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About First Citizens Bank
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First Citizens Bank provides customers with a variety of banking services, such as free checking and savings accounts, loans, mortgages, credit cards and business banking. It was founded in 1898 in Smithfield, North Carolina, and has since grown to become the largest family-controlled bank in the U.S.
Pros & Cons
- Free checking and savings option
- Low overdraft fees
- Over 500 branches
- Low interest rates
- Some monthly fees on deposit accounts
- Limited service area
Featured Reviews
Wouldn't choose another bank, great rate and customer service! Compared a variety of banks and some were close but First Citizens offered to match or lower the rate if I could fin...
Read full reviewWhat is First Citizens Bank?
First Citizens Bank is a U.S.-based financial institution that provides banking services to individuals and businesses. It offers checking and savings accounts, loans, mortgages, credit cards and wealth management services.
First Citizens Bank was originally founded as the Bank of Smithfield in North Carolina. In 2022, it merged with CIT to become one of the 20 largest banks in the U.S. Today, First Citizens Bank is owned and operated by the Holding family, which has a long history in the banking industry. In March, 2023, First Citizens Bank entered into an agreement with the FDIC to acquire the failed Silicon Valley Bank.
First Citizens Bank has over 500 physical branches in these states:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
How does First Citizens Bank work?
You must live within the bank’s 21-state service area to open an account — even if you’re opening an account online. You can also open an account at a local branch or over the phone.
First Citizens Bank has an extensive network of branches and ATMs, primarily in the Southeastern U.S. Once you open an account, you can download the mobile app to manage your money on the go.
If you need support, First Citizens Bank has a customer service team that’s available seven days a week. You can contact them by phone, email or by visiting a local branch.
First Citizens Bank products and services
First Citizens Bank offers a variety of financial products and services, including checking and savings accounts, loans, mortgages and credit cards.
Checking accounts
- Free Checking has no monthly maintenance fee when you enroll in e-statements.
- Premier Checking is designed for customers who maintain higher balances. It earns interest and comes with free checks and preferred rates on loans.
- Prestige Checking is one step above Premier Checking. It comes with ATM reimbursements and free cashier’s checks and money orders. It also offers the best relationship rates for loans and certificates of deposit (CDs).
Savings accounts, money market accounts and CDs
First Citizens Bank also has a money market account that earns up to 0.15% APY and requires a $500 minimum deposit.
The bank’s CDs must be opened at a branch and come in six-month to five-year terms. Interest rates vary by location.
Credit cards
Loans
- Mortgages
- Home equity loans
- Home improvement loans
- Lot loans
- Business loans
- Auto loans
- RV loans
- Boat loans
Insurance
- Vehicle insurance
- Property insurance
- Life insurance
- Pet insurance
- Umbrella insurance policies
Investments
Small business services
First Citizens Bank fees
First Citizens Bank has a free checking and savings account option that’s great for those needing a reliable way to bank.
If you choose a premium checking account or a money market account, you’ll pay a monthly fee of $18 or $10, respectively, unless you can meet the requirements needed to waive it. In most cases, these requirements include maintaining a minimum balance.
First Citizens Bank charges for the following. Exact fees vary by state and account type:
- $10 for overdrafts, up to four times per day
- $2.50 for domestic non-network ATMs
- $5 for international non-network ATMs
- $3 for excess withdrawals from a savings or money market account, beginning with the third withdrawal in a given month
- $16 for incoming domestic wires
- $30 for outgoing domestic wires
- 3% for foreign transactions
First Citizens Bank FAQ
Does First Citizens Bank use Zelle?
Yes, First Citizens Bank does offer Zelle as a person-to-person payment option for their customers. With Zelle, you can send and receive money quickly and securely to anyone with a U.S. bank account, typically within minutes.
Can I open an account at First Citizens Bank if I have bad credit?
You may be able to open an account at First Citizens Bank even if you have bad credit. For instance, it offers a secured credit card option, which requires a security deposit and can help you build or rebuild your credit. However, you may need to meet certain requirements to qualify for this card, such as having a steady source of income.
Where is First Citizens Bank available?
First Citizens Bank serves residents in these states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
How much cash can I withdraw from a First Citizens Bank ATM?
Daily ATM withdrawal limits vary depending on account type. Prestige account holders can withdraw $1,000 per day, while Premier and Together Cards can withdraw $600 per day. The daily ATM limit is $500 per day for all other accounts.
Is First Citizens Bank legit?
Overall, First Citizens Bank is a reputable financial institution with a range of products and services to meet your financial needs. First Citizens Bank takes security seriously and offers a range of tools and resources to help you protect your accounts.
While its free checking and savings accounts are a great option if you need a basic way to bank, its other accounts have monthly fees and interest rates that aren’t as competitive as other financial institutions. Review the terms and conditions of any account you're considering, and compare it with other banks to ensure you find the best fit for your financial situation.
First Citizens Bank Reviews
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- 4,513,790 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2024
They charge overdraft fees in the middle of the night, they hold your bill payment for a week so that you're late. The worst bank we have ever used and we are looking to switch right now. They are so shady
Reviewed June 20, 2024
First Citizens customer for over 30 years. I agree with other reviews when they were a small local bank. The customer service was the best. They have really gone downhill and their customer service staff seem unequipped to really be able to help you. They recently built a new branch close to me. The branch doesn’t have drive-through. What are handicap or elderly people supposed to do now? They have to go inside the bank. Explain to me how this helps the customers. My advice to new prospective customers after 30 years is to stay away. Find a different bank.
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Reviewed March 13, 2024
I joined this bank when it's just a small bank because I like to bank local and keep it local and keep it in the USA. So they were only in North and South Carolina when I join back in 2011, but now they've grown into a huge conglomerate bank and they've turned into a Bank of America or Truist and there's no longer any customer service. Their hours are too limited, their employees are untrained, their employees are rude, I have called customer service so many times and the past three years since they closed my local bank that I can't even count.
When they had a local branch in my neighborhood I never had a problem but they're closing branches and then they expect me to drive 45 minutes to bank so they can verify me because they don't have the technology to verify me on an app or online and I'm disabled. I talked to the customer service reps that are grumpy, untrained, uninformed and don't know how to help. They're all telling me, "We're underpaid. They don't pay us enough. They overwork us. They won't hire more people." All I heard was complaint after complaint after complaint and their customers are suffering for their poor management practices. So I broke up with them and I've gone with another bank and for now I'm happy. Goodbye First Citizens. I wouldn't recommend them to anybody!!
Reviewed Feb. 4, 2024
No one can predict a severe recession. You have managed to damage our credit with no fault of our own. Ruining clients' credit will not help any bank, etc. Clients should be taken care of for future business.
Reviewed Nov. 3, 2023
I have banked with First Citizens for many years. My experiences have been with checking, savings, credit card, and HELOC accounts. First Citizens usually doesn’t have the lowest interest rates for loans but they offer a lot of services and are competitive in the banking business. The services they provide have always been exceptional. I have recommended First Citizens to many friends and family members and will continue to do so.
Reviewed July 7, 2023
I went online to open account on July 3rd, everything seemed smooth at first. Issued a account number for checking account and savings account. I then tried log in online and for some reason, the site wouldn't let me log in. So I call the 800 number for customer service who informs me, "Must be a glitch in system. I can't see any accounts in your name" and I need to go to a local branch on the 5th.
No problem so I go in deal with a very nice banker who helps me right away. She gets the accounts and access to online straight and we gave her an additional $5000 deposit for the accounts. We wanted to have these accounts set up so we could have bill pay set up as we were switching banks and also have CDs that mature from our current bank next month. All seemed fine, I went home, loaded all the folks I had in my current bill pay from existing bank.
Then that same night my checking account says that I'm locked out of my own account. So I called customer service number again, not the best and brightest our country offers, all they can say is, "Contact the branch." I informed them I made that phone calls hours ago but haven't received a response. "We promise you will get a call by 5" which I had to call. This time from banker who helped me before, again you can't ask for anyone nicer but had zero results in getting my checking account unlocked. I still have my Checking account at my current bank so not the end of the world but does make me uneasy about bringing in my CDs next month.
I also don't like a 5-day hold on money that has already cleared my current bank, doesn't make sense, you're in possession of my money but yet I don't have access to it. All in all, I think maybe growing pains going on here and not what I was expecting from people who referred me here. Very disappointed in the lack of urgency and lack of knowledge to fix a problem. I couldn't imagine if I made the switch from my current bank to First Citizens and swept all my funds over and closed my current bank accounts. I would have no access to any money. I wouldn't have access to any way to pay my bills. I wouldn't have a way to set up automatic deposit for my paycheck. And the only response is from First Citizens is "Were looking into it!"
Reviewed June 27, 2023
Should be 0 stars but not an option. After a 12 year breach of contract lawsuit, we agreed to their terms in a court overseen Settlement Agreement. Again the terms were offered by this Bank with their representative present in the hearing. It is now 7 months later and they have failed miserably to live up to their offer. Think twice before entering into an agreement with them.
Reviewed Feb. 17, 2023
First Citizen Bank is probably the Worst bank for anything from Personal Banking to Business. This is going to be a Long and pretty In-Depth review: Originally I was with One West Bank, a pretty good bank for years, until it was acquired by First CitizenBank in 2022. Thinking I might still get the same level of banking service and customer support I stayed. I can tell you this that laid off most of One West Bank employees! So I stayed and had no issues and slowly I started to face issues:
- Online Banking transfers ex: transferring a check takes 2 days.
- Transferring money from any merchant account, seller account especially if you are using that for your business started to take longer than expected.
- The most strange and pathetic part is I got a call from my local brand of First Citizen Bank telling me they will close my account if I do not transfer money to my checking to cover the negative balance. My account went negative for 1-2 days reason behind it traveling. I had actually called the bank and notified the bank for this.
Later I figure out that to close a bank account your bank should be negative for 15 business days not 1-2 days! Laying off people, irresponsible customer support, charging draft fees which do not come off, online banking which takes too long and a bad APP - Do not even go near opening any bank account, checking or saving with First Citizen Bank. Take your money, save yourself from a bad choice for personal banking.
Reviewed Dec. 29, 2022
I have had nothing but issues with this bank. The first issue was they didn't charge me the agreed upon interest rate. I had to make them aware they had been charging me the wrong rate for a few months. They corrected but it happened again. I lost money because they were overcharging me when my loan was at its largest. They never reimbursed me for that. Fast forward to last year, I had to change bank accounts due to fraud, I connected with loan manager and filed new paperwork to pull out of new bank account. They kept trying to pull from old one, racking up charges.
Contacted loan manager again and asked for refund on charges and was told they wouldn’t approve, even though it was their mistake. The paperwork was also incorrect so they weren't pulling out the correct amount that I had requested only interest. Manager filed paperwork incorrectly. Cost me money again. Paying off the loan is another headache, their online system makes everything harder than it needs to be, 5 steps when 1 would work! This bank is a nightmare and I will never do business with them again!
Reviewed Oct. 3, 2022
I have tried to call in and make a payment for a car loan and set up auto draft but the company is making this process so hard. They tell me they need to call a landline to get a code, but then tell me they can’t do that. They say they need to speak to the primary on the business account, and I say he is an attorney and I am the account manager. I will try to call him. They then say he has to call in. I then ask does he have to call from the identical line from the office phone and she tells me I can’t tell you that. I try and remind her that he is an attorney and will need to call from cellphone, so that matters. She then tells me she can’t tell me that. It has never been so hard to make and set up draft for a payment in my life. I will not be using this bank again. I am going to look into refinancing.
First Citizens Bank Company Information
- Company Name:
- First Citizens Bank
- Website:
- www.firstcitizens.com
