A QuinStreet-owned bank-rate comparison site with a published, data-driven star method, but by its own disclosure it takes money from the institutions it lists and that pay can affect placement and order.
What it's really for A deposit-rate comparison site (QuinStreet); paid when users click or get approved.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about its star ratings of bank deposit products, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
Banks, credit unions and thrifts pay it most; by its own disclosure some have paid for a link and compensation may impact how and where products appear, including the order in which they appear.
Source →- Operating since
- 1999 (27 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- Owned by lead-generation company QuinStreet, it earns compensation when users click listings, get approved, or open accounts, plus affiliate and paid-link fees from the banks it ranks.
- What they do
- It aggregates and rates roughly 1,700 deposit products from 500+ U.S. banks, credit unions and thrifts, assigning 1-to-5-star ratings on rates, fees, access and service.
- What to watch for
- Ratings come from institution-reported rate data rather than hands-on account testing, and by its own disclosure advertiser compensation can affect how and where products appear, including their order.
- Composite score
- 1.70 / 5.00 → grade D+ (pay-to-rank cap applied)
- Last verified
- June 2, 2026 — when we last checked this entry's facts, links, and grade against the live site.
- Site confirmed live
- July 11, 2026 — our monthly automated check reached MoneyRates and got a normal response.
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- Disclosure: 'This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear)' and 'some of which have paid for a link to their website.' Source: MoneyRates Editorial Policy & Methodology →
- Deposit ratings are built from a database updated weekly by checking directly with financial institutions; each criterion is scored 0-5 and weighted-averaged, so the method is published but based on institution-reported data rather than hands-on testing. Source: MoneyRates Deposit Product Ratings Methodology →
- Parent QuinStreet, a performance-marketing/lead-generation firm, settled with 20 state attorneys general in 2012 over its GIBill.com property, illustrating the commercial-lead model behind the company. Source: Inside Higher Ed →