Update: Please see my FNBO Direct Review for more info!
Rate chasers rejoice! Look likes with the expiration of the HSBC Direct 6% APY promotion yesterday, the online bank FNBO Direct has decided to offer the rate of 0.85% APY as of January, 2013. $1 to open, no monthly minimums, no credit check, previous rate was 5.25% I believe. Anybody use this bank before?
As usual, check out my Ultimate Rate Chaser Calculator to see the potential profit from a move after accounting for transfer time. I hope they don’t pull what Umbrella Bank did – change their guaranteed date from 12/31 to 7/31 a day into the promotion. Thanks Steve for the tip.
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Looks good, 6% beats 5% (most of the time, at least 🙂
Does anyone know if FNBO allows ACH transfers out? They only mention withdrawls from transfers out or ATM withdrawls ($2.50 fee + whatever the other ATM charges) in the FAQ.
ACH is mentioned in the FAQ. Yes, they allow it. Don’t see it? Keep looking. 🙂
Thanks for the heads-up! I may open an account. I just pulled almost everything from AmTrust Direct because we need it (buying a rental property), so I might as well transfer what’s left into something making a higher rate of return…
I sent an e-mail to their customer service. They do NOT allow ACH withdrawls:
—
Dear Andrew:
Thank you for your recent inquiry concerning an FNBO Direct account. Unfortunately, we do not permit ACH withdrawals from an FNBO Direct account.
If you need further assistance, please contact us at 1-877-370-3707 or send us an e-mail.
Sincerely,
Gina Juergens
Online Banking Representative
Does anyone actually check whether a bank is really FDIC insured? or do merely see the logo and assume that its ok?
Can anyone confirm the ABA#?
It is always possible the OBR does not know what she is talking about. I found this:
http://www.fededirectory.frb.org/details_ACH.cfm?aba=104000016
If someone has already opened an account, could she/he please confirm that FNBO’s aba# is 104000016?
If it is, then I might like to try ACH transfers (to and from) set up via another account. Even if FNBO does not provide ACH withdrawal service via their online account interface, if they are listed as a FedACH participant, I’d expect them to honor legitimate ACH transfers initiated via another bank.
I also checked to confirm that they are a member of the FDIC, cert# 5452:
First National Bank of Omaha (FDIC Cert: 5452)
is a National Bank and has been FDIC insured since January 1, 1934.
It was established on January 1, 1857.
Its main office (headquarters) is located at:
16th And Dodge Streets
Omaha, Nebraska 68197
County of Douglas
source: http://www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main_bankfind.asp
sri:
I’ve never checked on a bank’s insurance status, but I usually only bank with major nationwide chains that are obviously real banks. You can check if a bank is FDIC insured here:
http://www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main_bankfind.asp
alex:
You can still withdraw money by transferring to a linked account (they allow up to 3), but it takes the usual 3+ business days.
What does ACH stand for, and what is the importance of having ACH Transfers?
I think bankrate.com checks actually.
So if no ACH withdrawals, how are you supposed to get your money out in a speedy manner without incurring fees?
Couple of notes:
– First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) is rated 4 stars (Sound) by Bankrate Bank Safety Rating. It’s been around a while.
– When I use CashEdge transfer system with HSBC Direct, you can find “FNBO Direct” as a transfer option. (Another way to verify legitimacy.) The routing numbers that you can choose from are 104000016 and 104913048. So it’s one of those two, not sure what the differences are.
Only diff. I can find btw. those two ABA#s is the location. First one is Omaha (HQ), second one is David City, NE (perhaps a major branch, or the “Direct” offices?)
ACH stands for Automated Clearing House. Basically, it’s a protocol for the electronic transfer of money. What people are concerned about is the ease of which they can move money in and out of this online bank account.
I just set it up and it was a breeze, but for some reason I can never get the instant automatic verification process to work (I bank with Wachovia). I have to do the trial deposit method which will take at least 3 days. Anybody else have that problem.
Anyway I’m jacked up about this rate!
Has anyone been able to make another online savings bank their linked account for FNBO Direct? Thanks!
BP: Yeah, I have the same problem when I’ve tried in the past to setup a transfer from Wachovia to Citibank–had to do the trial deposit.
Can anyone explain an ACH in relation to an IIT–Inter-Institutional Transfer?
The rate is good but they have the same annoying habit as HSBC of eating your interest for 2 to 4 days for each transfer.
Ok, I actually just called FNBO Direct and asked about ACH transfers, and the representative confirmed that they accept transfers in both directions, even when originated at another institution, withdrawals as well as deposits. 🙂
Everyone,
I just signed up for an account on FNBO, but having finished the application I looked at their privacy policy. Quite simply: It is awful.
They basically say they will do everything within legal limits to make a profit off of selling your personal information to third parties and by soliciting you. In addition, the application requests a LOT of personal information. I’m sure this is how they afford the 6% rate.
link
I checked HSBC’s privacy policy http://www.us.hsbc.com/1/2/3/personal/inside/privacy
It looks roughly the same. I think that’s a pretty standard policy. Does anyone with more expertise want to comment?
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I just signed up for the account also.
Great deal, just hope the rate is decent after end of September.
I am a bit of a rate chaser myself but I also like the FNBO website, its simple no-nonsense and east to use.
I hope that stays the same also. The parent bank is first national of Omaha and the fifth largest in the US. I feel safe putting my money with them. And of course, bankrate.com rates them Sound.
Glad I didnt go with Countrywide (can we say sub prime) or Citi (tricky site and crappy rates). In my opinion
Both of those sites have their own uniqe issues. HSBC almost had me, but why go with 5.05% when you can get 6% at FNBO for 5 months!? This little “secret” wont stay that way for long. I think FNBO is gonna be swamped with new acocunts!
One minor correcton: FNBO is one of the FIFTY largest banks in the United States. Not fifth. Got a little carried away . 🙂
Just finished the online account….worked just fine once I had HSBC’s ABA # (022000020) so that I could xfer the money from my HSBC online account to FNBO
Does this account require a hard pull?
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hey travis thanks for giving us the inside scoop (hope you’re real). 5.25% is not bad after the 6% apy intro.
One more little thing, their web site does not support downloading to Quicken. I e-mailed customer service, they said they forwarded my request to their web group, but there’s no ETA. Maybe if more people request it… Not the end of the world, and I’m still in because of the interest rate, but it’s nice to be able to easily reconcile everything in Quicken.
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So I clicked thru your link, clicked next after choosing open a new account, and it says “timed out retrieving your previous application.” Tried several times with same results.
Travis?
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For all those looking to go from HSBC to FNBO, here’s my experience. Opened account 5/1, authorizing transfer from HSBC during application process. I chose the online authorization feature over the trial deposit option to save time and changed my HSBC password afterwards. The transaction posted to my HSBC account on 5/2, and the deposit posted to my FNBO account on 5/4. So 2 days lost interest in my case. At 4.94APR from HSBC and 5.84APR from FNBO, according to Jonathan’s rate chaser calculator, the breakeven is 11 days in that case.
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Travis- You will find that this is a rather discriminating bunch. I hope that it doesn’t come across as distrust of your institution. I encourage you to look around at the other posts on this site (including the new one abour FNBO, if you haven’t seen it yet). Having experienced HSBC’s transfer delays, eLOAN’s one external transfer account, and Emigrant’s baffling policy changes, we have learned to ask more than just what the rate is. Your input is very much appreciated.
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I applied 5/2 and the process has gone pretty well. 5/3-5/4 were used to do the various steps envolved with the application. Then the weekend caused delays and I figured my account would be active today 5/7 but no go, wish I had made the large deposit instead of the $1.00. Hopefully tomorrow 5/8 I will be able to transfer my real money. After that when will I start collecting the 6% APY, they say 2-3 days? The whole process is amounting to at least 8-10 days. It’s the best deal around but you must persevere.
hey travis, maybe i see you around at work sometime?
I’ve received the email stating “Your FNBO Direct Opening Deposit Has Been Processed.” How long before I can log in and transfer more money into it?
Has anyone invested with Residential Capital Mortgage Income Fund? They’re offering 10 – 12%. Too good to be true or are they legit?
You can transfer money at the same time you open the account. When I opened my account it took me right to the transfer step, but when my girlfriend opned her’s it did the “Your FNBO Direct Opening Deposit Has Been Processed.? So I had her go back to the open account tab and click on continue and it took her to the transfer screen.
Q: Has anyone invested with Residential Capital Mortgage Income Fund? They?re offering 10 – 12%. Too good to be true or are they legit?
From their website:
[1] Are there suitability standards?
Shares are offered exclusively to qualified investors who are California Residents and who meet certain minimum standards of income and/or net worth.
[2] How does a Mortgage Fund Work?
An investor purchases shares of the Mortgage Fund. The Mortgage Fund then lends the money out to borrowers. Borrowers make interest payments to the fund each month, and the Fund pays out a dividend to investors. The Mortgage Fund contains a large number of highly diverse trust deed loans as security for the investment, similar to a “mutual fund” of loans.
One comment: Backed Cali real estate…..are you kidding me…..forget about it!!
So, are you saying you think the risk is too high?
Regarding Residential Capital Mortgage Income Fund – I would stay far far away unless you are intimately aware of how this fund works.
1) If it’s too good to be true… You don’t get that kind of return without extra risk.
2) I’ve read about a company like this called a while back, which completely screwed over their customers – as in complete loss of principal. Also supposedly “backed” by high interest real estate loans.
Travis,
I just checked my bank account and saw that my initial deposit has been withdrawn. However, I still don’t see it in my FNBO account. Is this normal? How long before it shows up there?
Also, what does a linked account mean? How can I set up one?
Thanks.
Dinh,
Sounds like someone needs to read the HELP section. It’s all explained there.
OK, I’ve decided to open a FNBO account. I want to transfer my savings from my HSBC Direct online account. FNBO wants the routing number. Does anyone know the HSBC direct routing number? Has anyone does this before?
Thanks.
Yes, it is 022000020. But be safe/smart and call HSBC to confirm.
I can’t believe I’ve become a rate chaser. This is fun!!!
So far, so smooth opening FNBO account. Started very late Tues PM with initial approval notice, got trial deposits today (Thurs) and email with account number shortly after.
Now I want to transfer what I have at Emigrant Direct into FNBO once linked, but here’s a question if anyone knows. On FNBO side, I’m in the process of linking to Emigrant Direct, so I could pull from Emigrant direct once linked. But what I was hoping to do is on the Emigrant Direct side, link FNBO and push from Emigrant into FNBO. (If I’m using push/pull terminology correctly… pushing usually seems faster method starting where money is first). Problem is that Emigrant doesn’t want to let me set up FNBO as an external account since it’s not a checking account – anyone know if that’s the case? FNBO seems not to have a problem linking to other savings (at least that I can see).
I think I’ll be jumping the bandwagon too and go with FNBO. I currently have my money parked at Amtrust e-money market.
Does anyone know the routing # for Amtrust? Many Thanks, and thanks, Jonathan, for this wonderful site! You are my money guru!
Hello all my name is Travis and I have never used any of these high yield online savings account before. My money is currently in a CD and an online checking account with 5/3. I am considering transfering my money to FNBO’s 6% APY. Is this an easy process for a first timer and just how safe is it? Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.
Hannah, the routing # for AmTrst Direct is 24170433. If you would like to confirm in from your account it should be listed when you click on “manage external accounts” from your AmTrust page.
Travis, I believe online banking accounts to be very safe and the application process is fairly simple imo for most online banks. A bank like FNBO Direct allows you to open an account with as little as 1 dollar. I suggest you try it with a minimum openning deposit and see how the process goes for you….Anything is better than 5/3…;^)
Hannah, sorry…A correction on the routing number for AmTrust (I somehow left out a number, no worries because it would not have let you proceed with just 8 numbers anyway). The correct number is
241070433
I went ahead and applied for a savings account with FNBO now I just have to wait for my deposits to show up.
firefox 2.0.0.3 Your Application Timed Out For security, your application has timed out. Please click the button to retrieve your application. If you are unable to retrieve your application, you will need to start over.
Internet Explorer 7.0.5730.11 same
Netscape Communicator 7.2 same
Any ideas, anyone?
John Wilks, I had the same problem. I spent about an hour on the phone with them, and I think this is a glitch they are having. Didn’t give me too much confidence!
FNBO says their website is incompatible with Firefox. Also IE7 was giving me that timed out message, even after a reboot and clearing of cache/cookies/etc. They couldn’t explain it, and they had no problem accessing the application on their Internet access.
I finally did get it approved and completed, and I’m now waiting for the trial deposits (I assume) and the $1 withdrawal to complete the account. I did receive an account number via email, but when I attempt to log into my account it asks me to answer 2 security questions…which the website never prompted me to fill out at any time during the application process, so I cannot access the account at this time. Hopefully in a couple days I will get an email with further instructions.
So far it is not going well. If things don’t smooth out I’ll be looking elsewhere.
For some reason, Firefox worked for me all the way through the process.
Everything went fairly smoothly, but it did take several days (actually exactly 1 week from sign up) for the first deposit to come through.
BeyondtheConsumer – did you go through the Enroll Now link (once you have your account number)? That’s when it asked me to set up my security questions.
This is my first time opening an account online. The rate sounds great but I am a little leery about the process. It did seem like they asked for a lot of personal information but I guess it was no different from the information needed to open my account in person at my current bank. Is it strange that there is no link from this online account to the main bank website? I called one of the numbers provided on the main bank’s website and the woman I spoke to knew about this separate, promotional account. I also checked out the FDIC website before starting the enrollment process. The FNBO direct website looked a little basic but maybe it was designed to be simple and no-nonsense like someone mentioned. I placed a small, initial deposit yesterday and received both trial deposits today in my regular bank account. I just stumbled onto this blog website tonight so before I finish my enrollment process, has anyone actually had their money transfer show up in their FNBO account? Thanks
For Smiley, Yes, I started the process early in the month and everything is now showing in the account. Enrollment took some time but it is now showing my $100K growing at the fabulous yield of 6%.
Smilie, opening an online account can be a little overwelming to some that attempt it for the first time, but just take your time and follow the directions and it should go smoothly. Also, be patient because your first deposit won’t show or be available for a few days.
I haven’t had any major problems in the half dozen accounts that I have openned and used (with the exception of IGObanking). With the lousy rates in my area, it is well worth the time I have spent doing the on-line thing.
I am so concerned. I went to the FDIC page, and there is not such thing as FNBO listed. Should i withdraw my money? How do i make SURE that it is a safe thing?
Gabriella, no worries. Above on May 1 is this info copied here:
“# Steve Austin Says:
May 1st, 2007 at 3:36 pm
I also checked to confirm that they are a member of the FDIC, cert# 5452:
First National Bank of Omaha (FDIC Cert: 5452)
is a National Bank and has been FDIC insured since January 1, 1934.
It was established on January 1, 1857.
Its main office (headquarters) is located at:
16th And Dodge Streets
Omaha, Nebraska 68197
County of Douglas
source: http://www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main_bankfind.asp“
Thanks Steve. Are we sure that they are part of this bank though? Why, if so, dont you think they appear in the FDIC page at all? I know I sound paranoid, but i rather be safe than sorry
I understand, Gabriella. Another way to tell that “fnbodirect.com” is owned by First National Bank of Omaha is that the WhoIs information for fnbodirect.com does show the main bank as the owner of the domain – http://who.godaddy.com/WhoIs.aspx?domain=fnbodirect.com&prog_id=godaddy
Also, if you do a search for “first national bank of omaha fnbodirect” on Google, it comes up with several articles from many, many sources mentioning FNBO as part of First National Bank of Omaha.
Hope that helps! Believe me, I wondered, too.
Oh, and one more thing – owner of this blog posted about the legitimacy here:
link
Happy saving!
The best bet is to call the First National Bank of Omaha directly and ask them if FNBO is legit. I and many other commenters have already done this, but calling them directly is the only way know for sure.
For the question about a routing number for AMTrust Direct, I tried that the first time and got nothing but frustrated. It seems that they won’t play nice with FNBO. I started a new application using my brick and mortar bank and it is going much smoother. The down side for me is that it will mean 2 transfers to move money from AMTrust to FNBO. One out of AMTrust and then one into FNBO. The difference in rates will make the wait worth it but as others have pointed out, it takes a while to pay off the waiting time with higher rates.
Gabriella,
You are right! This is fraud, please withdraw all you money now….quick….quick….oh no, now your money is gone…..oh well.
Paul, are you trying to cause a big problem? Of course, FNBO is legit. Many folks have checked and rechecked it’s legitimacy. It is posted in Money Magazine, the Business section in most noted newspapers with a 4 star rating. My money is sitting there drawing 6% yield and I am very confident. Now, come 9/28, I will probably be on the lookout for another “safe” place to move the funds that is paying a high rate.
After problems getting my FNBO account linked to AmTrust direct, Eric, was kind enough to pass on the correct precedure for linking the accounts. When linking FNBO to AmTrust, you must choose “checking” account in the drop down box on FNBO’s site and use the routing number 267091221. If you use any of the other routing numbers for AmTrust, your trial deposits will not go through.
Final comment……DUH!!!!
Does anyone know why FNBO Direct no longer shows on bankrate.com? I have used bankrate for sometime and have never seen a bank just fall off the site. I have seen bank’s soundness rating change from day to day and seen them fall as other banks come up with higher interest rates but nothing like this. Has anyone else noticed this?
Greg:
Yeah, I noticed the same thing. One thing to remember is that one of the ways that bankrate.com makes its money by charging banks to “advertise” their promotions on the bankrate site. My guess is that FNBO’s 6.00% offer has been so successful that they decided to throttle back on the promotion and save some money on the fees it pays to bankrate. However, if you go to fnbodirect.com you’ll see the offer is still valid. Another thing to note is that FNBO recently placed a limit on the amount you can deposit to $1,000,000 per account. Even though the FDIC only covers $100,000, my guess that folks were depositing more than this because of the great promo rate. Last note, I have seen other banks (most notably Merrill Lynch) come and go on the bankrate site depending on when they are promoting different offers.
I transferred all of the money I had sitting in EmigrantDirect over to FNBO in early May and have been happy with it. I totally forgot to shut off the weekly automatic withdrawals over at EmigrantDirect, though, so I came to find out it had amassed more money and interest, but oh well. Closed them down, made new ones at FNBO, and transferred the new money from Emigrant to FNBO. I am going to be pretty disappointed come Sept 28, but shouldn’t ING be due for a promotion soon. They’ve gotten so cheap lately. Even if they ran a promo, the fact that they are sitting at like 4.5% APY tells me they wouldn’t push it much past 5%
first of all, it would be best to call FNBO Direct customer service to get all the information regarding the online savings. But I’ll mention some of it right now. First of all, it’s not necessarily a promotion, it is just guaranteed till 9/28, after which it won’t drop down drastically, it may not drop at all; it depends on market conditions and how the bank is handling the 6% APY. And if it indeed drops, it will still remain competitive; for instance it was at 5.25%APY when I applied myself. Not to mention FNBO stands for First National Bank of Omaha, so when questioning the legitemacy, look it up with that particular name. All of this can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions portion of the FNBO Direct Web Site(fnbodirect.com)
Ok. I got all set up with FNBO. The process was straight forward, and wasn?t bad at all. I only transferred $10 from my ING to begin with. Now, I?m ready to transfer the rest of my money. Well, I find it funny that I have to re-add my ING accout as a transfer, even though I used it to open FNBO.
=Well, My question is: I got to the ?verify account? portion of the ?Add Transfer Accounts? and I can either do ?trial deposits? again and wait a couple days, or I can type in my ING Account Number and Pin Number for instant verification. Is this safe??? (telling them this info?)
If I tell them my Account and Pin number, will the transfers be instantaneous/same day??? (ie: no 3 day lag time?) (OR, should I just do the trial deposits again, because there would be no benefit to them knowing my account and pin number to ING, except for instant verification?)
Thanks!
I’ve opened account recently so far so good. I would not recommend to anyone giving out your account and pin number. trial deposits takes a couple of days. They did request for additional information such as a faxed copy of a voided check. I recall this done with changes to new auto insurance companies, new apartment lease agreement no big deal.
For security purposes and to help prevent identity theft, never send private information via email.
Something else I will add now that I think about it and was rereading the summary above. It says they don’t run a credit check, but they did hit my report in some form, because it asked me a security question along the lines of “…indicates that you may have an auto loan with a. Chrysler Financial, b. Bank of America, etc. which I do indeed have. Whether they can obtain that information from a soft hit, I don’t know, but they run a check regardless.
Now, another thing is I cannot set up my Emigrant Direct account for interbank transfers. It was rejected when I attempted to pull funds from Emigrant Direct into FNBO. May work with other banks such as ING where I have accounts, but all my money was in Emigrant Direct at the time and the transfer was rejected by Emigrant.
Did anyone else get one of those due diligence USA Patriot Act e-mails? WTF?!!! I called and waited over an hour to speak to someone at FNBO and when I finally got someone they said I was OK. But this is too weird for me, I love earning 6% but I think I’m heading back to HSBC.
Audie, glad you spoke up. Yes, I got one. It said it was my 2nd notice, and if so, I surely never got the first one.
This wording freaked me out:
“Due to the importance of the USA Patriot Act, we have placed a hold on your account(s) until we can document this information for our records. No deposits or withdrawals can be made through your account(s) until we receive this information. We will release the hold upon receipt of this information.”
I’m glad to hear that you were able to call and finally get an answer. If I can get my money out today, it’s gone. I want zero part of that kind of scare, true or not true. Freaky. Not worth any % they offer if I have to worry.
Yes, Audie, I got one too. Really weird. I keep getting cut off on the phone lines.
I received the same email today Audie.I have been on the phone and cannot get FNBO DIRECT on the line. This is scary stuff.
I got the same email. Called them because it freaked me out a little. On the phone 10 minutes….done. I’m ditching this place once the promo’s over
not sure if you guys know, but FNBO Direct has issued an apology for this error. The email was sent in error.
Everyone should calm down about the accidental e-mails and extra verification required with FNBO Direct. Considering this is a new project for the bank, everyone’s scrambling around in the company to keep the project rolling, as it is changing every day. The Patriot Act isn’t helping one bit, either, however, FNBO did not put that law in place(someone who shall remain nameless did). Still a satisfied customer, and a reliable source. that’s all the info i can provide
Hi guys,
I am going to open an account with FNBO. But does anybody know what the rate is going to be after Sept? If so, please let me know.
Thanks,
Prem
5.05% confirmed. Still rather competitive.
If you haven’t opened an account yet, I’d go with someone else that’s at 5.05% that’s a little more stable…