At a glance

4.0

Bankrate Score

CDs

Savings

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

Overview

Small-business owners looking for financing or consumers looking for high-yield deposit products may want to consider opening an account at Live Oak Bank. Without monthly fees or minimum opening or minimum balance requirements, Live Oak’s deposit offerings are highly accessible to savers. Accounts can be opened online by consumers nationwide, but for being an online-only bank, Live Oak’s mobile app receives rather low scores.

Highlights

High APY
Top CD Rates
No Min Balance

Overall

For savers interested in basic online accounts without maintenance fees and with high yields, Live Oak Bank offers a savings account and CDs that pay competitive rates. Those seeking money market or checking accounts, as well as a debit card, will need to look elsewhere.

Pros

Live Oak Bank offers CDs and a savings account with competitive rates.
The savings account has no minimum balance requirement.
Smartphone users can manage external accounts from other banks through the Live Oak mobile app.

Cons

Personal banking offerings are limited to a savings account and CDs.
Live Oak has no branches, and its app receives low scores.
Customers do not have access to a debit card.

We want to know what you think about Live Oak Bank

Do you have experience with Live Oak Bank? Let us know your thoughts.

Live Oak Bank banking products

4.9

/5

See methodology Compare savings rates

SCORE BREAKDOWN

APY offering:

4.40%

5/5

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest.

Minimum balance to earn interest:

$0.00

5/5

The lowest deposit amount an account must have before it can earn interest.

Monthly service fee:

$0.00

5/5

A monthly charge a financial institution deducts from an account if certain requirements are not met.

Minimum balance to avoid fee:

$0.00

5/5

The lowest balance an account must maintain in order to avoid a fee.

Access to funds:

Good

4/5

A procedure that allows an individual or organization to access and manage the funds of another account holder.

Live Oak Bank savings overview

Live Oak’s online savings account consistently offers a top-tier APY. The account doesn’t require a minimum opening deposit, nor does it charge a monthly account fee.

To boot, Live Oak doesn’t limit the amount of withdrawals you can make from your savings account per month. The Federal Reserve has indefinitely paused its six-per-month withdrawal limit, but some banks are still choosing to enforce it, often charging fees for going above that limit.

Pros

The account offers a competitive APY.
There is no minimum balance requirement.
The account does not charge a monthly maintenance fee.
Live Oak’s Savings Account doesn’t require a minimum opening deposit.
There’s no withdrawal limit.

Cons

A few banks still offer higher APYs.

Rate history for Live Oak Bank's Savings account

See how rates for this account have changed over time. Interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

Live Oak Bank

APY

APY last updated between 7/3 and 7/9.

National average APY

How do we get this data?

Bankrate independently tracks hundreds of APYs and product details for banking institutions nationwide. We retain the historical data of every rate we track in our database. If there are any gaps where we weren’t actively tracking a rate at the time, the graph will reflect the missing data.

See how rates for this account have changed over time. Interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

Live Oak Bank

APY

APY last updated between 7/3 and 7/9.

National average APY

How do we get this data?

Bankrate independently tracks hundreds of APYs and product details for banking institutions nationwide. We retain the historical data of every rate we track in our database. If there are any gaps where we weren’t actively tracking a rate at the time, the graph will reflect the missing data.

Compare Offer

Live Oak Bank CD overview

Live Oak Bank offers traditional CDs across nine terms, ranging from six months to five years.

The $2,500 minimum deposit is higher than it is at some online banks, but the bank pays a competitive rate. The shorter term CDs — particularly the six-, nine- and 12-month terms — offer especially high rates.

A special perk of opening a CD at Live Oak Bank is that interest can be automatically disbursed monthly, so you can cash in your interest without needing to manually move money around.

Pros

Competitive CD rates are available to consumers nationwide.
CDs can be opened online.
There’s a large range of terms to choose from.
Interest can be automatically disbursed monthly.

Cons

A minimum opening deposit of $2,500 is required.
No specialized CDs are offered, such as no-penalty CDs, bump-up CDs or IRA CDs.

Rate history for Live Oak Bank's CD accounts

See how rates for this account have changed over time. Select the CD term length from the dropdown and interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

Live Oak Bank

APY

APY last updated between 7/3 and 7/9.

National average APY

Term length

How do we get this data?

Bankrate independently tracks hundreds of APYs and product details for banking institutions nationwide. We retain the historical data of every rate we track in our database. If there are any gaps where we weren’t actively tracking a rate at the time, the graph will reflect the missing data.

See how rates for this account have changed over time. Select the CD term length from the dropdown and interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

Live Oak Bank

APY

APY last updated between 7/3 and 7/9.

National average APY

Term length

How do we get this data?

Bankrate independently tracks hundreds of APYs and product details for banking institutions nationwide. We retain the historical data of every rate we track in our database. If there are any gaps where we weren’t actively tracking a rate at the time, the graph will reflect the missing data.

Compare more: Bankrate's best savings account offers

Bank fees

Fee	Charged?
Overdraft fee	None
Non-sufficient funds fee	None
Monthly maintenance fee	None
Out-of-network ATM fee	None
Excessive transaction fee	None
Returned item fee	$10

Find out: Tips to avoid common bank fees

Customer experience

Customer support. Live Oak Bank’s banking customers can reach the financial institution by phone 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time, weekdays.

Mobile app. Live Oak’s mobile app reviews are mediocre. It receives middling ratings on Apple’s App Store, but slightly higher scores on the Google Play Store. It’s important to note that less than 100 users have rated the app on each platform. The app includes useful functionality for CD customers, including the ability to manage CD maturity options and interest disbursements.

Robust help center. Live Oak’s website maintains an extensive help center with a search function that should point you in the right direction. Moreover, Live Oak maintains a resource center with articles on various financial topics, though the usefulness of each article varies since they tend to be relatively short.

Features

Screen view

Desktop Mobile

The above images were last updated on March 14, 2024.

Featured customer reviews

The consumer reviews posted on Bankrate.com ("Bankrate") are individual, subjective opinions of reviewers, and not of Bankrate. Bankrate does not endorse any of the opinions expressed by reviewers or any responses to reviews. Bankrate cannot guarantee or verify the accuracy of the opinions shared by individual reviewers. Some reviews may be edited for length and clarity.

u/NorthAltResearch

Sep 7, 2023

Live Oak Bank

I've used Live Oak for about four months now, and I would say they're a solid bank, FDIC insured, and one of the few banks that offer high-yield savings accounts for small businesses. I tend to use the interest income to cover some of my operational costs. I don't know anything about their app, but the customer service is solid.

via Reddit

blatheringasphalt

Apr 1, 2023

Live Oak Bank

Have been with Live Oak for almost two years, no complaints. Easy and simple. Only caveat is that all deposits have a seven-day hold, so keep that in mind.

via Reddit

Our editor's take

Along with personal deposit products such as CDs and savings, Live Oak Bank offers a host of services for small businesses, including SBA loans and a high-yield savings account for small businesses.

Live Oak customers can initiate ACH transfers from your external bank account through the Live Oak Bank online portal. It may take some time for your funds to show up, since Live Oak takes one to two business days for the funds transfer to process, and up to another five days for Live Oak to go through security and verification.

About Live Oak Bank

Headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, Live Oak Bank was founded in 2008. As an online-only bank, Live Oak doesn’t have any branches. As such, customers conduct all banking online and through Live Oak’s mobile app.

Since the bank doesn’t have overhead expenses from physical offices, Live Oak is able to offer high yields without monthly fees for its deposit products — deals which are typically hard to beat. All deposits are FDIC-insured, whether you’re a business or a consumer.

How Live Oak Bank compares to other banks

Compare different account types offered by Live Oak Bank. Annual percentage yields (APYs) shown were updated between July 3, 2024 and July 9, 2024.

Selected bank Live Oak Bank savings account Member FDIC Bankrate score Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5 4.9 Bankrate Savings rating = 4.9/5 Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Annual percentage yields (APYs), minimum opening deposit requirements and minimum balances to avoid monthly service fees are some of the things that make up Bankrate’s score.	Most comparable Ally Bank savings account Member FDIC Bankrate score Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5 4.4 Bankrate Savings rating = 4.4/5 Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Annual percentage yields (APYs), minimum opening deposit requirements and minimum balances to avoid monthly service fees are some of the things that make up Bankrate’s score. Read review	Search for or select a bank: Bankrate score Bankrate Savings rating Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Annual percentage yields (APYs), minimum opening deposit requirements and minimum balances to avoid monthly service fees are some of the things that make up Bankrate’s score. Read review
APY APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest. APYs last updated between July 3, 2024 and July 9, 2024.
4.40%	4.20%
Minimum balance for APY
$0.00	$0.00
Estimated earnings Interest earned calculation based on a $25,000 deposit amount for a period of 1 year and is rounded to the nearest dollar. Exact earnings are dependent on calendar year, balance, and compounding frequency. Minimum deposit rules may apply.
$1,100	$1,050

Live Oak Bank’s online savings account consistently offers one of the highest APYs available. The account doesn't require a minimum opening deposit, nor does it charge a monthly account fee.	Ally Bank consistently offers a competitive yield on its Online Savings Account. The online bank doesn’t have the absolute highest yield, but it offers a competitive one and doesn’t have a minimum balance requirement or a monthly service fee. The bank offers mobile deposit, but you’ll need to transfer money to the Ally checking account or money market account if you want to access money in your savings from an ATM.

Live Oak Bank offers a competitive yield on its savings account. There’s no minimum balance requirement. The account does not charge a monthly maintenance fee.	Ally Bank offers a competitive yield on its Online Savings Account. Ally Bank has savings tools, such as Surprise Savings where Ally Bank looks at your linked checking account for savings opportunities.	N/A
You can earn a higher APY at some other online banks. After six transactions have been made in a statement cycle, the bank charges $10 for each additional transaction.	Ally Bank doesn’t offer ATM access directly from its savings account. Some other online banks offer a higher yield than Ally Bank.	N/A

APY offering: 4.40% 5/5 APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest. Minimum balance to earn interest: $0.00 5/5 The lowest deposit amount an account must have before it can earn interest. Monthly service fee: $0.00 5/5 A monthly charge a financial institution deducts from an account if certain requirements are not met. Minimum balance to avoid fee: $0.00 5/5 The lowest balance an account must maintain in order to avoid a fee. Access to funds: Good 4/5 A procedure that allows an individual or organization to access and manage the funds of another account holder.	APY offering: 4.20% 4/5 APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest. Minimum balance to earn interest: $0.00 5/5 The lowest deposit amount an account must have before it can earn interest. Monthly service fee: $0.00 5/5 A monthly charge a financial institution deducts from an account if certain requirements are not met. Minimum balance to avoid fee: $0.00 5/5 The lowest balance an account must maintain in order to avoid a fee. Access to funds: Good 4/5 A procedure that allows an individual or organization to access and manage the funds of another account holder.	APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest. The lowest deposit amount an account must have before it can earn interest. A monthly charge a financial institution deducts from an account if certain requirements are not met. The lowest balance an account must maintain in order to avoid a fee. A procedure that allows an individual or organization to access and manage the funds of another account holder. Bankrate does not currently track additional product details for this bank.

Selected bank Live Oak Bank CD Member FDIC Bankrate score Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5 4.4 Bankrate CD rating = 4.4/5 Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Annual percentage yields (APYs) and minimum deposits are some of the things that make up Bankrate’s score.	Most comparable LendingClub Bank CD Member FDIC Bankrate score Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5 4.3 Bankrate CD rating = 4.3/5 Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Annual percentage yields (APYs) and minimum deposits are some of the things that make up Bankrate’s score. Read review	Search for or select a bank: Bankrate score Bankrate CD rating Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Annual percentage yields (APYs) and minimum deposits are some of the things that make up Bankrate’s score. Read review
APY APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest. APYs last updated between July 3, 2024 and July 9, 2024.
5.00%	5.20%
Minimum deposit
$2,500.00	$2,500.00
Term
1 yr	10 mos

Live Oak Bank offers a wide array of CDs, ranging from three months to five years. Most of the terms offer competitive yields, though longer CD yields are solid, compared with the national average. Customers need $2,500 to open an account.	LendingClub offers competitive yields on its CDs and there are five terms to choose from. A minimum deposit of $2,500 is required, however.

Live Oak CDs come with competitive yields. There are a large range of terms to choose from. Interest can be automatically disbursed monthly without penalty.	LendingClub’s CDs earn high APYs. A wide range of terms are available, between six months and five years.	N/A
A $2,500 minimum deposit is required to open an account, which is high. Special CDs, such as no-penalty and bump-up CDs, are not offered.	Various other banks require lower minimum deposits on CDs. LendingClub doesn’t offer a no-penalty CD.	N/A

APY offering: 5.00% - 1 yr 5/5 APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest. APYs are selected based on Bankrate reviews of the highest rates a bank offers between the term ranges of 7 and 17 months. This excludes jumbo CDs and applies when the minimum deposit is $25k or less. Minimum deposit: $2,500.00 3/5 The minimum deposit amount a financial institution requires in order to open a CD. Range of term lengths: 3 mos - 5 yrs 5/5 A designated amount of time that funds must be held within a CD. Early withdrawal penalty: Good 4/5 A penalty incurred when funds have been withdrawn from a CD before its maturity date. Offer no-penalty or bump-up CDs: No 0/5 A CD that doesn’t incur a penalty if funds are withdrawn before its maturity date. Offer IRA CDs: No 0/5 An IRA account which consists of CDs that typically earns fixed interest over a specified period of time.	APY offering: 5.20% - 10 mos 5/5 APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest. APYs are selected based on Bankrate reviews of the highest rates a bank offers between the term ranges of 7 and 17 months. This excludes jumbo CDs and applies when the minimum deposit is $25k or less. Minimum deposit: $2,500.00 3/5 The minimum deposit amount a financial institution requires in order to open a CD. Range of term lengths: 6 mos - 5 yrs 4/5 A designated amount of time that funds must be held within a CD. Early withdrawal penalty: Poor 1/5 A penalty incurred when funds have been withdrawn from a CD before its maturity date. Offer no-penalty or bump-up CDs: No 0/5 A CD that doesn’t incur a penalty if funds are withdrawn before its maturity date. Offer IRA CDs: No 0/5 An IRA account which consists of CDs that typically earns fixed interest over a specified period of time.	APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest. APYs are selected based on Bankrate reviews of the highest rates a bank offers between the term ranges of 7 and 17 months. This excludes jumbo CDs and applies when the minimum deposit is $25k or less. The minimum deposit amount a financial institution requires in order to open a CD. A designated amount of time that funds must be held within a CD. A penalty incurred when funds have been withdrawn from a CD before its maturity date. A CD that doesn’t incur a penalty if funds are withdrawn before its maturity date. An IRA account which consists of CDs that typically earns fixed interest over a specified period of time. Bankrate does not currently track additional product details for this bank.

Live Oak vs. Ally Bank

Live Oak Bank and Ally Bank are both online-only institutions, meaning they have no physical branches you can visit.

While both banks offer competitive yields for their deposit products, Ally Bank’s offerings usually have the edge here. Moreover, Ally Bank offers a larger array of deposit options — including several types of CDs, money market and checking accounts — whereas Live Oak Bank offers just one savings account and standard CDs for consumers.

Lastly, Ally Bank just has more financial products and services, including credit cards and investing and retirement accounts. As such, if you want to bring your banking under one roof, Ally Bank is the more attractive option.

Learn more: Best online banks

Live Oak FAQs

Live Oak is best for consumers looking to grow their savings, as the bank’s CD and savings account offer high yields without pesky fees. However, you’ll need to be comfortable with doing all of your banking online and through the bank’s mobile app, as Live Oak is an online-only bank without physical branches.
Yes. All funds deposited at Live Oak Bank are FDIC-insured up to the maximum, which is currently $250,000.
Yes. Live Oak is an online-only bank registered with the FDIC. The bank was opened in 2008 and provides deposit accounts to consumers and businesses, in addition to loans for small businesses.

Review methodology

With so many financial institutions to choose from, it can be hard to know who to trust. Bankrate’s ever-growing list of bank and credit union reviews is updated regularly. Our editorial team analyzes and reviews each institution across deposit products such as savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market accounts (MMAs). Banks are rated by important factors such as offered interest rates, fees, minimum balance requirements, access to funds and more.

We assign a score to each type of account and its features, weigh them carefully based on importance to account holders and determine an overall score. Read our full review methodology.

Date Bankrate gathers rate data either directly from our partners, or through our proprietary rate surveying service. The rate change date is based on when Bankrate received or captured the rate change and may differ from the actual date the rate changed.	Live Oak Bank APY APY last updated between 7/3 and 7/9. APY last updated between 7/3 and 7/9	National average APY The “national average” is determined by Bankrate’s comprehensive national survey of savings accounts and CDs and reflects the monthly average APY for each product.
07/02/2024	4.40%	0.57%
05/07/2024	4.40%	0.59%
04/02/2024	4.40%	0.58%
03/05/2024	4.40%	0.57%
01/02/2024	4.40%	0.58%
12/05/2023	4.40%	0.57%
11/07/2023	4.40%	0.60%
10/31/2023	4.40%	0.58%
10/03/2023	4.15%	0.58%
09/05/2023	4.15%	0.57%
08/17/2023	4.15%	0.54%
08/01/2023	4.00%	0.54%
07/10/2023	4.00%	0.53%

Date Bankrate gathers rate data either directly from our partners, or through our proprietary rate surveying service. The rate change date is based on when Bankrate received or captured the rate change and may differ from the actual date the rate changed.	Live Oak Bank APY APY last updated between 7/3 and 7/9. APY last updated between 7/3 and 7/9	National average APY The “national average” is determined by Bankrate’s comprehensive national survey of savings accounts and CDs and reflects the monthly average APY for each product.
07/02/2024	2.00%	1.41%
06/04/2024	2.00%	1.43%
04/02/2024	2.00%	1.42%
03/12/2024	2.00%	1.43%
02/06/2024	2.00%	1.42%
12/05/2023	2.00%	1.43%
11/07/2023	2.00%	1.45%
10/03/2023	2.00%	1.46%
09/05/2023	2.00%	1.43%
08/01/2023	2.00%	1.38%
07/10/2023	2.00%	1.35%

Live Oak Bank Review 2024

The Bankrate promise

At a glance

Overview

Highlights

Overall

Pros

Cons

We want to know what you think about Live Oak Bank

Live Oak Bank banking products

Live Oak Bank savings overview

Pros

Cons

Rate history for Live Oak Bank's Savings account

Live Oak Bank CD overview

Pros

Cons

Rate history for Live Oak Bank's CD accounts

Bank fees

Customer experience

Featured customer reviews

Our editor's take

About Live Oak Bank

How Live Oak Bank compares to other banks

Live Oak vs. Ally Bank

Live Oak FAQs

Who is Live Oak best for?

Is Live Oak safe?

Is Live Oak Bank legitimate?

Review methodology

Up next