarterly. The FDIC line for savings includes money market deposit accounts and business savings deposits and does not separate consumer accounts. Source: FDIC call report data, as reported; it may be amended. The percentile compares all FDIC filers, count-weighted. A missing quarter is suppressed, never interpolated. The percentile counts the banks that paid strictly less on savings and money market deposits, one vote per bank, among the banks that reported a figure for the quarter.
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