Fifth Third Bank, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the 15th largest bank in the country by asset size. With over six million customer accounts and locations in 10 different states, this bank has earned itself a reputation as a large regional bank with decent account options and good accessibility for those living in midwestern or southeastern states. 

Fifth Third Bank was born of numerous mergers through the years, the most notable of these taking place between Third National Bank and Fifth National Bank in 1908 (which is how The Bank of the Ohio Valley, founded in 1858, eventually came to be known as Fifth Third Bank).

Fifth Third Bank’s CD (certificate of deposit) rates are unimpressive at the moment, so this bank probably won’t be a good choice for you if you’re after a high-yield CD.

With that said, there are many deposit accounts offered through this institution, and one or more of them might be up your alley. Here’s a closer look at what Fifth Third Bank has available for its customers, who is eligible to join this bank, and any other account details you might need to know if you’re interested in becoming a member.

Fifth Third Bank CD Rates + Account Details

Please note that Fifth Third Bank certificates of deposit cannot be opened online currently. We cover how to open a Fifth Third Bank CD in the following section.

Fifth Third Bank claims CD rates vary by location, but at this time it appears that all Fifth Third Bank certificates of deposits, even promotional accounts, are earning the same (exceptionally low) rates regardless of zip code.

The same rates (shown below) were obtained running a few scenarios. First, using 45202, the zip code for Cincinnati, Ohio. Second, using 6007, the zip code for Elk Grove Village, IL right outside Chicago. And the third, using 27531, the zip code for Wake County, NC right outside Raleigh.

All Fifth Third Bank certificates of deposits are federally insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per depositor or $500,000 on joint accounts.

CD Rates

For context, the national average for a 12 month CD and a 60 month CD sit at 1.07% and 1.09% APY, respectively, according to FDIC data.

If you can get past the low rates you’ll find that the terms are flexible and unique in that they go all the way down to 7 days and all the way up to 84 months. In a normal interest rate environment these rates would be tiered by balance amount – with higher yields paid on higher balances. Today, however, rates remain the same across all balance amounts.

Fifth Third Bank requires a $500.00 minimum deposit to open a CD with a term of 3 months or more and a $5,000.00 minimum deposit to open a 7-89 Day CD or to open any promotional CD.

Promotional CD Rates

Fifth Third Bank often runs these CD promotions with competitive rates to draw in new customers. That said, their current CD promotions are still slightly behind the standard CD rates offered by many online banks such as Discover or TIAA bank and others.

Compounding Interest

Interest is compounded continuously and credited monthly either back into your CD or to a Fifth Third checking or savings account. 

Grace Period and Early Withdrawal Penalties

The grace period for withdrawing or adding funds penalty-free at Fifth Third Bank is much shorter than usual on their short term CDs. That said, renewal upon maturity is not automatic unless you opt into this feature.

CDs with maturities shorter than 32 days have a grace period of just one day. For all other CDs it is ten days.

Early Withdrawal Penalties

• Early withdrawal from a CD of 7 to 364 will cost you 1% of the principal withdrawn,
• Early withdrawal from a CD of 365 days to 36 months will cost you 2% of the principal withdrawn,
• and from a CD of 36 months or greater will cost you 3% of the principal withdrawn

How to Open a Fifth Third Bank CD

Anyone residing in one of the ten states in which Fifth Third operates AND is at least 18 years old with a valid form of identification can apply to join Fifth Third Bank and open a CD. These states are:

• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Michigan
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Tennessee
• West Virginia

As mentioned, many of Fifth Third Bank’s deposit accounts such as CDs cannot be opened online. To open any of their CDs, you will need to visit a Fifth Third Bank branch — there are over 1,123 — and speak with a banker.

Savings and Money Market Accounts

Fifth Third Bank offers a wide range of deposit account options outside of CDs, including savings accounts, money market accounts and multiple types of checking accounts. These are all FDIC insured up to the maximum allowed limit of $250,000 per depositor or $500,000 for joint accounts.

Momentum Savings

The Fifth Third Momentum Savings is an interest-bearing account that is designed to help you set and reach savings goals. You can set up to 4 savings goals at a time and have them funded via automatic transfers. Fifth Third Bank mentions contacting them for current rates, however, we ran scenarios again in Ohio, Illinois and North Carolina and found the rate to sit at 0.01% APY.

This account comes with a $5 monthly service fee unless any one of the following conditions are met:

• You have a Fifth Third Checking Account that does not include Fifth Third Express Banking.
• You maintain an average monthly balance of $500 or more
• Someone under age 18 is an owner of the account
• You are enrolled in Fifth Third Military Banking

Relationship Money Market

A Fifth Third Relationship Money Market account also comes with a negligible interest rate of 0.01% APY just like the Momentum Savings account. You will, however, have the ability to write checks with this account. The interest rate is tiered by balance amount, although all tiers pay the same APY at the moment.

Relationship Money Market Rates

Their Relationship Money Market account also comes with the same $5 monthly service fee if the conditions noted above aren’t met. These are the same conditions as the Momentum Savings account.

To put the money market yields into perspective, the current national average is 0.39% APY, according to FDIC data, however some online banks are now paying over 4.00% APY with no minimum balance requirements or maintenance fees.

Other Fifth Third deposit products include 529 Savings and CD accounts, requiring a minimum opening deposit of $25 or $500, respectively. These accounts have tax advantages but can only be used for college spending. Their Minor Savings account is a simple savings account designed for those under the age of 18. Lastly, their Health Savings account is a straightforward pre-tax savings account that can be used for a variety of medical expenses.

If you open a Fifth Third Bank account with a debit card and ATM access, you’ll want to note that there are more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs (including Allpoint, Presto!, and 7-Eleven ATMs) across the country that are considered in-network to Fifth Third members.