Head-to-Head
Mercury Business Banking
Startup / multi-user digital ops — $0 monthly fee, free USD wires & ACH, no cash deposits, 0% checking APY
VS
Old National Bank Business Checking
Branch + cash deposits; low/no monthly fee with 500-item cap; Midwest/Southeast relationship bank (not high-APY checking)
Monthly Fee
$0 on deposit accounts. Optional Plus ~$29.90–$35/mo; Pro $299/mo (software subscriptions, not DDA maintenance)
Access: $0 on current product page ($3/mo paper statements; eStatements free). Pro: $25/mo OR $0 with $20,000 avg ledger OR $50,000 combined checking+savings+MMA avg ledger.
Checking APY
0.00% — non-interest-bearing (Column Exhibit 1, Aug 14, 2026)
0.00% — noninterest-bearing on Access and Pro
Rating
8.6/10
7.6/10
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Mercury Business Banking | Old National Bank Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | $0 on deposit accounts. Optional Plus ~$29.90–$35/mo; Pro $299/mo (software subscriptions, not DDA maintenance) | Access: $0 on current product page ($3/mo paper statements; eStatements free). Pro: $25/mo OR $0 with $20,000 avg ledger OR $50,000 combined checking+savings+MMA avg ledger. |
| Fee waiver | N/A — core banking is $0 unconditional; Plus/Pro are optional paid software tiers | Access: unconditional $0 maintenance (use eStatements to avoid $3 paper fee). Pro: $20k ledger or $50k combined deposit averages. |
| Transaction fees | No per-item fees on ordinary ACH, wires, checks. Unlimited USD ACH, domestic wires, USD intl wires (SHA), RTP (Column). | 500 items/month free then $0.50 each. Items = checks paid, withdrawals, deposits, deposited items, ACH/POS debits and credits. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $0 overdraft fee; overdrafts not permitted — items may be rejected. Persistent negative ≥30 days may trigger closure. | Paid NSF/Overdraft Item $36 if overdrawn >$25; max 2 paid items/day. Daily Overdraft $7 from day 7 if overdrawn >$25 for 7+ consecutive business days, up to 5 days. Overdraft Courtesy discretionary. |
| ATM fees | Mercury does not charge own ATM withdrawal fee (U.S.). Operator surcharge possible; business ATM rebate not confirmed on current help page. 3% FX on non-USD ATM cash. | ONB + Allpoint (~55,000+) $0 ONB fee. Non-ONB/non-Allpoint: $3 Foreign ATM Fee + operator surcharge. No rebate disclosed. |
| Wire/ACH | Incoming domestic: $0. Outgoing domestic: $0. Incoming intl: $0 from Mercury. Outgoing intl USD SHA: $0; USD OUR: $15; non-USD: 1% FX. ACH in/out: $0. Same-day ACH $0 if before 12pm PT and <$1M. | Incoming domestic $16; outgoing domestic $30; incoming intl $16; outgoing intl $50. Pro/Payments Plus: 1 free domestic outgoing wire/month; discounted fees thereafter not disclosed. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Mercury Business Banking | Old National Bank Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | 0.00% — non-interest-bearing (Column Exhibit 1, Aug 14, 2026) | 0.00% — noninterest-bearing on Access and Pro |
| Savings APY | 0.00% APY on business savings (0.001% rate; Column Exhibit 1). Not a high-yield account. | Business Savings and Business Market Monitor: tiered interest; APY not disclosed on public pages |
| FDIC coverage | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Choice or Column | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Old National Bank |
Features & Access
| Metric | Mercury Business Banking | Old National Bank Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No branches. Mastercard chip ATMs for cash withdrawal only — $1,000/card/business day, $3,000 company-wide. No cash deposits. | ~346–361 banking centers in IL, IN, IA, KY, MI, MN, NC, ND, TN, WI. ONB ATMs + Allpoint ~55,000+ surcharge-free. Cash deposit at deposit-taking ONB ATMs. |
| Mobile app | Trustpilot 4.0 (~2,761 reviews); Google Play ~4.6 (~1.76k); App Store ~4.9 (CA listing) | Old National Mobile app — Google Play ~4.5 (13.8K reviews). iOS U.S. volume uncertain from public scrapes. |
| Virtual cards | Included — physical + virtual debit with freeze, merchant lock, spend limits | Not disclosed |
| Opening deposit | $0 | $100 |
| Eligibility | U.S.-formed LLC, corp, partnership typical. EIN letter required. Trusts refused on business onboarding. International founders OK if U.S. entity and not in prohibited residence country. | Sole prop, association, org, partnership, LLC, corporation, business fiduciary/escrow per agreement. EIN emphasized in checklist. |
Pros & Cons
Mercury Business Banking
Pros
- $0 monthly, $0 min, $0 overdraft fee on deposit accounts
- $0 domestic wires, $0 USD intl wires (SHA), $0 ACH, $0 same-day ACH under $1M/12pm PT
- Sweep FDIC marketed up to $5M; RTP/FedNow-style rails $0 on Column accounts
- Strong multi-user, virtual cards, QBO/Xero/NetSuite feeds, bill pay, invoicing on free tier
- IO charge card 1.5% cashback, $0 annual fee (Patriot Bank; separate product)
Cons
- Business checking/savings APY 0.00% — yield requires Treasury ≥$250k (SIPC, not FDIC)
- No cash deposits at all; ATM cash-out capped $1k/card, $3k company
- Fintech + partner-bank stack; documented closure/freeze complaint pattern
- 3% card FX and 1% non-USD wire; Plus/Pro needed for advanced AP/AR automation
- Treasury wrap fee 0.15%–0.60%; Choice consent order and bank migration uncertainty
Old National Bank Business Checking
Pros
- Access $0 maintenance with 500-item bucket and no minimum balance (ONB product page)
- $25,000 monthly cash/currency free then $0.15 per $100 — explicit branch-bank pricing
- Allpoint 55k+ surcharge-free ATMs plus ~346+ owned branches in 10 states
- Pro bundles Autobooks Basic, 1 free domestic wire/month, ACH allowance, and fraud tools
- Path to ONPointe Treasury, Analysis Checking, Elavon merchant, and local lending; $400/$800 bonus through Oct 30, 2026
Cons
- 0.00% APY on checking
- In-person opening only — not nationwide online account
- 500-item definition is broad (ACH, POS, deposits count) at $0.50 over — easy to exceed
- Full current business fee schedule PDF not publicly posted
- Out-of-network ATM $3 + 3% foreign debit fee; standard FDIC $250k only
Verdict
Mercury Business Banking
Mercury is a fintech front end with deposits at Choice Financial Group and Column N.A. (FDIC), optional sweep to $5M. Core checking and savings have $0 monthly fee, $0 minimums, $0 overdraft fee, and $0 USD ACH/wires/RTP (Column). Checking and savings APY are 0.00%. Yield is separate Mercury Treasury (Apex/SIPC, 0.15–0.60% wrap) unlocked at $250k. Cash deposits not offered. Differentiator is startup-grade ops: multi-user permissions, virtual cards, QBO/Xero/NetSuite, bill pay, invoicing on free tier. Weak on 0% checking, no cash, partner-bank risk, and closure complaints. Do not treat Treasury yield as checking APY or Mercury as an FDIC member.
Old National Bank Business Checking
Old National Access Business Banking is branch-opened FDIC checking: Access $0 maintenance, 500 items then $0.50, $25k cash free then $0.15/$100. Pro adds $25 fee (waivable at $20k/$50k), bundled Autobooks/Payments Plus, 1 free wire/month, 25 ACH/month. 0% APY. Wires $16 in / $30 out / $50 intl. Full business fee PDF not posted. Fits in-footprint cash SMBs; poor for remote founders and high-volume treasury.