About East West Bank
East West Bank was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1973 primarily to serve the Chinese American community in Southern California. The bank currently operates more than 100 locations in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Washington. It participates in the Allpoint and MoneyPass networks, which means its customers have access to more than 60,000 ATMs nationwide. Over the years, East West Bank has grown to be one of the biggest banks in the country in terms of assets.
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East West Bank Overview
East West Bank is a large California-based bank that offers a wide range of banking products, such as checking, money market, savings, and CDs. It operates more than 100 branches in seven states. Its primary benefit is to serve the Chinese American communities in those states and provide them with a connection to China, as it has branches in major Chinese cities. It offers a few CDs with competitive yields, but aside from that, most of the APYs it offers on its other products are at or below the national average.
| ATM access available through the Allpoint and MoneyPass networks, which operate more than 60,000 ATMs nationwide. | APYs for most accounts are at or below the national averages. |
| Offers A few CDs with competitive APYs. | Withdrawal limits on money market accounts. |
| Many different checking options to cater to the needs of everyone. | |
| More than 100 branches in seven states. |
East West Bank Product Offerings
Savings Accounts
East West Bank offers three different savings accounts with minimal opening deposits required. All three have either no monthly service charges or charges that can be waived by meeting certain minimum account balance requirements. Here are the latest savings account details for September 2025:
Checking Accounts
East West Bank offers several different personal and business checking accounts. Most of the checking accounts offer APYs below the national average of 0.01% for checking accounts. All accounts have either no or a low monthly service charge that can be easily waived with a relatively low average daily balance, and about half of them have a minimum opening balance requirement. Here are some of the latest account details for September 2025:
CDs
A certificate of deposit (CD) is a form of savings account that pays a fixed interest rate on the money in the account for a certain period, known as a term. East West Bank offers several CDs with varying terms and competitive APYs. All of the CDs have a required minimum opening deposit of $1,000, except for the special CDs, which require a $50,000 minimum opening deposit but offer higher yields. Here are some of their best CD offerings for September 2025:
Money Market Accounts
A money market account is an interest-bearing hybrid between a savings account and a checking account. East West Bank offers one business and one personal money market account. The account features free checks and a debit card. Here are some of the account details for September 2025:
Bank Fees
Overdraft fee: $30; maximum of one fee per day
Savings and Money Market Account withdrawals: $3 per excess withdrawal
Account closure fee: $20 if account is closed within 120 days of account opening
Wire transfer fee: Domestic - Incoming is $10 and outgoing is $30; International - Incoming is $10 and outgoing is $40 if in US dollars and $25 if in a foreign currency
Non-network ATM fee: $1
Monthly service charge: $5-$12 depending on the type of account
Stop payment fee: $30
Paper statement fee: None
East West Bank Features
East West Bank operates more than 100 branches in seven states. The bank's customer service operates Monday-Friday from 6am to 7pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm PST. The bank also has a mobile app that allows customers to manage their accounts and perform basic account functions.
East West Bank FAQs
Our Take
East West Bank is a smaller bank and may be a convenient bank to do business with if you live in California or one of the other states it operates in and if you do business with a Chinese-based company, as they also have ties to China. All of the accounts it offers have APYs at or below the national average, so it may not be a good options if you are looking to make your money work harder as is the case with online banks that offer much higher yields.
Methodology
Our editorial staff continually updates the information contained on our website. Our editorial staff has analyzed virtually all of the banks and credit unions that it follows, and it does weekly rate analysis for more than 250 prominent banks and credit unions. These institutions were chosen because they provide competitive APYs, low fees, and other factors we find important. These banks and credit unions often provide accounts that are available nationally. All of these banks are FDIC-insured, and all of these credit unions are NCUA-insured. Choosing an FDIC-insured bank or an NCUA-backed credit union assures that your money is protected as long as it stays within insurance limits and requirements.