Is First National a good bank?

First National is a good bank for customers who want the products and services it offers and who live in the bank's service area. The bank's product line includes consumer and commercial banking, insurance and wealth management.

Is First National Bank trustworthy?

First National Bank has been in business since 1864. It has more than 300 branches in its service area and total assets valued at over $48 billion. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Its lengthy history and reputation for customer service are why its customers consider it a trustworthy bank.

What credit cards does First National Bank issue?

First National Bank has five personal credit cards: FNB SmartCash, FNB SmartRewards, FNB SmartRate, FNB SmartSecured and Penguins Cash Back. The cards come with perks like an introductory APR, cash back and points on qualifying purchases.

Is First National Bank the same as Bank of America?

No, First National Bank and Bank of America are separate financial institutions. First National Bank is a regional bank headquartered in Pittsburgh. It operates in seven states . Bank of America is a national bank based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It operates across the country.

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First National Bank of Pennsylvania Review: Robust Checking Account Options and Low Minimums

Name: First National Bank of Pennsylvania Review: Robust Checking Account Options and Low Minimums
Item: First National Bank of Pennsylvania
Rating: 4.3

January 17, 2024

8 min Read

Written by Allison Hache

Edited by Susan Kim

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GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.

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GOBankingRates Score

First National Bank of Pennsylvania

4.3

SCORE

Quick Take: First National Bank offers a good range of low-minimum accounts to customers in its service area. Although there is limited fee-free ATM access, the bank's monthly maintenance fees are generally easy to avoid.

Checking Accounts

5.0
Savings Accounts

4.5
CD Accounts

4.0
Money Market Accounts

4.0
Banking Experience

4.0

How did we calculate this?

Pros

Good range of checking accounts
Easy ways to avoid most fees
Generally low account minimums

Cons

Low annual percentage yields for most accounts
Limited surcharge-free ATM network
Cumbersome website can make it difficult to find interest rates on deposit accounts

First National Bank Overview

First National Bank of Pennsylvania has a storied history, tracing its roots back to Greenville, Pennsylvania, in 1864. Since then, the Pittsburgh-based bank has grown to $44.8 billion in assets. With a service area now covering seven states and the District of Columbia, FNB offers a wide variety of products, from checking and savings accounts to loans, mortgages, investing, retirement, insurance and business solutions. It has 349 branch locations and more than 1,350 ATMs in its service area.

GOBankingRates has ranked First National Bank among the Best Northeast Regional Banks of 2024.

First National Bank Review

Here’s a look at the different types of accounts and services offered to help you decide whether First National Bank is the right bank for you.

Checking Accounts

First National Bank offers five types of checking accounts: Freestyle Checking, Lifestyle Checking, eStyle, eStyle Plus and Premierstyle Checking.

The checking accounts vary in terms of fees charged and services offered, allowing customers to choose the account that best matches their needs. Three of the accounts — Lifestyle, eStyle Plus and Premierstyle — pay interest if you maintain certain balances. Accounts with higher balances enjoy the highest rates.

Even though Freestyle Checking doesn’t pay interest, it has an attractive combination of features and a lack of fees. Customers get unlimited check writing and online bill pay without service fees — no minimum balances or transactions are required.

The bank waives the service charge on other accounts as long as customers meet certain criteria. For eStyle Plus, Lifestyle Checking and Premierstyle Checking, this means maintaining a minimum balance in the account. Customers with an eStyle account can avoid the service fee by setting up direct deposit and initiating five transactions each month.

With Lifestyle Checking, customers get a free first order of checks and a safe deposit box. All accounts come with access to mobile banking, online banking and digital payments.

Savings Accounts

First National Bank has a single savings account, called FirstRate Savings. This is a basic, no-frills savings account with low minimums and an easy-to-avoid fee. Simply maintain a $500 average daily balance, and the bank waives the $5 monthly service fee.

The account comes with a free Visa debit card with free Google Pay, Samsung Pay and Apple Pay. This account pays APY for balances up to $999.99 and on balances of $1,000 or more.

CD Accounts

FNB offers CDs in terms of three to 60 months with a fixed rate of interest that’s compounded quarterly. A $500 minimum deposit is required to earn interest. All standard CDs feature a APY except for the 60-month CD, which has a slightly higher rate. The bank offers flexible interest payment options. Additionally, First National Bank offers promotional CDs, which feature higher rates than those offered by its standard CDs.

Money Market Accounts

First National Bank only has one money market option, and it requires a larger balance to avoid fees. If you open a FirstRate Money Market account at an FNB branch, there’s no minimum opening deposit required. However, accounts opened online require a $50 minimum deposit. The account has a $10 monthly service charge, which will be waived if you maintain a $5,000 average daily balance. Depending on the balance tier, standard rates range from to APY.

Banking Experience

First National Bank is a full-service bank that offers customers more than an impressive number of checking and savings accounts. Its product lineup also includes a range of products designed to meet the diverse financial needs of its customers, such as certificates of deposit, a money market account, IRA savings and health savings accounts. The bank also provides a variety of loans, including mortgages and home equity loans as well as personal and vehicle loans. Customers can take advantage of investing and private banking services and insurance options to protect loved ones and property.

However, for a bank of its size, First National Bank has limited customer service options. Customers can visit a branch, call during business hours or send an email.

Its mobile app, FNB Direct, lets customers review transactions, deposit checks, transfer funds, manage debit cards and locate branches and ATMs. The app has a rating of 4.4 on Google Play and 4.8 on the App Store.

Comparable Banking Options

Here’s a look at how First National Bank stacks up against other banks in the area.

PNC

PNC has a larger service area than First National Bank and more surcharge-free ATMs, but First National makes up for the lack of branches with an impressive menu of services. First National customers can choose from five checking accounts, compared to three available at PNC — and all of them come with service charges that cannot be waived easily. First National also offers standard certificates of deposit with a lower minimum opening balance than PNC.

Citizens Bank

Rhode Island-based Citizens Bank has 243 branches in Pennsylvania, mostly concentrated in the eastern half of the state, which is less than FNB’s 349 Pennsylvania locations. Like First National Bank, Citizens offers five checking accounts, but only one has no monthly service fee, and one account has no option for waiving the fee. Citizens has three savings accounts, which is more than FNB’s one option.

Final Take

First National Bank is a decent option for customers in the bank’s service area. All of the basic banking account types are available, and checking accounts offer a good range of options. Although most account maintenance fees can be waived, APYs for interest-bearing accounts can be quite low.

The bank is best for customers who live in the bank’s service area and want an excellent fee-free checking account. However, if you’re looking for a low-fee, high-APY institution, there are better options available.

First National Bank FAQ

Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about First National Bank.

Is First National a good bank?
- First National is a good bank for customers who want the products and services it offers and who live in the bank's service area. The bank's product line includes consumer and commercial banking, insurance and wealth management.
Is First National Bank trustworthy?
- First National Bank has been in business since 1864. It has more than 300 branches in its service area and total assets valued at over $48 billion. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Its lengthy history and reputation for customer service are why its customers consider it a trustworthy bank.
What credit cards does First National Bank issue?
- First National Bank has five personal credit cards: FNB SmartCash, FNB SmartRewards, FNB SmartRate, FNB SmartSecured and Penguins Cash Back. The cards come with perks like an introductory APR, cash back and points on qualifying purchases.
Is First National Bank the same as Bank of America?
- No, First National Bank and Bank of America are separate financial institutions. First National Bank is a regional bank headquartered in Pittsburgh. It operates in seven states. Bank of America is a national bank based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It operates across the country.

Cynthia Measom, John Csiszar and Vance Cariaga contributed to the reporting for this article.

Rates are subject to change; unless otherwise noted, rates are updated periodically. All other information on accounts is accurate as of Dec. 19, 2023.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.

To discover the Best Regional Banks, GOBankingRates looked at the top regional institutions (excluding online banks and neobanks) located in under 25 states. To determine rankings, GOBankingRates looked at the following factors: (1) total assets as sourced from the FDIC; (2) checking product minimum deposit; (3) monthly checking fee ratio (percentage based on the minimum to avoid the fee compared to the monthly fee itself); (4) savings product minimum deposit; (5) savings product APY; (6) Bauer rating (out of 5 stars); (7) products/services offered (auto loans, mortgage loans, credit cards, investment services and insurance); and (8) the average mobile app rating between the Google Play (Android) and Apple app stores. All factors were then scored and combined, with the lowest score being the best. Factors (1), (2) and (4) were weighted 0.5 times; factor (5) was weighted 2.5 times; and factor (7) was weighted 1.5 times.

For regional breakdowns, the same methodology as above was used. The regions were broken down into the following: West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY); Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX); Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI); Southeast (AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, LA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV); and Northeast (CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT). To be considered for a region, a bank had to have a branch in one of the states listed and be headquartered in that state/region.