Whether or not you like an intimate neighborhood banking expertise or the anytime, wherever comfort of a serious nationwide financial institution, Californians can discover the most effective match for his or her wants.
The Golden State has dozens of homegrown monetary establishments, a lot of which serve solely elements of this huge state. California additionally has a particular connection to among the greatest banks within the nation — each Wells Fargo and Financial institution of America have historic roots right here.
We evaluated greater than 100 California banks on metrics together with rates of interest, product combine, on-line and cell banking, and customer support high quality. However solely 10 earned a spot on our listing of the most effective banks in California.
The Finest Banks in California
These FDIC-insured banks are the most effective shopper and small-business monetary establishments in California. Our “finest total” choose, Wells Fargo, serves the must the widest vary of Californians in our opinions. All the opposite banks on this listing do at the least one factor rather well or excel in a selected area of the state.
Finest Total: Wells Fargo
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Variety of Branches in California: 904
- Areas Served: Statewide
We selected Wells Fargo as the highest financial institution in California as a result of:
- It has almost 1,000 branches within the state, overlaying all main cities and areas
- It has a complete account lineup, from low-cost private checking and financial savings accounts to private, enterprise, and industrial loans and contours of credit score
- It’s among the best banks for bank card customers, with a number of cash-back and low-APR bank cards
- It ranks properly on total buyer satisfaction
- It presents a wonderful digital banking expertise
Although it has deep roots within the Golden State, nobody would confuse San Francisco-based Wells Fargo with a humble California neighborhood financial institution. With 1000’s of branches throughout the nation and almost $2 trillion in complete deposits, it’s one of many greatest banks in america.
That makes it perfect for California natives who admire each real-world banking comfort and on-the-go entry through on-line and cell banking. And since it serves prospects from coast to coast, Wells Fargo is a wonderful selection each for individuals relocating to California from elsewhere and California-based shoppers who journey quite a bit within the U.S. for work or pleasure.
Finest for College students: Financial institution of America
- Headquarters: Charlotte, North Carolina
- Variety of Branches in California: 791
- Areas Served: Statewide
Financial institution of America is one other large American financial institution with robust California roots.
A century on from its low-key origins in San Francisco, BofA has grown into the highest banking selection for college kids. That’s largely due to its revolutionary Benefit Banking product, which has no month-to-month upkeep payment for college kids below 25 enrolled in class or an academic or vocational program and no month-to-month upkeep payment for anybody below 18. Learn extra about Benefit Banking in our roundup of the most effective scholar checking accounts.
As a full-service financial institution, BofA can deal with nearly your entire monetary wants. Select from a number of rewards bank cards with no annual payment, together with the Financial institution of America Custom-made Money Rewards Credit score Card and the Financial institution of America Journey Rewards Credit score Card. Purchase or faucet actual property fairness with the financial institution’s mortgage loans (buy and refinance) or house fairness loans and contours of credit score. Get pleasure from aggressive charges on auto loans (buy and refinance), beginning round 5% APR for brand spanking new automobiles. And put money into shares, exchange-traded funds, and extra with Merrill, a BofA subsidiary.
Finest for Environmental Activists: Financial institution of the West
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Variety of Branches in California: 230
- Areas Served: Statewide
Although it’s now a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, a world monetary conglomerate, Financial institution of the West is one other deeply rooted California financial institution that is still loyal to its house state. With department and ATM protection throughout your complete state, it’s accessible for many Californians too.
Financial institution of the West leans into California’s lengthy historical past of environmental activism with its 1% for the Planet Checking account. It donates 1% of web revenues from these accounts to environmental nonprofits for gratis to you (or anybody else who does enterprise with the financial institution). You possibly can see your debit card purchases’ estimated carbon footprint in your account dashboard too.
And Financial institution of the West pledges by no means to make use of buyer deposits to fund Arctic drilling, tar sands mining, or massive tobacco — although that leaves out loads of ethically questionable revenue facilities.
Finest Neighborhood Financial institution: Oak Valley Neighborhood Financial institution
- Headquarters: Oakdale, California
- Variety of Branches in California: 16
- Areas Served: Central Valley, Sacramento
Oak Valley Neighborhood Financial institution is California’s premier neighborhood financial institution, which is sort of the excellence in a giant state filled with small hometown banks. As a smaller neighborhood establishment, its best energy can be its best weak point: In the event you don’t stay someplace between Sacramento and Modesto, you’re uncomfortably removed from an Oak Valley department.
However when you do stay close by, Oak Valley has every little thing you could possibly need from a small financial institution:
- Branches staffed by pleasant business veterans
- A number of checking accounts, a few of that are high-interest accounts
- Well being financial savings accounts, that are unusual in the neighborhood banking world
- Mortgage loans and residential fairness merchandise
- A formidable lineup of business accounts and loans
And if life or enterprise takes you exterior Oak Valley Neighborhood Financial institution’s house territory, you possibly can rely on its cell apps and mobile-responsive web site (one other rarity for a small financial institution) to remain linked to your cash.
Finest in San Francisco: Union Financial institution
- Headquarters: New York, New York
- Variety of Branches in California: 282
- Areas Served: Statewide
Union Financial institution can hint its roots again to the early days of California statehood. The Financial institution of California, its oldest predecessor establishment, began in 1864 in a little-known however fast-growing frontier port referred to as San Francisco. Union Financial institution and Belief Firm, which might merge with The Financial institution of California in 1996, got here to life in 1918 Los Angeles. No monetary establishment is extra totally Californian nor so integral to its house state’s prosperity.
Union Financial institution has almost 300 branches from one finish of California to the opposite, however it’s notably in style within the San Francisco Bay Space, the place it could appear to be there’s a department at each main intersection. Whereas a pending merger with U.S. Financial institution brings some uncertainty, the superb buyer expertise for which Union Financial institution is understood appears unlikely to alter within the close to future.
Union Financial institution has a complete lineup of shopper and enterprise accounts, together with the always-free Financial institution Freely checking and financial savings accounts, 5 private bank cards (cash-back, rewards factors, journey, low APR, and secured), and specialty loans for small and midsize companies.
Finest in Orange County: First Residents Financial institution
- Headquarters: Raleigh, North Carolina
- Variety of Branches in California: 65
- Areas Served: Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Sacramento
North Carolina-based First Residents Financial institution barreled into California with the acquisition of OneWest Financial institution, a beloved southern California establishment. Its department community is especially dense in southern LA County and Orange County, making it the best selection for individuals who stay and work on this space.
First Residents Financial institution presents three completely different checking accounts, together with one which’s completely free — no charges, interval — once you choose into paperless statements. Its CD and financial savings charges are nothing to put in writing house about, however 5 completely different bank card choices (together with a uncommon secured rewards bank card) and competitively priced mortgage and auto loans make up for it.
First Residents Financial institution throws just a few (good) curveballs. It’s one of many few regional banks that sells insurance coverage (particularly auto, property, life, and umbrella legal responsibility) and presents pet medical insurance quotes by Embrace Pet Insurance coverage. It has a deep roster of business and small-business financing choices, together with automobile financing, debt restructuring, working capital, and tools financing. And it presents in-house monetary planning and funding administration by First Residents Wealth Administration, its full-service wealth administration arm.
Finest in Los Angeles: Farmers & Retailers Financial institution (Southern California)
- Headquarters: Lengthy Seashore, California
- Variety of Branches: 25
- Areas Served: Lengthy Seashore/Los Angeles, Orange County
One of the best financial institution within the Los Angeles space is definitely primarily based in Lengthy Seashore, however that’s shut sufficient. It’s Farmers & Retailers Financial institution — to not be confused with Lodi-based F&M Financial institution, the initials of which additionally stand for “farmers and retailers” and which occupies its personal spot on this listing.
For a 25-branch financial institution, Farmers & Retailers has an unusually various private account lineup: seven checking accounts, three financial savings accounts (together with an old-school Christmas Membership vacation financial savings account), CDs with phrases starting from seven days to 5 years, and three completely different youth accounts for highschool and faculty college students. Enterprise house owners can rely on 4 completely different enterprise checking accounts, a number of enterprise bank cards, and a enterprise lending arm specializing in industrial actual property.
Farmers & Retailers has another notable promoting factors. These embrace a seemingly everlasting $500-off-closing-costs promotion for mortgage candidates, specialty banking companies for well being care and faith-based organizations, and an extremely skilled employees that features greater than 100 workers with at the least 15 years of service (and greater than 60 with 20 years or extra).
Finest within the Central Valley: F&M Financial institution (Central/Northern California)
- Headquarters: Lodi, California
- Variety of Branches: 30
- Areas Served: Central Valley, East Bay, Sacramento
The different F&M Financial institution has an identical variety of branches a pair hundred miles north of LA and Lengthy Seashore, largely within the Central Valley south of Sacramento.
True to its tagline — “the place banking is simple!” — F&M Financial institution has a user-friendly desktop banking interface and slick cell app that replicates the expertise on a smaller display. All of its bodily branches are full-service, that means you don’t must journey farther to talk with a mortgage mortgage officer, funding advisor, or ag mortgage specialist. And people branches are conveniently situated, with at the least one in each massive city between Merced and Roseville.
F&M’s lending division displays its rural, closely agricultural setting, with a number of mortgage choices for farm actual property and tools, livestock, winery and winemaking tools, and different farm-y features. However don’t fear: In the event you don’t personal a farm or winery, you possibly can nonetheless get a regular-old mortgage mortgage right here, plus unsecured private loans with versatile phrases.
Finest in San Diego: Financial institution of Southern California
- Headquarters: San Diego, California
- Variety of Branches: 13
- Areas Served: San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles
Although it has operations in Orange County and southern LA County, Financial institution of Southern California focuses most of its consideration on San Diego, the place most of its branches are situated.
On the patron aspect, the standout VIP Checking account reimburses as much as $25 in home and worldwide ATM charges per assertion cycle and pays tiered rates of interest relying in your steadiness. The patron financial savings merchandise aren’t notably noteworthy, however there’s a pleasant CD time period unfold at the least: 90 days to 5 years, good for constructing a multi-CD ladder.
Financial institution of Southern California’s actual energy is its enterprise deposit account lineup, which options 5 distinct enterprise checking accounts — from Primary Enterprise Checking (good for freelancers and sole proprietors) to Analyzed Enterprise Checking (perfect for rising companies with excessive transaction volumes). In the event you’re coming over from one other establishment, use Financial institution of Southern California’s shopper Swap Package to scale back the time and trouble of fixing banks.
Finest in San Jose: Santa Cruz County Financial institution
- Headquarters: Santa Cruz, California
- Variety of Branches: 8
- Areas Served: Santa Cruz, San Jose
Santa Cruz County Financial institution has the fewest places of any financial institution on this listing. However it’s one of many few homegrown banks that operates within the San Jose space (in Cupertino, house of Apple Inc.) That makes it a robust selection for Silicon Valley residents searching for a neighborhood various to massive, faceless monetary establishments.
For such a small financial institution, Santa Cruz County Financial institution has a powerful lineup of deposit accounts and mortgage choices. Notably, two of its 4 checking accounts waive month-to-month service costs with recurring direct deposits. The opposite two have comparatively manageable minimal steadiness necessities to waive their month-to-month charges.
The lending aspect is biased towards enterprise prospects, with only a handful of shopper bank cards. However when you do personal a enterprise in better San Jose or Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County Financial institution in all probability has the kind of financing that you must develop it. Select from short- and long-term asset-based loans, unsecured strains of credit score, a number of Small Enterprise Administration mortgage varieties, actual property loans, and specialty loans for agricultural and winemaking companies. You possibly can run your small-business retirement plans (together with SEP and SIMPLE IRAs) by Santa Cruz County Financial institution and/or open tax-advantaged private financial savings accounts (conventional and Roth IRAs, Coverdell schooling financial savings accounts) right here too.
Methodology: How We Choose the Finest Banks in California
Greater than 100 homegrown and nationwide banks function in California. That provides locals a number of selection, however it additionally makes it powerful to determine that are really the most effective.
To slender this listing, we evaluated California banks on high quality components like product combine, charges and yields, digital and real-world comfort, and customer support high quality.
Product Lineup
Whereas there’s no rule towards having a couple of financial institution, we perceive that many shoppers and small-business house owners favor to do all their banking in the identical place.
That’s why we give choice to California banks with complete product and repair lineups, no matter measurement or department rely. You gained’t discover monetary establishments that target only one or two account varieties on this listing.
Charges and Yields
Few banks supply the most effective mortgage charges and account yields from prime to backside. Most have some areas the place they excel and others the place they fall quick. That being the case, all the banks on this listing supply aggressive charges and phrases on at the least a few of their deposit accounts and mortgage merchandise.
On-line and Cell Banking Capabilities
Each financial institution on this listing has a high-quality on-line banking interface that permits customers to do most of their every day cash administration with out strolling right into a department or sidling as much as an ATM. Most have cell banking apps as properly, and those who don’t at the least have mobile-friendly web sites.
Areas Served
The entire banks on this listing meet at the least one among two geographic standards:
- Comprehensiveness, that means they serve a number of areas of California or have statewide department protection
- Depth, that means they’ve a number of branches and ATMs in narrower geographic areas
One isn’t essentially higher than the opposite. However when you worth in-person monetary companies, it’s good to not must drive an hour every technique to meet along with your banker.
Buyer Service Scores
Whereas we take user-generated critiques with a grain of salt, we give choice to banks which have clearly constructed up good will with the oldsters they serve. That’s true whether or not they’re thousand-branch behemoths or neighborhood establishments with just some outposts in a single nook of California or one other.
ATM Entry
Even the smaller banks on this listing belong to bigger ATM networks that supply low- or no-cost withdrawals at tens of 1000’s or extra machines nationwide. That’s necessary for individuals whose work or leisure travels take them exterior their banks’ house territories.
California Banking FAQs
Nonetheless have questions on banking in California? Want some assist selecting among the many finest banks within the Golden State? We’ve got (some) solutions.
How Many Banks Does California Have?
There are greater than 100 distinctive banks with branches or operations facilities in California. Dozens of those are primarily based in California, together with lots of the prime banks on this listing.
Others are headquartered elsewhere however began or have deep historic roots in California, together with Wells Fargo and Financial institution of America. Though it doesn’t have as many small banks per capita as another states, California does have a robust custom of neighborhood banking. A few of the state’s finest banks have simply 10 or 20 branches and serve distinct areas inside California.
What Financial institution Has the Finest CD Charges in California?
Nothing towards homegrown neighborhood banks, however when you’re trying or the easiest charges on certificates of deposit in California, you’ll have higher luck focusing on branchless on-line banks like Ally Financial institution, Synchrony Financial institution, and Capital One Financial institution.
On-line banks have a tendency to supply higher financial savings account and CD charges as a result of they’ve decrease overhead and thus larger revenue margins.
For instance, Ally Financial institution’s five-year CD at the moment yields 4.10%. That’s a lot larger than you’re more likely to get along with your hometown financial institution.
What Financial institution Has the Finest Financial savings Charges in California?
The “on-line banks are higher” rule applies on financial savings account charges as properly, although some native banks supply promotional charges on financial savings accounts to attract in new prospects.
One factor is for certain: You gained’t discover aggressive financial savings accounts charges at massive banks like Financial institution of America or Wells Fargo. Nevertheless robust they’re on different measures, each are infamous for low account yields.
What’s the Finest Financial institution for Mortgages in California?
Sadly, there’s no clear winner. As a common rule, on-line direct lenders have higher mortgage charges than conventional or neighborhood banks for a similar purpose on-line banks pay higher charges on CDs and financial savings accounts. They’ve much less overhead.
That stated, you probably have a preexisting relationship with a California financial institution otherwise you’re prepared to begin one, ask your banker what they will do for you on the mortgage entrance.
Banks with formal loyalty applications, like Financial institution of America Most well-liked Rewards, typically give members decrease mortgage charges or credit towards closing prices. Smaller banks with out formal loyalty applications should still minimize longtime prospects a break, particularly once they have masses of cash on deposit or different loans excellent.
Select a Financial institution in California
Nonetheless overwhelmed by the sheer variety of banks in California? Uncertain how you can slender down your listing of decisions any additional? Take a step again and take into consideration what you worth most in a financial institution.
- Protection and Entry: Until you’re assured you’ll by no means must stroll right into a department or use an ATM, you need a financial institution that’s accessible the place (and the way) you reside. Search for banks with branches and ATMs in your neighborhood or hometown — or at the least inside straightforward attain.
- Account and Service Charges: Search for banks that supply free checking accounts, no-annual-fee bank cards, and different low- or no-cost monetary merchandise in your on a regular basis wants. In the event you should select a financial institution that costs month-to-month upkeep charges, at the least guarantee you understand how to get these charges waived. And keep away from banks with difficult payment schedules that appear designed to squeeze you for extra of your hard-earned cash.
- Private Service (or Lack Thereof): In the event you worth customized, one-on-one service, select your financial institution accordingly. Most banks pay lip service to the idea, however it shouldn’t take lengthy to identify those that actually simply deal with you want a quantity.
- Deposit Account Choices: Even you probably have no downside sustaining accounts at a number of establishments, it’s good to have the choice to deepen your relationship along with your hometown financial institution. So select one with all kinds of deposit account choices slightly than only one or two.
- Credit score Choices: Perhaps you’re not out there for a mortgage or bank card proper now, however chances are high you can be sooner or later. Select a financial institution that provides a spread of loans to avoid wasting your self the effort of switching later — and make sure you qualify for existing-customer mortgage perks and fee or payment reductions once you’re prepared.
- Know-how: Regardless of how a lot you like your financial institution, you don’t have time to go to in particular person each time that you must get money or pay a invoice. Be sure that the banks in your shortlist have on-line or cell banking capabilities complete sufficient to deal with all of your every day cash administration wants.
