Live Oak Bank Review 2024

Live Oak Bank is a digitally focused bank that focuses on serving small businesses and their owners across the country.

Their goal is to help businesses buy, build, expand, and operate their businesses by offering exceptional lending and banking services.

If you’re looking for a bank to support your goals as a business owner, Live Oak Bank is a great place to consider.

Keep reading to learn more about Live Oak Bank, its products and services, pros and cons, and more.

What is Live Oak Bank?

Live Oak Bank is a cloud-based online bank headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina.

They are best known for providing banking products and services to entrepreneurs, freelancers, gig workers, and self-employed individuals.

They are the country’s number-one SBA 7(a) lender by dollar volume, and they control over $3 billion in assets and $2 billion in deposits.

Originally founded in 2007 as a lender for veterinary practices, Live Oak is most popular for its small business savings account, which offers all the bells and whistles of a standard business savings account without the fees and unnecessary features and a high APY.

Live Oak is also known for its interest in innovation and technology. They recognize that the world operates in the digital realm, which is why they streamline their loan applications and underwriting processes entirely online.

Overall, they are best for small business owners who are comfortable with doing all their banking online.

Live Oak Bank Products

Live Oak Bank offers two different banking products for business customers:

1. High-Yield Savings Accounts
2. Certificates of Deposit

1. High-Yield Savings Account

One of Live Oak Bank’s most notable products is its high-yield savings account.

They boast an impressive interest rate of 4.00% on account balances, which is around 12 times the national average savings rate.

Live Oak wants to make online banking easy, and the Live Oak Bank savings account reflects this mission.

When you open an online savings account with Live Oak, you will not be charged monthly maintenance fees or be subject to any minimum balance requirements.

You will be able to link external accounts to your Live Oak account to easily transfer ACH funds to earn the high rate.

2. Certificates of Deposit

In addition to the high-yield savings account, you can also save money for your business with the Live Oak Bank CD or certificate of deposit.

CDs are a great way to earn high APY (annual percentage yield) on a portion of your savings by setting it aside for a portion of time without touching it. Once the set period is up, you will earn back interest from the CD rates.

Live Oaks’ certificate of deposit accounts is competitive compared to other CD offers.

Live Oak Bank Features

Compared to other online banks, Live Oak Bank offers minimal bells and whistles.

In part, this is how they can offer such exceptional rates on their products and services; less money spent on frivolous extras means more money they can give back to you.

But Live Oak does have one feature that is essential to any online bank worth its weight: a mobile app.

Live Oak’s mobile app, which is available for iOS and Android devices, lets you do everything you need to and more all from one simple location.

You can manage your bank accounts (including linked external bank accounts), transfer funds, view external bank statements, deposit checks, set up banking alerts, and much more.

Unfortunately, Live Oak mobile users think that the app still has a long way to go. It only has a 2.8-star rating out of 5 on the App Store, and it has a 3.5-star rating out of 5 on Google Play.

Fees

As a small business owner, you probably have minimal funds to throw around, and you especially don’t want to be throwing your hard earned cash away on banking fees.

One of the biggest draws of small businesses and self-employed people to Live Oak is that they have minimal to no fees on all their banking products.

According to Live Oak Bank, these are the account fees (or lack there of) that you can expect to pay when you bank with them:

• Monthly Maintenance Fees: $0
• Transaction Fees: $0, 3% on foreign transactions
• ATM Fees: $0 on 55,000+ in-network ATMs
• Minimum Opening Deposit: $100
• Minimum Balance Requirements: $0

Based on your account, you may face other fees, such as incoming or outgoing wire transfer fees or early withdrawal penalties.

Be sure to check the specific product page for fees that may apply in specific situations, like overdrawing your account or transferring funds via wire.

Getting Started

Getting started with Live Oak Bank is simple and straightforward. Here is what you need to do to open your account:

1. Go to Live Oak Bank’s homepage and click “Get Started”
2. Select “Business Banking” or “Personal Banking” and select your product
3. Provide the information requested including:
   • Address
   • Social security number
   • Contact information
   • Birthdate
   • Employment status
   • If applicable, information about your business
4.  Submit your application
5. When approved, deposit money into your account at an ATM or from an external bank

Live Oak Bank Promotions

Here are some of the best Live Oak Bank promotions going on right now:

1. Live Oak business savings - $200 bonus

Expires: January 13, 2025

Available nationwide, Live Oak is offering a $200 welcome bonus when you open a new business savings account and maintain a minimum deposit. The bonus amount is lower than when it was previously offered, but the deposit requirements are lower as well. With that said, it's still a solid offer and easy to earn if you have the available cash. Keep in mind this bonus is in addition to their ultra-competitive high interest rates.

What's more? This bonus is also available to existing customers and you'll need to meet certain conditions which can be found on the Live Oak Website.

Editor's Note: I am an actual customer of Live Oak and have an active Live Oak small business savings account

How to earn the bonus

The Live Oak business savings sign up offer requires you to deposit and maintain a minimum balance in order to earn the $200 bonus. Full requirements to receive this bonus are:

1. Open a new Live Oak Bank business savings account.
2. By 01/13/2025, deposit at least $20,000 into your new business savings account.
3. For the next 60 days, maintain a balance $20,000 or more and watch your business savings grow with 3.80% APY
4. Bonus will be deposited to your open, eligible account within 45 days of the 60-day activity period ending.

read the full terms

Apply now to earn the $200 bonus from Live Oak

2. Live Oak personal savings - $300 bonus

Expires: January 13, 2025

Available nationwide with the ability to open online, Live Oak Bank is offering a $300 welcome bonus when you open a new personal savings account and meet the minimum deposit requirement of $20,000. This is higher than the last time Live Oak offered this bonus.

It's an easy bonus, but the initial capital required may be a steep barrier of entry.

What's more? This bonus is also available to existing customers. If you already have an existing Live Oak Bank personal savings account, just deposit $20,000 in new money and maintain it for the 60 day holding period.

How to earn the bonus

The Live Oak personal savings sign up offer requires you to deposit and maintain a minimum balance in order to earn the $300 bonus. Full requirements to receive this bonus are:

1. Open a Live Oak Bank personal savings account and deposit at least $20,000 into your account by 01/13/25
2. For the next 60 days, maintain a balance of $20,000 or more and watch your personal savings grow with 4.30% APY
3. Bonus will be deposited to your account within 45 days after you complete all required activities.

read the full terms

Apply now to earn the $300 bonus from Live Oak

Learn More:

• See all current offers from Live Oak Bank

Security

As an online bank, Live Oak understands the importance of cybersecurity. That is why they employ all the latest software, procedures, and technologies to ensure that all your private information is protected at all times.

• Live Oak Bank uses anti-virus and -malware protection to help them detect and prevent online attacks from malicious software.
• They also utilize firewalls to help them block unauthorized attempts to access accounts and account information.
• They have Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption in place that creates a secure connection between your browser and their cloud whenever you do things like fill out loan applications or access your online account.
• Live Oak also takes measures to protect you from fraud and identity theft. They utilize fraud and threat management analytics to detect unusual activity and spot hackers more quickly.
• You can also enroll in multi-factor authentication so you know exactly when someone is trying to get into your account.

Customer Support

As an online bank, Live Oak Bank faces some barriers when it comes to customer service.

After all, they don’t have any branches that you can go to to ask your questions. Despite this, Live Oak offers customer support that is on par with what you can expect from other digitally focused financial institutions.

You can reach out to Live Oak’s customer support department via telephone (1-866-518-0286) on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST.

You can also reach out to the department by mail or submit an online ticket on their website. If your question is relatively simple, you can check to see if it is answered on their FAQ support site.

Pros and Cons

There are always pros and cons to consider before you begin banking with a new credit union or bank. Here are some to consider before opening a new account with Live Oak Bank.

Pros:

• Competitive rates: Live Oak offers competitive rates on their savings account and certificates of deposit (CDs). As of the writing of this article, they are advertising a rate up to 5.20% APY on their CD accounts and 4.00% APY on their business savings account, roughly 9 times the national average.
• Minimal to no fees: One of the most important factors for a small business is to minimize fees. With no minimum balance requirement, monthly fees, or ATM fees, you can keep your money where it belongs: your account.
• Mobile friendly: Managing your Live Oak account is simple through their mobile app. But the ability to also manage your other accounts through the Live Oak app is truly something unique.

Cons:

• No branches: If you are more old school and like to do your banking in person, you’ll probably be pretty frustrated by Live Oak’s online-only approach.
• Minimal personal banking offerings: Live Oak advertises itself as a bank for small businesses, but they do offer personal banking products. Unfortunately, these are limited to a savings account and certificates of deposit.
• No customer service on weekends: Live Oak’s customer service team is available on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. If you need assistance from them outside of that window, you will need to check the FAQ site or wait until their next business day.

Alternatives to Live Oak Bank

Curious about more options for your small business? Here are some of our top alternatives to Live Oak Bank

1. Ally

Ally is a popular online bank that offers a fuller banking experience when compared to Live Oak Bank.

Ally offers money market accounts, which isn’t offered by Live Oak. If the ability to let your money compound daily is a major plus, you may consider Ally’s money market account.

Ally also has a nifty feature called “savings buckets” that allows you to set money aside for your specific savings goals. Let’s say you’re a food truck owner, and you’re saving up for a new fryer for your truck.

You can create an individual savings bucket for that goal, and you can track your progress toward that savings goal.

2. Marcus

Marcus is a great option compared to Live Oak if you are worried about your ability to keep money in a certificate of deposit account.

One of the main drawbacks of CDs is that they require you to not touch your money for a particular period of time.

If you decide that you need to take your money out, you could be subject to early withdrawal penalties, which can defeat the purpose of putting your money in a CD in the first place.

Marcus is ideal for people who want to try out a CD but want the flexibility to withdraw their money if needed. They don’t charge any penalty fees for withdrawing, which can be a comfort to a small business owner who needs their money accessible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Live Oak Bank trustworthy?

Live Oak Bank is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau, which assigns ratings based on trustworthiness, business practices, and customer experiences. Based on their rating, the BBB and customers agree that Live Oak is an exceptionally trustworthy bank.

Who owns Live Oak Bank?

Live Oak Bank is a subsidiary of Live Oak Bancshares. It was founded by James “Chip” Mahan, the bank’s founder, chairman, and CEO.

When was Live Oak Bank founded?

Live Oak Bank was founded in 2007 in Wilmington, North Carolina as a lender for veterinarians.

Is Live Oak Bank FDIC insured?

Like most financial institutions, Live Oak Bank is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, also known as the FDIC. As a member of FDIC bank, Live Oak Bank insures all accounts up to $250,000 per depositor. This means your money is protected no matter what.

Is Live Oak Bank Best for You?

Live Oak Bank’s mission is to be known as America’s small business bank. It follows that their ideal customer is going to be involved in owning a small business or being self-employed in some way.

Per Live Oak, you will most benefit from their products and services if you are a newly-formed business, a microbusiness, a gig worker, a freelancer, or any other self-employed person.

They define the ideal small business customer as a business with five employees or less, has been in business for less than five years, and earns anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000 in annual revenue.

Live Oak would not be a good fit for cash-heavy businesses as customers are not able to make cash deposits into this account.

While Live Oak offers personal banking services and loans, these products are meant to be an augmentation to business products and services so that business owners can have all their money under one roof.

However, Live Oak will not discourage anyone from opening an account if they do not have business accounts open.