Tri Counties Bank Business Checking Review 2023
Tricia has nearly two decades of experience in commercial and federal government lending. Her expertise is highlighted throughout small business loan content on Fit Small Business.
Ricci Recto has two years of writing experience creating digital marketing content for finance clients. She specializes in business banking.
If your California-based business needs a regional bank that can accommodate all your business banking needs, Tri Counties Bank is a decent choice. Not only does it provide multiple scalable business checking account options, but it also offers an extensive selection of additional banking products, including savings products, lending products, Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (CDARS), and Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plans. It even has many specialized products for nonprofits, including nonprofit checking, savings, and certificates of deposit (CDs).
What We Like
- Waivable monthly fee
- $5,000 cash deposit limit for basic accounts
- Offers CDARS and SEPs
Drawbacks
- Only available in California
- Applicants are required to visit a branch to open an account
- No fee-free accounts
Features
- Optional Visa Business Debit Card
- Fee-free access to Tri Counties Bank and MoneyPass ATMs
- Online and Mobile Banking
- Business Bill Pay
- Business savings products, CDARS, SEPs, lending products, and credit cards also available
How Tri Counties Bank Stacks Up With Its Competitors
Monthly Fee | Monthly Transaction Limit Before Fees | Monthly Cash Deposit Limit Before Fees | Minimum Opening Deposit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Startup Business Checking | $10; waivable | 200, then 35 cents per item | $5,000, then 30 cents per $100 | $100 |
 Silver Business Checking | $0 | 125, then 50 cents per item | $2,500, then 33 cents per unit after the limit* | $100 |
 Community Business Checking | $10 with paper statements or $7 with paperless statements; waivable | 200, then 35 cents per check | $10,000, then 20 cents per $100 after the limit | None |
*U.S. Bank translates dollar values into units by dividing each cash deposit amount by 100 and rounding the resulting value to a whole number.
When Tri Counties Bank Is a Good Fit
- You make 200 or fewer transactions per month: There’s a limit of 200 fee-free transactions for Tri Counties Bank’s lowest-tier account, Startup Business Checking. If your business makes more than 200 transactions per month, consider upgrading your account to Small Business Checking or Enterprise Checking.
- You work with cash regularly: Startup Business Checking has a fee-free cash deposit limit of $5,000.
- You need access to a complete range of banking services: Other business banking products Tri Counties Bank offers include business savings products, CDARS, Simplified Employee Pension Plans, lending products, and credit cards.
- You run a nonprofit organization: Tri Counties Bank offers several products for nonprofits, including nonprofit checking accounts, savings accounts, and CDs.
- You want to extend your FDIC insurance: Through the Tri Counties Bank CDARS, you can spread your savings in amounts of $250,000 or less across multiple CDs issued by different banks within Tri Counties Bank’s network. FDIC insurance will apply to all CDs.
When Tri Counties Bank Is Not a Good Fit
- Your business is located outside California: Tri Counties Bank has no physical branches outside California. You’re required to visit a branch to open an account. If you’re looking for a bank with wider geographic coverage, consider Chase, which has 4,700 locations across 48 states.
- You want to bank without a monthly fee: All Tri Counties Bank business checking accounts charge monthly fees. If you want a fee-free business checking account from a traditional provider, consider U.S. Bank’s Silver Business Checking.
- You want to earn interest on checking deposits: None of Tri Counties Bank’s checking accounts earn interest. The best provider for interest-earning checking is Bluevine, which offers a 2.00% annual percentage yield (APY) on qualifying balances of $250,000 or less.
If your small business meets one or more of these scenarios, check out our guide to the best small business checking accounts for additional recommendations.
Tri Counties Bank Business Checking Overview
Tri Counties Bank Business Checking Requirements
To open a business bank account with Tri Counties Bank, you’re required to visit a branch. The business documents you need to prepare differ depending on your business entity type. Click on your entity type below to learn more.
Corporation
- Certification of beneficial owners of legal entities form
- Filed copy of articles of incorporation
- Filed copy of current statement of information or corporate resolution
- May Also be required as applicable:
- Filed copy of fictitious business name statement, if applicable
- Filed copy of statement and designation by a foreign corporation or certificate of status/good standing (if corporation was formed outside California)
- Certified amendments to the articles of incorporation
General Partnership
- Certification of beneficial owners of legal entities form
- Partnership agreement
- Filed copy of fictitious business name statement, if applicable
Joint Venture
- Certification of beneficial owners of legal entities form
- Joint venture agreement
- Filed copy of fictitious business name statement, if applicable
Limited Partnership (LP)
- Certification of beneficial owners of legal entities form
- Joint venture agreement
- Filed copy of fictitious business name statement, if applicable
Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
- Certification of beneficial owners of legal entities form
- Filed copy of application to register an LLP
- LLP agreement
- Filed copy of fictitious business name statement, if applicable
Limited Liability Company (LLC)
- Certification of beneficial owners of legal entities form
- Filed copy of articles of organization or certificate of formation/organization
- Filed copy of current statement of information or operating agreement (both documents may be necessary to confirm the management of the LLC)
- May Also be required as applicable:
- Filed copy of fictitious business name statement, if applicable
- Filed copy of application to register a foreign LLC or certificate of status/good standing, if applicable
- LLC was formed outside California
- Filed copy of certified amendments to the articles of organization, if applicable
Unincorporated Association or Organization
- Charter or by-laws
- Current meeting minutes or letter of authorization that authorize the account and designate signers
- Filed copy of fictitious business name statement, if applicable
Professional Fiduciary
- Certification of beneficial owners of legal entities form, required when the fiduciary is a “covered” entity
- Applicable entity documentation for fiduciary
- Applicable entity formation documentation for the client/property owner (required when the account is housed under the client’s EIN)
- Authorization agreement for endorsement and deposit form (provided at account opening, if applicable)
Public Agency
- Public agency authorization to open the account and designation of signers
- Contract for deposit of monies and waiver of security form (obtained and completed at account opening)
Sole Proprietorship
- Filed copy of fictitious name statement, if applicable
Sole Proprietor - Trust
- Current certification of trust, dated within the past 12 months
- Page from the trust showing the business is an asset or the trustee has power to operate a business (required if the trustee is not a trustor)
- Filed copy of fictitious name statement, if applicable
Tri Counties Bank Business Checking Features
Visa Business Debit Card
Upon opening your Tri Counties Bank business checking account, you have the option to apply for a Visa Business Debit Card. The card uses contactless technology and Zero Liability Card Protection. It can be connected to digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
Enrolling your card in the Visa SavingsEdge program gives you access to discount deals with Visa’s partner merchants, which include Microsoft Office and FreshBooks.
Online Banking Solutions
Tri Counties Bank’s online banking solution Trico Business Express lets customers manage their accounts online. Through Trico Business Express, you can
- View balances and pending transactions in real time
- Set up one-time or recurring payments
- Transfer funds between accounts
- Access e-statements
- Originate automated clearing house (ACH) and wire payments or utilize remote deposit capture (RDC)
To enroll in these services, you need to call Tri Counties Bank at (800) 922-8742 or contact your local branch.
If your business has more sophisticated online banking needs, you can upgrade to Trico Treasury Center for a monthly fee of $18. Upgrading gives you access to the following:
- A dashboard that summarizes banking activity and account relationships
- Reporting capabilities
- Online ACH, RDC, wire transfer, foreign exchange (FX) integration, and more
Mobile Banking
The Tri Counties Bank mobile app is available on iOS and Android. Through the app, you can
- View balances
- View transaction history
- Transfer funds
- Pay bills
- Look up ATM and branch locations
- Deposit checks with mobile check deposit
The app has received an overwhelmingly negative response from past users. It has a rating of 2.1 on the App Store and 2.4 on Google Play. According to negative reviews, the app has been unreliable since being updated in 2023. Users also said that the app’s interface is cluttered and unintuitive and that many essential functions—such as buttons, push notifications, and mobile check deposit—work inconsistently.
Other Tri Counties Bank Business Products
Analyzed Checking
The Tri Counties Bank analyzed checking account, called Business Analysis Checking, was designed for businesses with high transaction volumes and complex cash management needs. It charges a monthly service fee of $25, which you can offset by receiving earnings credit. Like Tri Counties Bank’s other business checking accounts, Business Analysis Checking has a minimum opening deposit requirement of $100.
Specialized Checking
Tri Counties Bank offers specialized accounts for nonprofit organizations, public or government entities, and licensed attorneys.
- Not For Profit Business Checking, designed for nonprofits and charitable organizations, has no monthly fee or minimum balance requirements. It has a monthly transaction limit of 100 and a monthly cash deposit limit of $5,000.
- Public Funds Checking, for government and public entities, charges a monthly fee of $10.95, waivable with a minimum balance of $2,500. It offers unlimited transactions and cash deposits. A Public Funds Checking With Interest option, with a monthly fee of $10, is also available.
- State Bar Legal Services Checking is an interest-earning account for licensed attorneys. It charges no monthly fee and offers unlimited transactions and cash deposits. Any interest the account accrues is paid to the State Bar’s IOLTA program.
Lending Products
Several small business lending products available at Tri Counties Bank. These are:
- Small business loans, which include lines of credit, term loans, equipment loans, and auto loans.
- Agriculture loans for California-based agricultural programs. Products include small farm programs, crops and livestock, agricultural land, and agricultural equipment.
- Government-guaranteed loans, such as Small Business Administration loans like SBA 7(a) loans, SBA Express loans and lines of credit, and SBA 504 Loans; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) loans; and Bureau of Indian Affairs loans.
Credit Cards
Tri Counties Bank offers two types of credit cards.
- The Visa Business credit card is a simple credit card with no annual fee.
- The Visa Business Platinum credit card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases with no caps. The card has no annual fee.
Savings Accounts
There are five types of Tri Counties Bank savings accounts. Each account has a minimum opening deposit requirement of $100.
- Business Savings charges a monthly fee of $5, waivable with a minimum balance of $300.
- Public Fund Savings charges the same fees above but is exclusive to public and government agencies.
- Tiered Business Savings charges a monthly fee of $8, waivable with a minimum balance of $1,000. It offers tiered interest rates, which are compounded daily and paid monthly.
- Business Money Market has a waivable monthly fee of $10 and a minimum balance requirement of $2,500.
- Business Premier Money Market, which has the same monthly fee but a minimum balance requirement of $10,000, is an ideal upgrade if you want to increase your interest-earning potential.
Rate information is unavailable on the Tri Counties Bank website. You must contact Tri Counties Bank to learn more about its current interest rates.
CDs
Tri Counties Bank offers Certificates of Deposit (CDs) for small businesses and public agencies or government entities. Neither account charges monthly fees, but both have a minimum balance requirement of $1,000 to earn interest.
- For Business CDs, the shortest term available is one month, while the longest term available is five years.
- Public Funds CDs offer three-, six-, 12-, 24-, 36-, 48-, and 60-month terms.
CDARS
Tri Counties Bank CDARS provides extended FDIC insurance coverage for deposit amounts between $250,000 and $10,000,000. By depositing money in a CDARS account, you let Tri Counties Bank spread your funds across CD accounts from multiple banks. One rate will apply to the entire deposit.
The minimum deposit requirement for opening a CDARS account is $100,000.
Simplified Employee Pension Plans
Tri Counties Bank offers SEPs that help your employees save for retirement. Employees can save using savings accounts and/or CDs.
Tri Counties Bank Business Checking Pros & Cons
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Waivable monthly fees | Exclusive to California |
| Many products for nonprofit organizations, public entities, and government agencies | No interest-earning checking |
| Offers CDARS and SEPs | Poor user reviews |
Like many regional banks, Tri Counties Bank charges lower fees compared to national competitors. The requirements for waiving the monthly fees are easy for most small businesses to meet. However, there are no interest-earning business checking accounts currently available.
While its business checking accounts have no major selling points, the bank itself stands out by providing specialized accounts for nonprofits, public entities, and government agencies. It also offers a few business services not commonly found in other banks, including CDARS accounts and SEPs.
As a regional bank, Tri Counties Bank has no brick-and-mortar locations outside of California—and you’re required to visit a branch to open an account. While you can manage your account through online and mobile banking, Tri Counties Bank has generally earned poor reviews from users.
Tri Counties Bank User Reviews
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Serviceable online banking experience | Poor customer service |
| No hidden fees | Unfair penalties |
| Policies changing too often | |
| Slowness when fixing issues | |
Tri Counties Bank has a rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars on Yelp, from about 40 reviews. The few positive reviews on the platform indicate that Tri Counties Bank is decent for simple, no-frills banking. However, the majority of reviewers complained of poor customer service.
According to the negative reviews, the bank’s employee turnover rate is high, leaving customer service understaffed and poorly trained on policies and relationship management. Some customers said that customer service staff in physical branches provide contradictory information to customer service staff answering phone lines. The bank is also slow to answer customer inquiries and address issues, per reviews.
Alternatives To Tri Counties Bank Business Checking
Although Tri Counties Bank offers serviceable business checking and an extensive selection of additional business banking services, it may not meet your business needs. Here are three alternatives to consider:
- UMe Credit Union is best if you prefer to work with credit unions over banks. It offers interest-earning business checking and the option to waive monthly fees by signing up for e-statements.
- First Internet Bank is best if you prefer to bank exclusively online. Like Tri Counties Bank, it offers a wide range of business banking products, including checking accounts, savings products, and lending products.
- Chase is best if you want nationwide access to in-person banking. The bank has 4,700 brick-and-mortar branches across 48 states.
Bottom Line
The business checking products of Tri Counties Bank are decent options for nonprofit organizations and small businesses operating in California. The provider is particularly suitable for businesses needing access to a wide range of business services, such as CDARS and SEP solutions. However, negative reviews from past customers indicate poor customer service and problems with policy transparency.
