Best Banks in Virginia

Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, USA.

Knowing what you’re looking for in a bank can help you choose from among the many banking options available to you. Some customers might focus on banks with the best interest rates, whereas others might be more interested in mortgage rates, bank customer service or loan rates.

To help you choose from among the best in your state, GOBankingRates selected the top 10 banks in Virginia based on a methodology that considered bank asset size, accessibility, savings account interest rate, monthly checking account fee and available products.

Top 10 Banks in Virginia

This list highlights the features and benefits of the various banks ranked, such as high interest rates. Take a closer look at the Virginia’s best banks so you can more easily find the right bank for your needs.

Here are the 10 best banks in Virginia:

  • Capital One

  • Sonabank

  • United Bank

  • Burke & Herbert Bank

  • National Bank

  • John Marshall Bank

  • First Virginia Community Bank

  • Virginia Commonwealth Bank

  • WashingtonFirst Bank

  • HSBC Bank USA

Always check directly with the bank for current terms before you open an account or take out a loan.

Capital One

Capital One offers no-fee checking and savings accounts, both with high yields. The Capital One 360 Checking account is a fee-free online account that offers the following free services:

  • No minimum opening deposit or sustaining balance

  • Online banking and bill pay

  • Mobile deposit

  • Overdraft protection

  • Access to 39,000+ Capital One and Allpoint ATMs

The Capital One 360 Savings Account is an online account with the same pricing structure and requirements as the 360 Checking Account. The savings account also offers a 1.00% APY on any balance. Beyond checking and savings, Capital One also offers auto loans, mortgage loans, credit cards and investment services.

Learn: Insider Tips for How to Choose the Best Bank

Sonabank

Sonabank offers a free savings account known as the Kasasa Saver. The account comes free of charge, and when certain qualifications are met, it pays an APY of 1.00 percent, the highest rate offered on the GOBankingRates top 10 list for Virginia. The Kasasa Saver account offers free services including:

  • Online and mobile banking

  • Mobile deposits

  • E-statements

  • No minimum balance

To qualify for the Sonabank account, you’ll have to enroll in online banking and eStatements, make at least 15 debit card purchases per month, and have at least one direct deposit or ACH transaction. You’ll need a $25 minimum deposit to open the account.

Sonabank also offers three types of free checking accounts: Kasasa Cash, Kasasa Cash Bank and Kasasa Tunes. Each offers different benefits for no monthly service fee, just a $25 minimum opening deposit. The bank offers anl array of products including checking, savings, auto loans, mortgage loans, insurance and credit cards.

Learn More: Must-Have Features All the Best Bank Accounts Offer

United Bank

United Bank offers services across all five highlighted categories in this ranking: auto loans, mortgage loans, credit cards, investment services and insurance. United Bank also is one of the largest on the Virginia top 10 list, with 144 branches and over $14.5 billion in assets.

The United Free Checking account has no minimum balance requirement but does require a $50 opening deposit. It includes the following for free:

  • eStatements

  • United Visa check card

  • Mobile banking with check deposit

  • Online banking with bill pay

  • No minimum balance

Burke & Herbert Bank

Burke & Herbert Bank offers a free checking account, Convenience Checking, which has a hard-to-find perk: absolutely free, nationwide ATM access. The bank never charges customers for using other banks’ ATM, and if another ATM assesses a surcharge, Burke & Herbert Bank will reimburse all fees. The checking account offers additional free services:

  • Burke & Herbert Bank Visa debit card

  • No monthly or transaction fees

  • No minimum balance

  • Free ATMs nationwide

The bank also provides auto and home loans, credit cards, and investment services. The bank’s Statement Savings account pays a 0.05% APY, requires a $50 opening deposit, and is fee-free if you sign up for direct deposit or keep a balance of at least $100 in the account.

National Bank

National Bank offers a variety of services, from home mortgages and credit cards to insurance and investment services. The bank’s Free Checking account carries no fees if you order duplicate checks to open the account and pay the $25 minimum opening deposit. Although National Bank ATM transactions are free, the bank charges $2 to use non-National Bank ATMs. After opening, additional free services include:

  • No minimum balance

  • No service charges

  • ATM card or check card

John Marshall Bank

John Marshall Bank offers credit cards, auto loans and home mortgages but does not provide insurance or investment services. One of its standout products is its free savings account, which pays 0.20% APY on any amount after opening the account with at least $100. To avoid a fee, you’ll have to maintain a balance of at least $100.

The bank also offers a JMB Personal Checking account with no fees after an initial deposit of at least $100. Even if your balance falls below $100 after you open the account, there are still no fees. Although no interest is paid on the account, you have access to free services, including:

  • Mastercard debit card

  • Online banking and bill pay

  • Direct deposit

  • Surcharge-free access to over 55,000 Allpoint ATMs internationally

First Virginia Community Bank

First Virginia Community Bank has limited services compared with some of the other banks on this list. For example, First Virginia does not offer mortgage loans, insurance or investment services. It does, however, have a 0.30% APY on its free savings account, and the First Statement Savings requires only $5 to open.

First Virginia offers a Free Personal Checking account that requires a $50 opening balance and no minimum maintaining balance. Free services that come with the account include:

  • Mastercard check card

  • Online banking with bill pay

  • Mobile banking and eStatements

  • Unlimited check writing

Virginia Commonwealth Bank

Virginia Commonwealth Bank is the smallest institution in the GOBankingRates list of top 10 banks in Virginia, with about $863 million in assets. The bank offers mortgage loans and credit cards, but it doesn’t provide auto loans, investment services or insurance.

Virginia Commonwealth does offer six checking options. For most accounts, there either is no fee or account holders can avoid the fee with direct deposits. The First Free checking account has no fees or balance requirement and offers unlimited check writing, as long as you open the account with at least $100. All of the bank’s checking accounts provide the following for free:

  • Debit card

  • Online banking with bill pay

  • Mobile deposit

  • Overdraft protection

WashingtonFirst Bank

All of the checking accounts from WashingtonFirst Bank — even the Free Checking account — provide a number of valuable services,. Personal checking accounts, for example, include the following free benefits:

  • Visa Check card

  • Online banking with bill pay

  • Mobile check deposit

  • Notary services,

  • ATM transactions worldwide, including the reimbursement of eight fees per month charged by other institutions’ ATMs.

The free features are provided on top of the more traditional free checking account services, such as online banking, bill pay, a Visa debit card, mobile check deposit, and unlimited check writing. The minimum opening deposit for the Free Checking account is $50.

HSBC Bank USA

The other national bank giant on this top 10 list, HSBC Bank USA, boasts over $191 billion in assets and a range of services, including mortgage loans, credit cards, insurance and investment services. The bank does not offer auto loans, however.

The HSBC basic checking account offers free services, but it comes with a $3 monthly service fee that cannot be waived. Free services offered with the basic checking account include:

  • HSBC debit Mastercard

  • Online banking

  • Eight checks or withdrawals per month, with additional transactions being assessed a $0.35 fee each

Read On: What Is the Best Bank or Credit Union?

Methodology: To determine the best banks in the state, GOBankingRates ranked the top 10 banks based on (1) asset-size, with $100 million minimum in assets held, according to the FDIC; (2) monthly checking account service fee; (3) savings account annual percentage rate, which was either a flat rate or the lowest tiered rate available from the bank for non-specialty savings account products; (4) bank accessibility, based on the approximate number of branches; and (5) products, with banks being scored on selection of products offered, including auto loans, mortgage loans, credit cards, investment services, and insurance.

Data for this ranking was compiled from and verified against the individual institutions’ websites between Sept. 21 and Sept. 26, 2017. Rates, terms and conditions are subject to change at the discretion of the individual financial institutions. APY was based on the minimum deposit required to open the account. Some interest rates might be short-term or promotional offers only, and it is possible additional terms and conditions must be met in order to obtain the interest rates listed. Rates and availability might vary by region. Please verify terms and conditions before opening an account.

GOBankingRates is a personal finance and consumer interest rate website owned by ConsumerTrack, Inc., an online marketing company serving top-tier banks, credit unions, and other financial services organizations. Some banks mentioned in this ranking are clients of ConsumerTrack, Inc., which serves more than 100 national, local and online financial institutions. Rankings are completely objective, and no institution, client or otherwise, paid for inclusion or specific placement.

Related: The Best Banks of 2018

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Best Banks in Virginia

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