Charles Schwab Bank and Marcus dominate online-only bank customer satisfaction ratings

The rankings: Charles Schwab Bank ranked highest in J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction for checking accounts, scoring 750 on a 1,000 point scale (with an average of 637). This is its eighth consecutive year at the top, which signals consistent performance. And Marcus by Goldman Sachs takes the top spot for high-yield savings accounts, with a score of 739 (average 674).

How they got here: They both rank significantly higher than average and around 200 points higher than the bottom-ranked checking and savings account providers.

  • Schwab combines a strong digital experience with reliable customer service and trust. These are areas where many competitors—especially neobanks—fall short. 
  • Marcus pairs a well-designed digital experience with the credibility and infrastructure of an established financial institution. This combination helps it deliver both ease of use and strong problem resolution.

There’s still room for improvement: Even though online banks score relatively well (mid to high 600s), they’re far from perfect on a 1,000-point scale. More importantly, the sizable gaps— between online banks and neobanks as well as between average players and leaders like Schwab and Marcus—show an inconsistent overall customer experience.

Implications for banks: EMARKETER recently covered how traditional banks still have a stronghold among Gen Z primary accountholders—a major target demographic for digital-only banks. And traditional banks’ hybrid approach helps them secure Gen Zers’ ongoing loyalty. This ranking shows that in the digital-only world, that’s still true. 

As the top performers in savings and checking account customer satisfaction, respectively, Charles Schwab Bank and Marcus demonstrate the advantage of pairing digital-first experiences with the backing of established financial institutions. Unlike many neobanks, these providers combine strong personalization and usability with more mature customer service and established consumer trust.

While neobanks have led in innovation, their gaps in customer satisfaction may continue to limit their ability to fully compete with incumbent-backed digital players.

This content is part of EMARKETER’s subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what’s happening in your industry. Non-clients can click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.

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Charles Schwab Bank and Marcus have the happiest digital-only customers