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The bottom line: Golden Bank is an Asian American-led bank in California and Texas. It might be a good match if you'd like to open a Golden Bank Golden Bank Opportunity Checking Account with a brick-and-mortar bank. However, you can find better rates at the best high-yield savings accounts online.
Golden Bank Review: Overall Rating
| Feature | Insider |
| Savings | 2.75 |
| Checking | 3.25 |
| CD | 3.25 |
| Money market accounts | 3.25 |
| Trustworthiness | 3 |
| Total | 3 |
Golden Bank Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
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Golden Bank Account Reviews
Golden Bank Regular Savings Account
$5 monthly service fee
0.20%
$100
- Possible to waive monthly service fee
- Free ATM card
- Low interest rate
- $100 minimum opening deposit
- $5 monthly service fee
- Limit of 6 free withdrawals per quarter
- $1 excess withdrawal fee
- Asian American-led bank with 12 locations in California and Texas
- Fee-free withdrawals at Cirrus or Pulse ATMs
- To waive monthly service fee, keep at least $100 in your account daily
- Limit of 6 free withdrawals per quarter
- $1 excess withdrawal free for each withdrawal that exceeds the quarterly limit
- May receive up to $25 per month in ATM refunds
- Interest compounded daily, deposited monthly
- Member FDIC
The Golden Bank Regular Savings Account may be worthwhile if regularly keep at least $100 in your account — that way, you won't have to pay a $5 monthly service fee.
Keep in mind the Golden Bank Regular Savings Account only permits six free withdrawals per quarter. If you exceed the quarterly limit, you'll have to pay $1 for each additional transaction.
Golden Bank Opportunity Checking Account
no monthly service fee
None
$50
- No monthly service fees
- No out-of-network ATM fees
- May receive up to $25 in out-of-network ATM refunds
- $50 minimum opening deposit
- 10 free debit card transactions per month
- $30 overdraft fee
- $0.50 fee for each transaction that exceeds the monthly transaction limit
- No overdraft protection
- Asian American-led bank with 12 branches in California and Texas
- Fee-free withdrawals at Cirrus or Pulse ATMs
- May receive up to $25 per month in ATM refunds
- Limit of 10 free debit card transactions per month
- $0.50 fee for each transaction that exceeds the monthly limit
- Member FDIC
The Golden Bank Opportunity Checking Account might be a good choice if you'd like to avoid some common bank fees. The checking account doesn't have monthly service fees or out-of-network ATM fees.
Be mindful of the monthly debit card transaction limit, though. If you make more than 10 debit card transactions per month, you'll pay a $0.50 fee for each extra transaction.
Golden Bank CD
0.10% to 5.25%
$1,500 to $50,000
- Good interest rate
- Standard CD early withdrawal penalties
- $1,500 minimum opening deposit
- No terms over 3 years
- Asian American-led bank with 12 branches in California and Texas
- Fee-free withdrawals at Cirrus or Pulse ATMs
- Terms range from 1 month to 3 years
- CD early withdrawal penalties depend on the amount deposited and term chosen; call your nearest branch for more information
- Interest compounded and deposited monthly
- Member FDIC
You might find Golden Bank Golden Bank CD appealing if you have at least $1,500 to $50,000 for an initial deposit. You'll earn a competitive rate for CD terms ranging from 1 month to 3 years.
If you're searching for long-term CDs, consider reading our best 5-year CD rates guide.
Golden Bank Money Market Plus Account
$10 monthly service fee
0.20% to 0.50%
$2,500
- Possible to waive monthly service fee
- Free ATM card
- Low interest rate
- No checks
- $2,500 minimum opening deposit
- $10 monthly service fee
- $5 excess withdrawal fee
- Asian American-led bank with 12 locations in California and Texas
- Fee-free withdrawals at Cirrus or Pulse ATMs
- Tiered interest rate: Earn a higher interest if you have a higher account balance
- To waive the $10 monthly service fee, keep at least $2,500 in your account daily
- May receive up to $25 per month in ATM refunds
- Limit of 6 free withdrawals per month
- $5 excess withdrawal fee for each withdrawal that exceeds the monthly limit
- Interest compounded daily and deposited monthly
- Member FDIC
The Golden Bank Money Market Plus Account could be a decent choice if you need to make more frequent withdrawals from a savings account. The Golden Bank Money Market Plus Account lets you make six withdrawals per month, while the bank's savings account only permits six withdrawals per quarter.
That said, the Golden Bank Regular Savings Account will likely be easier to manage because it has a lower minimum balance requirement and monthly service fee than the money market account.
About Golden Bank
Golden Bank is an Asian American-led bank with 12 branches in California and Texas.
Customers may make fee-free withdrawals from Cirrus or Pulse ATMs. The Cirrus network has over 2 million ATMs worldwide, and the Pulse ATM network has over 40,000 ATMs in the US. You may also receive up to $25 in out-of-network ATM refunds per month.
Customer support is available by phone from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT on weekdays and 9 a.m to 3 p.m. CT on Saturdays.
The bank's mobile app is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars in the Apple store and 4.1 out of 5 stars in the Google Play store.
Golden Bank is FDIC insured.Up to $250,000 is secure in an individual bank account.
The Role of Community Development Financial Institutions
Community development financial institutions, or CDFIs, serve low-income and disadvantaged communities. Banks and credit unions have to undergo certification by the US Department of Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and meet specific requirements to address banking barriers.
Golden Bank is designated as both a CDFI and minority depository institution. The bank provides services in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. It also has a financial literacy program with a local elementary school in Texas.
Is Golden Bank Trustworthy?
We include ratings from the Better Business Bureau so you may see how the bank deals with customer issues. The BBB gave Golden Bank an NR ("No Rating") grade because it doesn't have enough information about the business to assign a rating.
BBB ratings aren't necessarily the be-all and end-all. Consider reading online customer reviews or speaking with bank customers to see if Golden Bank might be suitable.
On the bright side, Golden Bank hasn't been involved in any recent public scandals.
How Golden Bank Compares
Golden Bank vs. Comerica
We compared Golden Bank to another regional bank in the same states: Comerica.
If you're looking to open a checking account, you'll likely prefer Golden Bank to Comerica. The Golden Bank Opportunity Checking Account doesn't charge a monthly service fee or out-of-network ATM fee, while you'll need to be mindful of both with the Comerica Access Checking Account.
For savings accounts, it'll be a close race between the two banks. Both savings accounts pay low interest rates and have a $5 monthly service fee unless you qualify to waive it.
Comerica may be worth exploring if you'd like to choose from a variety of CDs. Terms range from seven days to 10 years.
Golden Bank vs. East West Bank
See how Golden Bank stacks up to another Asian-led bank in the same states: East West Bank.
Golden Bank will likely be a better option for avoiding monthly service fees on a checking account. The Golden Bank Opportunity Checking Account doesn't have monthly service fees. In comparison, the East West Bank Value Checking Account has a $5 monthly service fee unless you meet specific requirements.
East West Bank may stand out if you'd like to open a CD. It has a variety of CD terms available — from 32 days to 5 years. The minimum opening deposit for a CD is also lower at East West Bank than at Golden Bank.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed Golden Bank
For our Golden Bank review, we rated bank products and services using our editorial standards.
We rate products on a scale from one to five stars, and use a bank account methodology
For example, using our CD methodology we'll review interest rates, minimum opening deposit requirements, early withdrawal penalties, CD variety, customer support availability, mobile app ratings, miscellaneous features, security and ethics of the overall company. Meanwhile, for checking accounts, we'll factor in the ATM network size and fees, overdraft protection options, customer support hours, mobile app ratings, ethics, security, miscellaneous feautrs, minimum opening deposit requirements, and fees.
We use a weighted average to get our star rating, which means we weigh certain features, like interest rates and fees, at a higher weight percentage than others. We understand that these areas can more heavily impact a person's overall banking experience.
Golden Bank FAQs
Yes, Golden Bank is FDIC insured. When a bank is FDIC insured, money deposited into your bank account is protected even if the bank shut down.
Golden Bank has locations in California and Texas. You'll find a local branch in the following cities: Alhambra, CA; Cupertino, CA; Fremont, CA; Harwin, TX; Houston, TX; Irvine, CA; Millbrae, CA; Plano, TX; Richardson, TX; Rowland Heights, CA; Sugar Land, TX; and Tustin, CA.
An MDI is a financial institution that is part of the FDIC's Minority Depository Institution Program or the NCUA's MDI Preservation Program. To receive designation as an MDI, a financial institution must be primarily owned or led by Black Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, or Asian Americans. Financial institutions may also be required to serve these respective groups in their communities.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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