Citizens Bank

Citizens Bank Reviews

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About Citizens Bank Reviews

Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens Bank is one of the largest financial institutions in the United States, offering checking and savings accounts, credit cards, loans and mortgages. It has physical branches in 14 states and Washington DC, and an online banking platform that allows customers to manage accounts from anywhere.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Branch locations in 14 states and DC
  • Easy ways to waive monthly fees
  • Free financial checkups for customers

Cons

  • Expensive overdrafts
  • Below-average interest rates
  • Limited service area

Bottom Line

Citizens Bank’s free financial checkups and simple-to-waive monthly fees make it a good option for those who live within its service area. But watch out for high overdraft fees and below-average interest rates on deposit accounts.

Featured Reviews

Verified
Titusville, Florida

We have mortgaged through Citizens for the past three houses. Since we have our savings/checking through them also, going online to check your balances is so nice to have all your...

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Verified
Ellendale, DE

I've been with Citizens Bank for almost a month now, I have a checking account. I dropped M&T and went to citizens. I absolutely love them! Fantastic customer service! I don't lik...

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What is Citizens Bank?

Citizens Bank is a full-service bank founded in 1828 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. It offers a variety of account options, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), mortgages and business banking.

Citizens Bank has more than 1,000 branches and 3,000 ATMs across these 14 states:

  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington, DC

How does Citizens Bank work?

When you open an account with Citizens Bank, you’ll be able to access your funds through various channels, such as ATMs, online banking, mobile banking or by visiting a branch. It also offers customer support services through phone and email.

To open an account with Citizens Bank, you will need to provide some personal information, such as your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. You may also need to provide proof of identity, such as a driver's license or passport.

Once you have opened an account, you can access your account information and manage your finances through Citizens Bank's online and mobile banking platforms, as well as in person at one of the bank's many branches.

Citizens Bank also offers a variety of financial management tools, such as budgeting and savings tools, to help you better manage your money. As a member of Citizens Bank, you will have access to personalized services, such as a free financial checkup, to help you achieve your goals.

Citizens Bank products and services

Citizens Bank offers a range of account options with different features, fees and requirements, so you can choose the one that best fits your financial needs. All of its deposit accounts receive direct deposits up to two days early.

Here’s an overview of what the bank offers:

One Deposit Checking is Citizens Bank’s most popular checking account. As its name implies, it requires at least one deposit to waive the $9.99 monthly fee. In addition, Citizens Bank has these checking accounts:

Citizens EverValue Checking

Citizens EverValue Checking has a $5 non-waivable monthly fee. But in exchange, you’ll pay no overdraft fees. This makes it a good option for anyone who wants to bank with Citizens but wants to avoid the typical $35 fee for overdrafts.

Student Checking

Young adults under age 25 can open a Student Checking account and enjoy no monthly fees or overdraft fees.

Citizens Quest Checking

Citizens Quest Checking comes with additional overdraft benefits, including Citizens Peace of Mind, which gives you extra time to pay your overdrafts, and Citizens Fee Relief, which forgives one overdraft per year. This account has a $25 monthly fee that’s waived when you make at least $5,000 in monthly direct deposits or maintain a minimum $25,000 balance.

Citizens Wealth Checking

Citizens Wealth Checking is a premium account that comes with all the same overdraft protection options as Citizens Quest Checking, plus support from a team of financial professionals and no monthly fee. To be eligible, you must maintain a minimum $200,000 balance in combined monthly deposits and investment accounts.

Citizens Bank has three savings accounts, all of which mirror its checking accounts.
  • One Deposit Savings has a $4.99 monthly fee that’s waived when you make at least one deposit a month or if you’re under age 25 or over age 65.
  • Citizens Quest Savings has no monthly fee if you pair it with a Citizens Quest Checking account.
  • Citizens Wealth Savings has no monthly fee if you pair it with a Citizens Wealth Checking account. Citizens Wealth also comes with $10 in non-Citizen ATM fee reimbursements.

The bank also has two money market accounts, but both have low interest rates.

Citizens Bank has a 14-month CD that earns a 2.75% annual percentage yield (APY) at publishing. It requires a $1,000 minimum balance. The bank also has investment retirement account (IRA) CDs with a $250 minimum balance.
With Citizens Bank, you’ll find a lineup of credit cards, including rewards cards and 0% balance transfer cards.
Citizens Bank provides customers with home loans, student loans and auto loans. It also has loans and financing options for small businesses.
Citizens Bank wealth management has private client services tailored toward helping you reach your financial goals. Its services include personalized advice for retirement planning, trust services, education planning, insurance and more.

Citizens Bank fees

Citizens Bank makes it easy to waive monthly fees, with most accounts requiring a single deposit, minimum monthly balance or linked checking account to avoid a charge.

However, in addition to monthly fees, Citizens Bank charges overdraft fees that are more expensive than most large banks — $35 for overdrafts up to five times per day, plus a $30 “sustained” overdraft fee on the 5th, 8th and 11th business days when your account remains overdrawn.

Most accounts have overdraft options, so you can avoid or reduce these overdraft fees by enrolling. Citizens Bank also charges fees for the following:

  • $3 for non-Citizens Bank ATMs
  • $3 for paper statements
  • $15 for excessive transactions from a business savings or money market account
  • $10 initial fee for accounts with one year of inactivity, followed by a $5 monthly fee after that

Citizens does not charge excessive withdrawal fees for personal savings accounts.

Citizens Bank FAQ

Does Citizens Bank use Zelle?

Yes, Citizens Bank uses Zelle, a person-to-person payment service that allows you to send and receive money from other users with just a few clicks. To use Zelle with Citizens Bank, you’ll need to have a valid checking or savings account. You can enroll in Zelle through the bank's online or mobile banking platform.

How can I access my Citizens Bank account information?

You can access your Citizens Bank account information through the bank's online and mobile banking platforms, as well as in person at one of the bank's many branches. These platforms offer a range of financial management features, such as budgeting and savings tools, to help you better manage your money.

Where is Citizens Bank available?

Citizens Bank is available in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the U.S. The bank has over 1,000 branches across Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, DC.

How can I find a Citizens Bank branch near me?

You can find a Citizens Bank branch near you using the bank's online branch locator tool. Simply enter your ZIP code or city and state to see a list of nearby branches and ATMs. You can also use the bank's mobile app to locate branches and ATMs while you're on the go.

Is Citizens Bank legit?

Citizens Bank is a legitimate bank with a long history of providing financial services to individuals and businesses. It’s best for those looking for a regional bank with a wide range of products and services.

Most accounts have no minimum opening balance requirements and easily waivable monthly fees. Although overdraft fees are high, the bank provides several ways to avoid or reduce them. Plus, its online and mobile banking platforms provide convenient access to account information and financial management tools.

Citizens Bank Reviews

ConsumerAffairs has collected 624 reviews and 1,009 ratings.

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Page 1 Reviews 0 - 10

Reviewed Sept. 18, 2023

They hold the funds for more than a week to verify. It was my business account and we need the funds. They asked me get the contact information from another lender from where we getting the funds transferred to verify.

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Reviewed Sept. 7, 2023

Customer service is pointless. 1hr 26 minutes holding for a supervisor to find out they cannot help. I apparently did not read the fine print, online, when signing up for a bonus if I opened a checking account. I direct deposited over $500.00 in 42 days. Fine print states a one-time direct deposit of $500.00. No one was willing to work with me or help me out. I will be closing my banking ASAP. Too bad I have direct deposit going to this horrible bank.

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    Reviewed Sept. 5, 2023

    In February of 2022 my bank HSBC sold my account to Citizens. I didn't realize this and nor that it would mean various utilities and connected autopay accounts wouldn't be transferred automatically and consequently my cable payment was late by a couple months. I had no intention nor need to default and be late, and it was squarely the fault of this sale, unknown transfer, and lack of customer support. My then sterling credit, maybe 830 plummeted to 700 due to no fault of my own, which is extremely unfair. Not only that but when asking Citizens for help I was told I should have known better by customer support, which took hours to reach. The banking experience has been terrible.

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    Reviewed Aug. 24, 2023

    Horrible bank, hour long waits for customer service and they do not back up their debit cards. My husband’s card was compromised twice and our checking account was emptied. Still waiting four days later for access to our FDIC insured funds. 82% of banks provide next day access, Citizens is not one of those banks. Customer service agents, supervisors and bank and managers are ill-equipped to resolve issues and are only able to offer apologies.

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    Reviewed Aug. 23, 2023

    I will not be banking with citizens any longer. My account was over-drafted ONE TIME and they charged me 4 overdraft fees for transactions I made DAYS PRIOR. Apparently, they hold transactions for days before they fully “post” and if your account gets overdrafted while those transactions “post”, you’ll be charged a $35 overdraft fee for every transaction. Even though you had the money in your account, when you made those transactions. How is that legal? My account is now negative $141 and they won’t reverse any of those charges. This bank is an absolute joke.

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    Reviewed Aug. 18, 2023

    I have a HELOC with these idiots and called yesterday to find out the current interest rate. First off, I had to enter my full loan number and last four digits of my SS # through their teleprompt which was fine, but then after being connected to a service rep, I could barely understand, I had to give her those numbers again. She gave me the interest rate but could not give me the exact monthly payment amount. This is stupid. Other banks were able to tell me, to the penny, the amount. I'm sorry I chose Citizens for the home equity loan and will be closing this account.

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    Reviewed Aug. 10, 2023

    I called customer service from Egypt and the phone calls very expensive too many times to dispute all the transaction from Amazon I didn't make it and the problem it was the old mobile in the file not working and they told me you have to go to the branch. How I can go to the Branch and I am in Egypt and every time I call the customer service, I ask them the Same question what supposed to do to dispute the fraud there's no one help me and there is no others option or choice to help to dispute those transactions as (the citizen application online) very same there no secure message between the customer service and the client and there's no email I can contact.

    And when I talked to the supervisor after 3 weeks finally someone listen to me and helped me to update my new phone and when I called the customer service back he was very rude just repeat himself without any solution and told you can dispute the transactions until the new phone activate it after 30 days! So, after 30 days until the new phone number activated it will be already the transaction done and I can return the money back? Every time I call I gave them all my security information and they refuse even to send me the code to my email that ridiculous. If you have a good secure system it wasn’t happening any fraud on my credit card.

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    Reviewed Aug. 7, 2023

    I would not trust a bank that mails out solicitations based on information apparently gleaned from identity-theft sites or people finder-type sites that suggest possibly inaccurate "connections". This bank sent me three postcards, and two were addressed to people I hardly know and who definitely do not live with me and whose forwarding address I do not have. It seems to me, there must be some unscrupulous people employed by this bank and there may be a risk that their files could be vulnerable to breaches if they import inaccurate information from the web.

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    Reviewed July 26, 2023

    I attempted to create a new mobile account at the bank. Right away, I was unable to log in to their mobile site. It's now over a week later and two calls with their tech support, and I still can't log in. Their final answer is that it's a "known issue" they are working on. So a bunch of customers can't access their accounts online for over a week, with no end in sight. They didn't offer me anything more than that. I asked if there was any way someone could contact me to let me know when it was fixed, and they were like, "No, just keep trying. Someday it will start working again." I will probably close the account because after over a week and countless hours spent, they clearly can't figure out how to ever fix this.

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    Reviewed July 26, 2023

    Open a checking account online. I got confirmation that it was opened but no information about the account regarding checking account number, routing number etc. Set up the online login and there is no account info there also. Tried to find the chat - they advertise it on the web and everywhere and their website but the chat button is nowhere to be found. Called up the customer service and was on hold for 10 min. After listening to my issue the agent kept asking for the account number. Finally he says he will send me a letter.

    I told him I wanted the online account fixed and that the online account should show the account number and other information. After about 20 minutes of him getting all my information, email, texting me security numbers etc, he then says he will walk me through how to set up the online account. Again - told him that I have already logged in. Asked for a supervisor. He said sure but lied and transferred me to another agent. The other agent then wanted to show me how to login again and ask me to change browsers, close browsers. Then I asked for a supervisor again - now it was going to be 15 minutes. I would recommend at all costs, if you can, stay away from this bank

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    Citizens Bank Company Information

    Company Name:
    Citizens Bank
    Company Type:
    Private
    City:
    Providence
    State/Province:
    RI
    Country:
    United States
    Website:
    www.citizensbank.com