Disclosure
Advertiser & affiliate disclosure.
Effective July 11, 2026
You're reading a comparison site, and comparison sites get paid. Here's the straight version: who pays us, when, and — the part that matters — what that money does and doesn't change. This is the standing disclosure; the specific arrangement is also flagged on the page where it applies.
First, what we are
ClearValue Banking is an independent education and comparison publisher. We are not a bank, credit union, or FDIC/NCUA-insured institution, and we do not open accounts, hold deposits, or give personalized financial advice. When you decide an account is right for you, it is opened with — and held by — the partner bank, which is the FDIC-insured institution, disclosed on the page. We're the part that helps you compare.
How we're compensated
We have referral and affiliate arrangements with some — not all — of the banks and providers whose accounts we cover. When you choose an account through one of those partners and go on to open and fund it with the bank, that partner may pay us a fee for the introduction. It's typically paid per funded account, and it's paid by the provider, not by you — using our comparisons never costs you anything, and it doesn't change the rate or terms you're offered.
We don't cover only paying partners, either. Where an account is one of the best options for a saver, we'll say so whether or not there's a commercial relationship behind it — including accounts that pay us nothing. If a better account pays the smaller fee, or no fee, the better account still wins the recommendation.
The line that doesn't move
What we get paid never moves a ranking.
This is the whole thing, so we'll say it plainly. Compensation does not decide which accounts we cover, how they score, or where they land in a comparison. Scores come straight from our published methodology, applied the same way to every account in a category. Partners don't preview rankings, buy placement, or edit our reviews.
- A partner paying more does not earn a better score or a higher spot.
- A non-partner can, and does, out-rank a partner when the numbers say so.
- If a commercial relationship ever conflicted with the methodology, the methodology wins.
The wall between the review desk and revenue
The people who research and score accounts are walled off from the people who manage partner relationships. Reviews are written to the methodology first. Compensation terms aren't a factor a reviewer weighs — and a partner can't call up and get a score changed. It's the same wall a credible newsroom keeps between its reporting and its ad sales, applied to account comparisons.
On the numbers
Rates are dated; we don't guarantee them
Rates, APYs, bonuses, and terms are set by the providers and change constantly. Every figure we publish carries the date it was accurate as of and the named source it came from. We work to keep figures current, but we don't guarantee any rate, offer, or approval, and an offer may change or end after we publish it. Always confirm the current terms directly with the provider before you decide.
Part of the ClearValue family
ClearValue Banking is a brand published under ClearValue Money, the parent that holds every ClearValue brand to a single editorial standard. Other brands in the family run their own disclosures for the arrangements each has.
See it for yourself
The scoring is published in full.
Read the six things we score and how we date every rate — then hold us to it.
Read the methodology