Do you know of a bank rate that deserves recognition?  Tell us about it!

Park Bank’s 10 month CD special

June 10th, 2010 No Comments   Posted in CD Rate Promotions

Park Bank, a small community bank in Madison, Wisconsin, has a pretty nice 10 month CD special yielding 1.65% APY with a minimum deposit of $5,000 required. Thanks to BankVibe.com reader Nicole for submitting us this CD promotion!

Unfortunately for most of us this promotional offer is off the table. Park Bank has just 11 locations all within a relatively small radius to Madison, WI. They accept local funds and are federally insured by the FDIC. If you are located in this state you may want compare this offer with other CD rates in Wisconsin to see how it stacks up.

Terms and Conditions:

- Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is correct as of May 17, 2010, and may change without notice.

- Interest paid at maturity.

- Minimum of $5,000 is required to open these accounts.

- No brokered deposits and no financial institution deposits allowed.

- There is a penalty for early withdrawal of funds and fees may reduce actual earnings.

- Not applicable to IRAs.

- Member FDIC

Park Bank also has a fairly noteworthy money market special if you happen to be able to hold a balance of $50k. As of the 18th of May, they are offering a money market account yielding 1.75% APY for balances of $50,000 or greater. If your balance dips below this threashold you will only incur an interest rate of 0.77% APY (which is more closely alligned with the current national average). If your balance dips below $20k then your interest shrinks to just 0.60% APY.

Best CD Rates in Milwaukee, WI: Top 3

October 11th, 2009 No Comments   Posted in bank CD rates

Below are the highest yielding CD (certificate of deposit) rates available to the residents of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. These come in the form of 6 month CDs, 12 month CDs and 24 month CDs. After sorting through dozens of rate pages by local community banks and credit unions serving the city of Milwaukee as well as Wisconsin, we found that for the most part, you will be able to receive slightly better rates with national institutions than with local ones.

Keep in mind interest rates are time-sensitive in nature, so you will want to refer to the date of this article for accuracy. To get the most CD current rates from national banks, compare CD rates nationwide. 

How did we compile this list? As you are probably aware, higher CD rates tend to accompany longer maturities and since we did not want to strictly list long maturity CD’s we decided to list the deposit rates which beat the national average by the highest margins.

Best 6 month CD rates in Milwaukee, WI:

  • People’s Bank of Commerce has a 7 month promotional CD yielding 1.90% APY with a minimum deposit of $5,000 required.
  • Bay View Federal Savings and Loan has a 6 month CD yielding 1.80% APY with a minimum deposit of $500 required.
  • A-B Credit Union has a 6 month CD yielding 1.56% APY with a minimum deposit of $500 required.

Best 12 month CD rates in Milwaukee, WI:

  • Prime Financial Credit Union has a promotional 17 month CD yielding 2.17% APY with a minimum deposit of $250 required.
  • First Service Credit Union has a promotional 13 month CD yielding 2.10% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.
  • North Milwaukee State Bank has a 12 month CD yielding 2.10% APY with a minimum deposit of $2,500 required.

Best 24 month CD rates in Milwaukee, WI:

  • Hudson City Savings Bank has a 24 month CD yielding 2.50% APY with a minimum deposit of $5,000 required. This is a national institution and can accept deposits from any state.
  • A-B Credit Union has a 24 month CD yielding 2.34% APY with a minimum deposit of $500 required. 
  • First Service Credit Union has a promotional 19 month CD yielding 2.25% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.
All of the above institutions are federally insured by either the FDIC or NCUA. If you live in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and know of a better interest rate offered through your local bank or credit union, please share by leaving a comment.

Highest yielding MMA (money market account) rates in Wisconsin

September 4th, 2009 No Comments   Posted in money market accounts

Below are the highest yielding money market account rates serving citizens of the state of Wisconsin.

If you are strictly after the best rate then you have a variety of options that will provide you with similar yields. The question you need to ask yourself is, “what type of minimum balance can I keep?” Most money market accounts provide a given interest rate based on a certain account balance. The more money you are able to keep in these accounts, the higher the interest rate you will generally receive.

After sorting through dozens of interest rate tables belonging to banks and credit unions serving the state of Wisconsin, we have found that in most instances you will be able to lock in more competitive rates with local institutions (if you are eligible for membership). Before committing to one of the banks/credit unions listed below, you may want to browse through our archive of money market account interest rates.

Keep in mind, money market rates are time-sensitive in nature, therefor you may want to refer to the date of this article for accuracy. As with all money market accounts, the interest rates are variable and are subject to change without notice.

Top 2 money market rates in Wisconsin:

(click on the institution for more information)

  • Charter Bank: Eau Claire, WI. Money market account yielding 2.25% APY with a minimum balance of $10,000. This money market account is set up in four tiers, however the three tiers above the $10,000 threshold are all yielding the same interest rate of 2.25%. The interest on this account is both compounded and credited monthly. The minimum balance required to open this account is only $1,000. Please note that any balance below $10k will only render a 0.50% return. Charter Bank is a locally owned and managed community bank which first opened in 1980. They only have on location (Eau Claire, WI) however they manage assets in excess of $500 million. Charter Bank offers a wide selection of loan and savings products. Contact: (715) 832-4254
  • Co-Op Credit Union: Galesville, WI. Money market account or “Money fund checking account” yielding an APY of 2.05% with a minimum balance of $2,500. They also have a very attractive “rewards checking account” yielding an APY of 4.36%. If you are unfamiliar with these account see our “interest checking” section for further details. In a nut shell you must fulfill a certain amount of monthly requirements to earn the advertised interest rate, they are not for everyone, however, if you can meet the requirements they provide a very lucrative return. Co-Op credit union also has a decent deal on their 6 month CD rates. Currently you can earn an APY of 2.0% on these accounts if you deposit at least $1,000. If you reside in Trempealeau, Jackson, La Crosse or Monroe counties (Wisconsin) you should be eligible for membership. Contact: (715) 284-5333

Both of the above institutions are federally insured by either the FDIC or NCUA. If you live in Wisconsin and know of a better money market rate offered through your local bank or credit union, please share by leaving a comment.

Best certificate of deposit rates in Wisconsin (Top 3)

July 23rd, 2009 1 Comment   Posted in bank CD rates

We have compiled a list of highest yielding CD (certificate of deposit) rates which are available to the residents of the state of Wisconsin. The deposit products come from a variety of financial institutions including local and regional banks and credit unions. In some cases their may be eligibility restrictions, so you may want to contact a representative within their institution to see if you are eligible. If you live outside of the state of Wisconsin you may still be able to take advantage of some of these products but it will most likely depend on your individual situation (place of work, residence, family relatives, etc).

The rates below are time-sensitive and may no longer be accurate. Refer to the date of this article for accuracy. Compare CD rates within our rate charts to get updated information on high yielding certificates of deposit.

Top 3 CD rates (Wisconsin):

(clicking on the institution will bring you to their rates page)

AM Community Credit Union: Racine, WI. 14 month CD yielding 2.79% APY with a minimum deposit amount of $500. AM community credit union offers a number of lucrative deposit products with varying oddball maturities (such as this 14 month product). Some of the other noteworthy “specials” include: another 14 month CD (with a $5,000 min. deposit) and two 26 month CD’s, one with a $500 min. deposit and one with a $5,000 deposit. Follow the link above to see the associated rates.

Who can join? Any person who lives or works in Wisconsin’s Kenosha or Racine Counties, any Chrysler employee or any family member of an AM Community Credit Union (AMCCU) member is eligible for membership. A $5.00 savings deposit (one share in the credit union) establishes your membership. As a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative, AMCCU exists to provide affordable and accessible financial products, services and resources to help our members achieve financial security.

Investors Community Bank: Manitowoc, WI. 24 month CD yielding 3.0% APY with a minimum deposit amount of $10,000. The current national average for 2 year CDs is 2.05% APY. Investors Community Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of County Bancorp, Inc. headquartered in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  Since March 1997, they claim to have been providing retail and small business financial services to Manitowoc County and agri-business finance services statewide.  They have one banking office located at 860 North Rapids Road in Manitowoc.

County City Credit Union: Jefferson, WI. 36 month CD yielding 3.25% APY with a minimum deposit amount of $500. Anyone living or working in Jefferson County, or the City of Watertown or Village of Cambridge, is eligible for membership as well as the immediate family of any member. All employees of Universal Electronics are eligible. You must fill out an application along with a $5.00 fee as well. County City CU was established in 1963.

If you reside in the state of Wisconsin and know of a better deposit rate offered through your local bank, please share by leaving a comment.

All of the above institutions are federally insured by either the FDIC or NCUA.

15 month CD special by Fort Financial Credit Union

March 18th, 2009 2 Comments   Posted in Best CD Rates

…So here is the latest in BankVibe’s quest for 3.0% APY FDIC insured investments: Fort Financial Credit Union out of North Carolina is offering customers using new money a 15 month CD yielding 3.05% APY (if you are already banking with them and cannot fund this account with new money they will still offer you a respectable 2.75% for the same 15 month duration.)

It’s a bit discouraging to say the least that we can’t get over this 3.0% APY hump that seems to be in place for shorter term deposits, but local credit unions and banks are constantly running CD rate promotions that will at least crush the current national averages.

To sign up for Fort Financial Credit Union’s “Spring Savings Special” CD rates you must first become a member. Like many credit unions there are geographical restrictions in place for membership.

If you live in the following cities you may be eligible for membership:

Corinth, Mississippi
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Gastonia, North Carolina
Janesville, Wisconsin
Marion, Indiana
Morganton, North Carolina
South Beloit, Illinois

See more details on who can join.

If you know of a short term deposit (6 – 18 months) yielding 3.0% PLUS please let us know about it by leaving a comment!