Citizens Access vs. Forbright Bank
High-Yield Savings Account Comparison
By Aviel Fahl|Last Updated: November 12, 2025
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Summary of Citizens Access™ vs. Forbright Bank
Key Metrics at a Glance
| Feature | Citizens Access™ | Forbright Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Top Savings APY | 3.35% Citizens Access® Savings | 4.00% Growth Savings |
| Minimum to Open | $0.01 | $0 |
| Minimum Balance for Top APY | $0.01 | $0 |
Citizens Access™
Strengths
- Citizens Access™ offers a competitive APY of 3.35%, though it decreased from 3.50% in the last 30 days.
- Citizens Access™ has no maintenance fees and a low minimum deposit of $0.01.
- Citizens Access™ has a high App Store rating of 4.8.
Potential Drawbacks
- Citizens Access™ does not have any physical branches.
Forbright Bank
Strengths
- Forbright Bank offers a higher APY of 4.00% on its Growth Savings account.
- Forbright Bank has physical branches in the Washington D.C. area.
- Forbright Bank's Bright Savings account offers a competitive APY of 3.65%.
Potential Drawbacks
- Forbright Bank has a lower Google Play rating of 4.6 compared to Citizens Access™.
→ As of November 12, 2025 Citizens Access™ offers an APY of 3.35% for its Citizens Access® Savings account, with a minimum balance of $0.01, compared to Forbright Bank's 4.00% APY for its Growth Savings account, with a minimum balance of $0.
→ Forbright Bank yields $65 more than Citizens Access™ on a $10,000 balance after one year. Citizens Access™ pays $335, while Forbright Bank pays $400 - an APY advantage for Forbright Bank.
→ In addition, Forbright Bank also offers 3.65% APY for the Bright Savings account.
Calculate Savings Growth for Citizens Access™ vs Forbright Bank
Citizens Access™ - Citizens Access® Savings
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $2,018.8 (10.08%)
- Total contributions: $13,000 (64.94%)
- Initial deposit: $5,000 (24.98%)
Your total balance
$20,018.80
Total balance: $20,018.8
Earnings: $2,018.8
Bank OverviewForbright Bank - Growth Savings
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $2,434.7 (11.91%)
- Total contributions: $13,000 (63.62%)
- Initial deposit: $5,000 (24.47%)
Your total balance
$20,434.70
Total balance: $20,434.7
Earnings: $2,434.7
Bank OverviewWith a $5,000 initial deposit and $13,000 in total contributions over 5 years, Citizens Access™'s total earnings would be $415.9 lower than Forbright Bank's total earnings.
The Banksparency Savings Calculator provides estimated savings growth based on user input and our latest data.
Compare Citizens Access™'s vs Forbright Bank's Savings Accounts
| Citizens Access™ | Forbright Bank | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Citizens Access® Savings | vs | Growth Savings | Bright Savings | Sprout Savings |
| APY | 3.35% (as of 11/12/2025) | 4.00% (as of 11/12/2025) | 2.75% - 3.65% (as of 11/12/2025) | 0.80% - 3.65% (as of 11/12/2025) | |
| Bundled Account | No | No | No | No | |
| FDIC-insured | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Online Only | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Compound Frequency | Daily | Daily | Daily | Daily | |
| Minimum Deposit | $0.01 | $0 | $250 | $1 | |
| Minimum Balance for APY | $0.01 | $0 | $250,000 | $0.01 | |
| Maintenance Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Direct Deposit Required | No | No | No | No | |
| Eligibility | United States | United States | This account must be opened in a Forbright branch (Washington, D.C. metro area) | This account is for children under 18 years old, where the account custodian is an existing customer. It must be opened in a Forbright branch (Washington, D.C. metro area) | |
| Note | This is a tiered savings account, where the highest rate is obtained by meeting a minimum balance of $250,000. A lower APY of 2.75% may be obtained with as little as $0.01 in balance. See bank for more details and all tiers. | This is a tiered savings account, where the highest rate is capped at a balance of $9,999. A lower APY of 0.80% is applied to balances above that. See bank for more details. | |||
| App Store Rating | 4.8/5 | 4.8/5 | |||
| Google Play Rating | 4.8/5 | 4.6/5 | |||
| BBB Rating | A+ | A+ | |||
Comparative Historical APY Insights (Last 9 Months)
| Citizens Access™ | Forbright Bank | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Citizens Access® Savings | vs | Sprout Savings | Bright Savings | Growth Savings |
| Latest APY | 3.35 % | 3.65 % | 3.65 % | 4.00 % | |
| Trend | Sideways | Sideways | Sideways | Sideways | |
| Slope (bps/mo) | -3.5 | -2.7 | -2.7 | -1.9 | |
| Rate Changes / Mo | 0.21 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.10 | |
| Days Since Last Change | 14 | 43 | 43 | 35 | |
| High (-9 m) | 3.70 % | 3.90 % | 3.90 % | 4.25 % | |
| Low (-9 m) | 3.35 % | 3.65 % | 3.65 % | 4.00 % | |
| Draw-down from High | -9.5 % | -6.4 % | -6.4 % | -5.9 % | |
| Volatility (CV) | 0.032 | 0.026 | 0.026 | 0.021 | |
APY Insights Glossary
- Latest APY
- Most recent advertised annual-percentage yield.
- Trend
- Direction over the last 9 months (regression slope).
- Slope (bps/mo)
- Average monthly change; 10 bps = 0.10 pp.
- Rate Changes / Mo
- Typical number of APY moves per month.
- Days Since Last Change
- Recency of the latest APY adjustment.
- High (-9 m)
- Highest APY in the last 289 days.
- Low (-9 m)
- Lowest APY in the last 289 days.
- Draw-down from High
- How far today sits below the 9-month peak.
- Volatility (CV)
- Coefficient of variation = stdev ÷ mean.
Why Track Savings-Account APYs?
- See how quickly a bank reacts to Fed moves or competition.
- Gauge “twitchiness” - frequent moves can annoy savers.
- Spot if you're buying near a peak (draw-down) or riding a rise.
- Slope (bps/mo) shows speed of change.
- Volatility (CV) scales jumps by average level.