Alaska Banking Rates and News

Alaska USA Credit Union held on to some very competitive rates for most of last year. Unfortunately, those rates didn't make it into 2012. However, the new CD and IRA CD rates are still fairly competitive. Below are some of the most competitive CD rates as listed in the credit union's rates page as of 1/5/2012:

• 2.35% APY 5-year CD $100K min (2.25% for $10K)
• 2.01% APY 4-year CD $100K min (1.91% for $10K)
• 1.65% APY 3-year CD $100K min (1.55% for $10K)
• 1.30% APY 2-year CD $100K min (1.20% for $10K)

According to the credit union's disclosure,...

KeyBank is again offering an iPod touch as part of a checking account promotion. One thing that has changed since the last one is that you have to make twice the number of payments and/or purchases. So if you want the free iPod touch, it will require some work. Like before it's an online-only offer, but the online application only accepts certain areas which appear to be in their market area (see below).

Here's the new KeyBank promotions page. The offer is scheduled to last until July 22, 2011. The following are the requirements...

Update 11/16/2011: The offer has been extended. However, based on the comment below, you may first want to call Key to ensure your application will qualify for the bonus.

KeyBank has checking promotion in which you can earn $150. It's very similar to KeyBank's iPod touch checking promotion that I mentioned last month. It should appeal to those who don't want an iPod touch or who just prefer a cash bonus in which you don't have to worry about the gift value that the bank reports to the IRS. Like before it's an online-only offer, but...

Alaska USA Credit Union is offering some competitive CD and IRA CD rates especially for minimum deposits of $10K and $100K. Below are some of the most competitive CD rates as listed in the credit union’s rates page as of 5/23/2011:

• 2.75% APY 5-year CD $100K min (2.65% for $10K)
• 2.10% APY 3-year CD $100K min (2.00% for $10K)
• 1.75% APY 2-year CD $100K min (1.55% for $10K)
• 1.60% APY 18-mo CD $100K min (1.40% for $10K)

According to the credit union’s disclosure, the early withdrawal penalty is up to 180 days of interest on the amount withdrawn...

KeyBank has a new checking account promotion with an iPod touch bonus. It's similar to what they were offering last year, but this one requires more work. It's an online-only offer, but the online application only accepts certain areas which appear to be in their market area (see below).

Here's the KeyBank promotions page. The offer is scheduled to last until June 24, 2011. The following are the requirements to qualify for the iPod touch:

• open a qualifying KeyBank checking account online and enter offer code ONTT0311 by June 24, 2011
• make at least 10 payments...

Every now and then Doral Bank Direct offers competitive CD rates. Its latest deal is a 1-year CD with a 1.40% APY. Minimum deposit is $1,000. This is the only rate that's competitive. All the other CD rates are low. These rates are listed in the bank's CD page as of 3/29/2011.

My last report on this bank was about a year ago when they were offering a 1-year CD special. One odd thing is their requirement to close out a CD. You have to send them the original Certificate that was sent...

Spirit of Alaska Credit Union is offering a high-yield reward checking account called Choice Checking. This is another example of a reward checking with only a $10K cap. The $25K cap is the most common cap for reward checking accounts, but the $10K cap is becoming more common.

The Choice Checking offers the following rates and features if certain monthly requirements are met (as of 5/09/2010):

• 3.50% APY on balances up to $10,000
• 0.50% APY on balances over $10,000
• 0.10% base rate if requirements are not met
• ATM fee refunds of up to $20 per cycle

Monthly requirements include:

• 12 debit card purchases
• Direct...

Update 5/12/2011: KeyBank has come out with a new iPod touch promotion (8GB 4th generation) that's scheduled to last until 6/24/2011. Please refer to this iPod touch bonus post for more details.

KeyBank has a new checking account promotion in which you can earn a free iPod touch. This is similar to the Garmin promo they offered last year. Here's a summary of the requirements of this new promo:

• Open a Key Express Free Checking Account by 6/30/10, and
• Make one KeyBank Rewards debit card transaction, and
• A combination of two direct deposits and/or automated payments each of...

Alaska USA Credit Union is offering some competitive rates. The most competitive include a 2.01% APY 18-month CD, a 2.25% APY 24-month CD and a 3.35% APY 60-month CD. Minimum deposit is $500. These are also available in an IRA. These rates are listed in the credit union's certificates rates page as of 3/02/2010.

The 2.01% APY may seem low for an 18-month term, but I'm afraid it's competitive these days. As a comparison, the top 18-month CD rate at Bankrate is currently 1.84% APY at Aurora Bank.

In addition to Alaska, the credit...

• 3.50% APY on balances up to $10,000
• 0.50% on portion of balance above $10,000
• 0.15% base rate if requirements are not met

• 12 debit card purchases
• One direct deposit or automatic withdrawal or one bill-pay transaction
• Regularly use the online banking service
• Receive e-statments and maintain a valid email address

• No minimum balance requirement
• No monthly service charge
• Free bill pay
• Only one account...

• Open a qualifying checking account and enroll in KeyBank Rewards by November 20, 2009
• Make one debit card transaction and a combination of two direct deposits and/or automated payments each of $100 or more by January 22, 2010