Sunflower Bank Review

Sunflower Bank Essential Savings

0.10% APY

Sunflower Bank as it's known to residents of Colorado, Kansas and Missouri first opened its doors in 1892. However, it also offers services through First National 1870 and Guardian Mortgage. 

But regardless of which bank you step into, you can find a wealth of personalized products. Sunflower Bank provides everything from checking, savings and certificate of deposit (CD) accounts to solutions designed to help one plan for retirement, build wealth or own a home. 

Read on for an in-depth analysis of Sunflower Bank’s personal banking products, current rates, special features and more.

Products Offered

Sunflower Bank Interest Rate Comparison

Essential Savings

For those seeking a simple savings account that’s easy and inexpensive to manage, Sunflower Bank offers the Essential Savings option. As long as you maintain a minimum balance of $100, the bank would charge you no maintenance fee. 

Sunflower Bank also waives the fee for all savings account holders who are younger than 18 or older than 62. 

In addition, all clients get six free withdrawals per quarterly statement cycle. Federal law limits most types of savings and money market account withdrawals to six per month. 

Essential Savings accrues interest daily and the bank pays it off on the last day of each quarter. However, the Essential Savings account currently generates an APY that falls below the national average interest rate for savings accounts. 

If you’re looking to park a large amount of money to earn a decent return, you may find more suitable options by examining our study of the best savings accounts in the industry today. Still, the Essential Savings account serves as a viable option for those looking to open their first savings account or those looking for a simple savings option through a community bank. 

Sign & Save Savings

The Sign & Save account functions as a complementary piece to any of Sunflower Bank’s checking accounts. It can help you put your savings on auto pilot. 

Here’s how it works: Each time you make a purchase using a debit card linked to any Sunflower Bank checking account, the bank will round up the transaction price to the nearest dollar. The difference will then be deposited into your Sign & Save account. And if you sign for your purchases, Sunflower Bank will match 5% of the sum of your round-ups at the end of the year.

While it may not seem like much, a few effortless deposits and a minor bank match can benefit someone who is just starting to develop a good savings habit. You can also keep more money in your account by maintaining a minimum balance of $100. This steers you clear of the $6 quarterly maintenance fee. 

Certificates of Deposit (CDs)

At Sunflower Bank, you can open a certificate of deposit (CD) account for terms spanning from 30 days to 5 years. If you’re looking to earn a reasonable return on any deposit at Sunflower Bank, your best option may be a CD. It currently offers some of the best CD rates we’ve seen at similarly-sized community banks we’ve examined. 

But as with any financial institution, Sunflower offers the best rates for its longer term options. However, the bank also offers promotional CDs on a periodic basis. So if you step into a branch at the right time, you may be able to land a high-yield CD for a short or long term. 

Regardless of where you open your CD and for whichever term, make sure you choose one you can comfortably commit to. Early withdrawal penalties can take a serious chunk out of your earnings. 

Supreme Money Market

While not the best money market account being offered today, The Supreme option from Sunflower Bank offers a few useful perks. For starters, you get to make six free withdrawals per month. In addition, the bank will waive the $8 monthly maintenance fee if you keep a daily balance of at least $1,000. With that said, this option may be suitable for more experienced savers. 

Individual Retirement Accounts 

Sunflower Bank allows you to save for your golden years by investing in an individual retirement account (IRA). By investing in these savings vehicles, your money grows shielded from taxation until you make qualified withdrawals when you’re at least 59.5 years old. Your contributions may also be tax deductible to a certain extent. 

To figure out how IRAs can best work to your advantage, you should contact a qualified tax and financial advisor. To help you narrow down your choices, we developed our SmartAdvisor matching tool. It asks you some simple questions to link you with local advisors who can help you meet your unique financial goals. You can then review their credentials and even set up interviews before deciding whether you want to work with one. 

Convenience Checking Account

Even though it sits in the Sunflower Bank’s checking account suite as the basic option, the Convenience Checking account provides some useful benefits you may not find at other local banks. For instance, you don’t need to meet any minimum balance requirements or face a monthly service charge. You’d also get unlimited transactions and check writing. 

In addition, Sunflower Bank extends the following additions to all its checking account holders:

• Online banking plus bill pay
• Mobile banking with mobile deposit feature
• Visa debit card and unlimited transaction capabilities
• eStatements with check images
• 24/7 telephone Banking
• Identity theft protection features

SPEND & SIGN & SAVE

When you use the debit card linked to this account, the value of each transaction gets rounded up to the nearest dollar. Sunflower Bank then takes the difference and deposits it into your savings account. At year’s end, the bank will also match 5% of total change generated from transactions you signed for. So you’d have to open a Sunflower Bank savings account as well to make the most out of this option. 

In addition, you’d get the following free benefits: 

• Rebates on up to 8 ATM fees per month (Maximum refund of $16)
• First order of standard bank checks 
• Access to discounts on everyday items through the My PERK$ mobile app.
• Unlimited check writing and debit card transactions 

You also won’t need to meet any minimum balance requirement. Plus, the bank will reduce the $6 monthly service fee by $1 if you op-in for receiving e-statements. Furthermore, you can slash the fee by 25 cents for each debit card transaction that posts during the statement cycle excluding ATM transactions.  

Premier Checking Account

The Premier Checking account is best suited for customers who have strong relationships with Sunflower Bank. You can waive its $20 monthly service fee by maintaining a minimum balance of $25,000 across Sunflower Bank checking, savings and CD accounts as well as IRAs and personal loan balances excluding mortgages. 

Elite Checking Account

Designed for customers 50 and older, this checking account offers some peace of mind. For example, you won’t need to ponder any monthly service fee. In addition, you don’t need to stick to any minimum balance commitments. You also get complimentary wallet checks. And although its APY isn’t the best, this checking account earns interest on your entire balance.

Branch Locations

Sunflower Bank manages more than 50 branches throughout Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas. You can contact a bank representative by dialing 888-827-5564.

Financial Statistics & Bank Health Rating

Sunflower Bank has $3.68 billion in assets and $2.67 billion in loans, according to the FDIC. The bank also holds about $2.99 billion in deposits. But to measure a bank’s trustworthiness, you can examine its Texas Ratio. This industry-recognized metric is calculated by dividing the amount of non-performing assets (unbacked current loans and real estate owned) by the sum of the bank’s tangible equity capital and its loan loss allowances. 

Sunflower Bank has a Texas Ratio of 5.98%, which places it in the “very good” category as far as reliability goes. Banks with Texas Ratios edging closer to 100% are deemed more risky.