Investment In Coal Mining
On May 6, 2015, Bank of America announced it would reduce its financial exposure to coal companies. The announcement came following pressure from universities and environmental groups. The new policy was announced as part of the bank’s decision to continue to reduce credit exposure over time to the coal mining sector.
Savings Account Interest Rate
The interest rate on this Bank of America savings account is very lackluster.
The low return makes it undesirable for people interested in earning high interests on their savings.
Look:
If youre more concerned with finding an easily accessible savings account than with earning money on it, the Bank of America Rewards Savings account does the job.
But, let’s face it…
You want to grow your money.
The extremely low interest rate on this account won’t help you toward that goal.
You might also consider opening an account with an online bank instead.
Risk Awards 202: Bank Ducks Us Vol Problems That Plagued Peers While Continuing European Expansion
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On Saturday, February 20, 2021, Michael Stanley, co-head of global rates and counterparty portfolio management at Bank of America , was on a New York bus on his way to return his childrens library books when a phone call with his co-head, Kavi Gupta, alerted him to something remarkable.
The banks proprietary early volatility warning system, Glass , was throwing out some marked early signs of fragility in US vol, against all expectations.
I called Kavi, and he said: Do you see what Norad is seeing? It was truly dramatic, says Stanley.
At the time, the consensus was that US Federal Reserve rate moves were on hold until 2024, so front-end rates vol was low and realised vol was even lower which meant macro investors were typically short front-end vol.
But Glass was detecting that front-end rates, and vols, were on the move only by a few basis points, but it triggered further analysis by the team. Because the minimum increment for a Fed hike is 25bp, the front end of the curve vol had the potential to move higher very fast.
The team quickly decided they needed their books to be flat or long volatility ahead of any potential move.
It was the right call. As the stimulus plans led to expectations that rate hikes could come sooner rather than later, front-end vol began moving up along with rates. But a number of other dealers were caught out, and were left nursing losses.
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So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about , but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.Here is a list of our partners.
Bank Of America Interest Rates: How To Get The Best Rates
If youre looking to set aside funds for a rainy day, Bank of America offers several savings account options. However, due to Bank of Americas size, its savings accounts tend to offer high fees and relatively low interest rates compared to the national average. Its important to note that Bank of America offers different interest rates depending on customer location, so its rates may vary. To get a better interest rate on your savings accounts, you should compare the different offerings from Bank of America and try to avoid any fees that might negate your savings.
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How Often Can You Withdraw Money From A Bank Of America Savings Account
You can withdraw from Advantage Savings six times per month without penalty. After six withdrawals, Bank of America charges you $10. You can incur this additional withdrawal fee six times, for a total penalty of $60. You can waive this fee if you:
- Are under the age of 18
- Qualify as a student
- Maintain a minimum daily balance of $20,000 or more
- Are enrolled in the Preferred Rewards program
This withdrawal limit used to be the standard in the US due to a Federal Reserve rule called Regulation D. In , the Fed eliminated this rule to allow consumers unfettered access to their savings throughout the pandemic. As a result, some banks have eliminated the withdrawal limit, or increased the number of withdrawals before charging you.
Bank of America’s $10 fee for up to six extra withdrawals is expensive compared to Chase, which charges $5 per extra withdrawal only up to three times
What Are The Advantages Of A Bank Savings Account
Opening a savings account enables you to maximize what you earn from the money you keep at a bank or credit union. While it’s true that some checking accounts pay interest, the vast majority don’t, and even the ones that are interest-bearing pay only a pittance.
For anyone who has more money in the bank than needed to cover the daily transactions of their checking account, a savings account provides an opportunity to move surplus cash to an account paying a competitive interest rate.
Another benefit of opening a savings account is that it can help you organize your money according to your needs and goals. For instance, you can use a savings account to hold your emergency fund or to collect money you’re accumulating for a large financial goal, like a home purchase or future vacation. By keeping these funds separate in a savings account, you can easily distinguish them from what’s available for monthly bills and day-to-day spending in your checking account.
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Bank Of America Savings Account Rates
Bank of America offers three types of savings accounts: Advantage Savings, Minor Savings and Custodial Savings. Heres a look at the annual percentage yields and minimum opening deposit amounts for each of Bank of Americas savings accounts:
| Account |
|---|
| 0% | 0% |
The rates on savings accounts for Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo are identical at 0.01% APY, and theyre nowhere near the rates online banks like Ally and Vio offer at 1.25% APY or better. And while Bank of America dominates in the 12-month CD category among national banks, with a 0.03% APY, the rate is still considered low relative to the top interest rates offered by online banks.
About Bank Of America
Bank of America is a full-service national bank with 240 years of history, and its the second largest U.S. bank by assets. It offers 4,100 branch locations, an online banking platform and a highly rated mobile app. Bank of America provides personal, business and commercial banking products and services.
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Bank Of America Advantage Safebalance Banking Fees
The SafeBalance Banking account has a monthly maintenance fee of $4.95 that is waived for eligible students under age 25 and customers enrolled in Bank of Americas Preferred Rewards program.
BofA charges no ATM fees for withdrawn from one of its more than 16,000 ATMs. Using an ATM outside of Bank of Americas network in the U.S. results in a $2.50 charge for each ATM withdrawal plus any fees charged by the ATM owner.
Other fees to be aware of with this account include: paper statement copy fee stop payment fee card replacement fee cashiers check fee and outgoing international wire fee . There are no overdraft fees as the account cannot be overdrawn.
Settled $228 Million Lawsuit Claiming Involvement In Kickbacks And Inflating Insurance Costs Forced On Homeowners
On March 14, 2011, members of hacker group Anonymous began releasing emails said to be from a former Bank of America employee. According to the group, the emails documented alleged “corruption and fraud”. The source, identified publicly as Brian Penny, was a former LPI Specialist from Balboa Insurance, a firm which used to be owned by the bank, but was sold to Australian Reinsurance Company QBE.
On April 7, 2014, Bank of America and QBE settled a class-action lawsuit stemming from the leak for $228 million.
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Interest Rates From Banks Vs Credit Unions
Banks are for-profit businesses, while credit unions operate as nonprofits. A credit union is owned by its members, all of whom have something in common. For example, there are credit unions specifically for teachers or only for retired military members.
While this can sometimes mean more competitive interest rates, both on savings products and loans, that isnt always the case. Large credit unions can operate like big banks, using high loan rates to help pay for growing overhead costs. Smaller credit unions can use money earned from interest to give back to the community rather than sharing it with members making them altruistic, but not financially competitive.Find out how much you can earn with our savings calculator
Bofa Loan Revenue Rises With Interest Rates Higher Costs Climb
Katherine Doherty, Bloomberg News
A Bank of America branch in New York, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Bank of America is scheduled to release earnings figures on January 19. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg , Bloomberg
— Bank of America Corp. posted an increase in net interest income with the lender reaping the benefits of Federal Reserve rate hikes as the company reported higher expenses.
Net interest income, a key source of revenue for the bank, rose 22% to $12.4 billion in the second quarter on higher rates and loan growth. Analysts had expected a 20% increase for NII, the revenue collected from loan payments minus what depositors are paid.
Solid client activity across our businesses, coupled with higher interest rates, drove strong net interest income growth and allowed us to perform well in a weakened capital-markets environment, Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said in a statement Monday.
The companys non-interest expenses rose 1.5% from a year earlier to $15.3 billion. Costs have been a focal point for investors after executives said three months ago that they expect them to drop in future quarters. The $200 million increase was related to higher expenses recognized for certain regulatory matters, according to the statement. Thats the same amount banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley have disclosed as the fine theyre paying for failing to monitor employees using unauthorized messaging apps.
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How To Make The Most Of Your Savings At Bank Of America
Because its savings rate is 0.01% APY, its important to avoid Bank of Americas monthly fees, which can potentially cancel out any interest you may earn. The Minor Savings account does not have a monthly maintenance fee, but both the Advantage Savings and Custodial Savings accounts carry an $8 monthly maintenance fee. As long as you carry a $500 balance each month in either account, however, Bank of America will waive the fee.
Customers can also qualify for Preferred Rewards, which provides interest-rate boosters:
| Preferred Rewards Tier | |
|---|---|
| Platinum Honors | 0.20% |
The booster increases Bank of Americas standard rate by at least 5%, 10% or 20% as you enter each respective Preferred Rewards tier, which can help you make the most of your savings balance.
Alexandria Bova contributed to the reporting for this article.
This content is not provided by Bank of America. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Bank of America.
Rates are subject to change unless otherwise noted, rates are updated periodically. Savings and CD rates were updated on April 22, 2022 to reflect current rates. All other information on accounts is accurate as of June 10, 2022.
Americans Cut Expenses Amid Rising Inflation
Some of the decline in consumer spending is due to an “inflation tax,” according to BofA. The recent rise in inflation has been spurred by higher food and energy prices, causing Americans to cut back on these expenses or reduce their discretionary spending to afford higher prices on necessity items.
It also seems that Americans are changing their minds about buying new homes and cars as inflation continues to rise, according to a new survey from Quicken.
About 30% of Americans had planned to buy a car in 2022, but rising inflation has led about 60% of them to reconsider, according to the survey. Another 21% said they had planned to buy a home this year, but 69% of them said they are now reconsidering that choice.
If you are struggling with rising costs, you could consider taking out a personal loan to help you pay down debt and save on your monthly payments. Visit Credible to compare multiple personal loan lenders at once and choose the one with the best interest rate for you.
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Bank Of America Profit Beats As Consumer Unit Offsets Deals Drying Up
-Bank of America Corp beat analysts’ estimates for second-quarter profit on Monday, with healthy consumer spending and strong demand for loans limiting the hit from its investment banking business.
Executives at the second-largest U.S. bank painted an overall positive outlook for consumer spending going forward, saying that despite decades-high inflation, spending continues to grow, albeit at a slower pace.
“We observed from our data spending remains excellent, deposit balances remain high, capacity to borrow is still there, credit quality is still there,” Chief Financial Officer Alastair Borthwick said on a call.
The U.S. Federal Reserve has been hiking interest rates rapidly as it attempts to tame inflation, and though that continues to have economists calculating the risk of a recession, it meant healthy profits for banks in the second quarter.
Bank of America’s net interest income, a key measure of the difference between the interest earned on loans and the amount paid out on deposits, jumped 22%, or $2.2 billion, to $12.4 billion in the second quarter.
The bank expects it can grow NII by $900 million to $1 billion by the third quarter, Borthwick said.
With respect to its economic outlook, the bank released $48 million of reserves in the quarter, compared to rival banks JPMorgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo & Co, which boosted loss provisions in the quarter. BofA’s total loan loss provisions as of June 30 were $500 million.
SPENDING & THE FED
Preferred Rewards Bank Of America Advantage Savings
If you maintain a higher balance, you may be eligible for Preferred Rewards membership, which can earn a higher APY on the money in your Advantage Savings account.
To get approved for a higher APY account, you’ll need a Bank of America checking account and a a three-month combined daily average in any of your your Bank of America deposit accounts and/or a Merrill investment account.
Here’s how much APY you can earn and money you’ll need for each of the upper-tier accounts:
- Gold: 0.02% APY $20,000 to $50,0000
- Platinum: 0.03% APY $50,000 to $100,000
- Platinum Honors: 0.04% APY $100,000 to $1 million
As a Preferred Rewards client, you don’t have to pay the $8 monthly fee.
Enrolling in the Preferred Rewards higher tiers isn’t automatic. Once you reach $20,000 in assets, Erica, Bank of America’s AI-driven financial assistant, will nudge you to enroll in the Preferred Rewards program to get the benefits. Once you enroll, you’ll be automatically bumped into the higher tiers as your assets reach the additional thresholds, according to a Bank of America spokesperson.
If you’ve got a lot of assets stored at Bank of America and/or Merrill investment accounts, Advantage Savings might make sense for you — but you’ll still be earning relatively low APY compared to the national average and competitors offering over 1% APY.
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How Bank Of America Compares To Online Banks
Large national banks tend to have savings accounts with low interest rates, in part because the institutions spend a lot of money on physical bank branches. You can find higher rates at online banks. They tend to have savings accounts with high yields, often with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements.
» Dive deeper: Read NerdWallets Bank of America review
Depending On The Undependable
Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan acknowledged that higher interest rates helped drive Bank of America’s strong second-quarter net interest income growth while allowing the company to “perform well in a weakened capital markets environment.” Investors should consider, though, that the current high-interest regime might be unique and, to borrow an abandoned term from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, transitory.
Hearken back to late 2018, if you will, a simpler time when COVID-19 wasn’t a consideration and Powell dared to raise the federal funds rate — and, by extension, the 10-year Treasury yield — to its highest level in roughly five years. As you may recall, the stock market immediately had a taper tantrum and dove 20%. In response, the Fed quickly backed off and slashed interest rates, and all was calm in the financial markets once again.
History isn’t exactly repeating itself in mid-2022, though it certainly appears to be rhyming. This time around, the 10-year yield is up to 3% again and the stock market dropped 20% — but unlike in late 2018, there’s sky-high inflation to contend with in 2022. Of course, elevated inflation isn’t wonderful for big banks’ bottom lines as it doesn’t get customers in the mood to borrow money to make purchases. However, high inflation did prompt the Fed to hike interest rates, and this gave BoA a nice revenue boost in Q2.
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