Live Oak Bank Business Checking
Online U.S. bank checking with waivable monthly fees, unlimited items, Allpoint ATM cash-out, no cash deposits, no checking APY
Primis Business Checking
$0 monthly + $1 open; pick 1% debit cash-back or 1.75% checking APY, plus 4.00% business savings — online nationwide, cash only in VA/MD footprint
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Live Oak Bank Business Checking | Primis Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | Essential $10/cycle if ADB <$1,000; Plus $25/cycle if ADB <$25,000; Analysis $100/mo (offset by earnings credit — rate unpublished) | $0 unconditional on all three digital products |
| Fee waiver | Essential: cycle ADB ≥ $1,000. Plus: cycle ADB ≥ $25,000. Analysis: earnings credit offsets fees. | N/A — already $0; no balance or activity waiver needed |
| Transaction fees | Unlimited — no charge for checks paid/deposits, ACH, debit card on Essential/Plus (fee schedule 7.21.25) | No per-item fees on digital line. Marketing 'unlimited transactions'; operational channel caps on ACH/wires/ATM apply (see limits). |
| Overdraft/NSF | Overdraft $25; NSF no charge; returned item $5. No daily cap published. | $0 NSF; $0 overdraft item; $0 return deposited item. Not an invitation to overdraw; bank may return items. OD protection not disclosed as priced product. |
| ATM fees | Allpoint 55,000+: $0 from Live Oak. OON: Live Oak $0 + owner surcharge. Foreign ATM 3% of amount. No rebate program. | Primis ATM $0. Any U.S. ATM — no Primis fee; foreign operator surcharge rebated (~15th of month; account must remain open). Daily ATM cash-out cap $550. |
| Wire/ACH | Incoming wire $10. Outgoing domestic $19. Outgoing international $40. ACH no charge on fee schedule. ACH collections/payments/EFTPS are Plus/Analysis features only. | Incoming domestic wire $0 (+ originating-bank fee refund + $10 if requested within 30 days with docs). Outgoing domestic $5. Incoming intl $0. Outgoing intl $35 (FX markup not disclosed). App ACH in/out $0 but volume capped. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Live Oak Bank Business Checking | Primis Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | None — non-interest-bearing on all three current tiers | Unlimited: 0% APY (1% debit cash-back reward). Pro: 1.75% APY on all balances, no tiers, no earnings limit. |
| Savings APY | Business Savings: 4.00% APY on all balances; no account maximum on marketing. Separate account from checking. | |
| FDIC coverage | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Live Oak Banking Company | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Primis Bank. Primis + 316 Financial + Panacea aggregate. |
Features & Access
| Metric | Live Oak Bank Business Checking | Primis Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No retail branch network. Allpoint 55,000+ for cash withdrawal only — no ATM cash deposit. OON Live Oak fee $0. | 24 full-service VA/MD branches (YE2025). Any U.S. ATM for withdrawal — surcharge rebate on checking. Cash deposit at ATM implied Primis machines in VA/MD only. |
| Mobile app | iOS ~2.6/5 (~109 ratings); Android ~3.0–3.1/5 (~100–107 reviews) — Forbes Advisor Aug 2026 called mediocre | Primis Digital Banking iOS ~4.6 (289 ratings); Android ~4.9 (~232 reviews). Legacy Classic Business Android ~3.0 (~29) — treat as deprecated. |
| Virtual cards | Not disclosed beyond debit Card Center | Not disclosed |
| Opening deposit | $100 | $1.00 |
| Eligibility | Sole prop, partnership, LLC, corporation, nonprofit. LP, professional corp, association on savings/CD pages. | Sole props and small business marketed. Entity list not fully published. Beneficial ownership information required. |
Pros & Cons
Live Oak Bank Business Checking
Pros
- Unlimited transactions and $0 item/ACH/debit fees on Essential/Plus (fee schedule 7.21.25)
- Monthly fee waivable at modest ADB — $1,000 Essential, $25,000 Plus
- Deposits at Live Oak Banking Company (true bank) with optional IntraFi ICS
- Allpoint 55,000+ cash-out with no Live Oak surcharge
- QuickBooks, bill pay, mobile deposit, multi-approver controls; long weekday phone hours (8am–11pm ET)
Cons
- Checking earns no APY
- No cash deposits and no branches
- Essential lacks online wire origination and ACH collections/payments per official matrix
- Outgoing wires $19 domestic / $40 international; Analysis fee schedule not public
- Weak mobile app ratings (~2.6 iOS); ICS liquidity not instant ($350k enrollment minimum)
Primis Business Checking
Pros
- Unconditional $0 monthly, $0 NSF/OD, $0 item fees on digital line (12/1/2025 schedule)
- $1 opening; Pro 1.75% APY and Business Savings 4.00% APY with no balance tiers (stamp 7/1/2025; observed 9/1/2026)
- Incoming wires $0 plus originating-fee refund + $10 program
- Nationwide ATM surcharge rebate; automatic extra FDIC up to $2M on Business Savings
- V1BE free cash courier in Mid-Atlantic; real Virginia-chartered FDIC bank (Cert. 57968)
Cons
- Marketing 'no fees' conflicts with $5 domestic / $35 international outgoing wires and ancillary fees
- App ACH capped at $18,000/day and $100,000/month undercuts 'unlimited' claim
- Cash deposit regional only — VA/MD branches and V1BE, no national retail rail
- Integrations and multi-user controls thin vs specialist business banks; export-only QBO
- Digital products unavailable in PR/territories; reviews cite denials, freezes, hold friction
Verdict
Live Oak Bank Business Checking
Live Oak Bank offers three online-only business checking tiers at Live Oak Banking Company (Member FDIC): Essential ($10, waived at $1k ADB), Plus ($25, waived at $25k ADB), Plus Analysis ($100, ECR offset unpublished). Fee schedule 7.21.25: unlimited items, $0 ACH/debit, $10 incoming wires, $19/$40 outgoing wires, $25 OD. Essential = QuickBooks, bill pay, mobile deposit. Plus adds wire origination, ACH collections/payments, EFTPS, RDC. No cash, no APY, no branches. Allpoint cash-out only. Optional IntraFi ICS ($350k min). Weak app ratings. $200 bonus expired Apr 2026.
Primis Business Checking
Primis Bank (FDIC Cert. 57968) offers a digital trio: Unlimited (1% debit cash-back), Pro (1.75% APY), Business Savings (4.00% APY), each $1 to open and $0 monthly. Fee schedule (12/1/2025) prices outgoing wires at $5/$35 despite 'no fees' marketing. Channel limits bind before item fees: app ACH $18k/day and $100k/month. Savings auto-sweeps for up to $2M FDIC. Bill pay, positive pay, and cash-flow analytics included; not a full treasury stack. Strong yield-focused pick for modest-volume digital SMBs.