Alabama Banking Rates and News

Last September I reported on a special 5-year CD at BBVA Compass. That special continues, and there’s also a new 29-month CD special that is also competitive. In addition, a few things have changed at Compass. The 5-year CD special still has a 2.00% APY. The new 29-month CD special has a 1.25% APY. Minimum deposit is $500, and the maximum deposit is $2,500,000 ($250,000 maximum deposit for CD accounts opened online). These rates are listed in the bank’s CD promotion page as of 3/24/2014.

One thing that has changed for...

BB&T has brought back its $125 checking account promotion. Like the one last year, you can qualify for the bonus without direct deposit. That’s rare these days. The one downside remains the same. All of BB&T's checking accounts have potential monthly service fees. So if you open the checking account for the bonus, you have to make sure to avoid the fees.

To qualify for the $125 bonus, customers must open a BB&T checking account and either 1) use online bill pay for 3 bill payments with a minimum payment of...

BBVA Compass is again offering a free Kindle Fire HD for opening a checking account and for performing a few activities. It’s a 7" 8GB Kindle Fire HD which is currently selling on Amazon for $139. It is not the Kindle Fire HDX which is much more expensive. Here's the link to the new promotion. Below are the steps required for the bonus:

• Open any ClearChoice consumer checking accounts by March 31, 2014
• Within 90 days of account opening, at least one electronic direct deposit of $300 or more from an unrelated...

Last month I reported on very competitive 3-, 4- and 5-year CD rates at MidFirst Direct, the internet division of MidFirst Bank. I learned last Saturday that MidFirst Direct is now offering 7-year CDs, and the rate is very competitive. Unfortunately, the rate has already fallen. It now has a 2.75% APY which is down from its original yield of 3.00%. Even with this lower rate, it’s still very competitive compared to other banks and credit unions. The 2.75% APY is listed in the MidFirst Direct CD page as of...

The latest bank to raise its 5-year CD rate to 2% is BBVA Compass. On Friday it raised its 5-year CD rate from 1.25% to 2.00% APY. This is the only CD term that is competitive. Its shorter-term CD rates continue to be low. This 5-year CD rate is listed in the bank’s CD rates page as of 9/16/2013. The rates may vary by location, but this 2% appears to be listed for all of bank’s market areas. Thanks to DA member OldGuy for mentioning this new rate in the...

Last year I first learned about MidFirst Direct, the internet division of MidFirst Bank. At that time last year, it was offering some very competitive CD rates. Those didn’t last long. The rates fell a few days after my post. MidFirst Direct just recently raised its long-term CD rates, and they’re very competitive. Hopefully, these rates will hold longer than they did last year. These higher CD rates include:

• 2.25% APY 5-year CD
• 1.75% APY 4-year CD
• 1.45% APY 3-year CD

The above rates are listed in the MidFirst Direct CD page as of...

BBVA Compass has another checking account promotion. It’s similar to its January promotion, except that instead of a Kindle Fire, the bank is giving away a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. The bank also added an extra requirement. So it’ll take more work to qualify for this gift. Here's the link to the new promotion. Below are the steps required for the bonus:

• Open a consumer checking account with a $25 minimum deposit by 9/30/2013
• Have a qualifying direct deposit of at least $500 from an unrelated third party post to the account...

High-interest reward checking accounts are looking more appealing these days when it looks like rates may be on the rise. These offer rates higher than CD rates, and you don’t have to worry about locking into a long-term low-rate CD. There are a few downsides with reward checking. It requires work to meet the monthly requirements. Rates may fall, and there’s a balance cap which can also fall. We have seen many reward checking accounts with balance caps that fell from $25K to $10K. We have also seen many new...

Alabama Teachers Credit Union has a reward checking account called nHanced Checking. It has the following rates and features as of 3/26/2013:

• 3.00% APY on balances up to $15,000
• 0.50% on balances over $15,000
• 0.10% on all balances if requirements are not met
• If qualifications are met, ATM fees incurred during the qualification cycle are reimbursed and credited to account on the last day of monthly statement cycle

Monthly requirements:

• 12 debit card purchases
• at least 1 direct deposit, ACH auto debit, or bill payment
• eStatements
• access online banking

There is a qualification cycle calendar here and a qualification checklist...

Regions Bank is again advertising a checking account promotion in which you can earn $125. This is another big bank that lacks free checking so you'll have to be careful to avoid monthly fees. The offer requires a new customer open a LifeGreen Checking Account online with the promo code 125, have at least $500 in total direct deposits and at least 10 Visa check card purchases in the first 60 days. Offer is scheduled to end on 4/7/2013. The offer is listed in this Region's promotion page.

There's no mention...

Just two weeks ago I posted on a BB&T $100 checking account bonus. Now it's offering a $125 bonus with the same requirements. The nice aspect of this bonus is that you can qualify for it without direct deposit. The downside is that BB&T's checking accounts have potential monthly service fees. So if you open the checking account for the bonus, you have to make sure to avoid the fees.

To qualify for the $125 bonus, customers must open a BB&T checking account and set-up and receive 2 direct deposits of...

BBVA Compass has changed its checking account promotion for the new year. Instead of a cash bonus, this new one offers a free Kindle Fire HD. Unlike the previous one, this new one requires direct deposit (and they specifically exclude bank-to-bank transfers). Here's the link to the new promotion. Below are the steps required for the bonus:

• Open a consumer checking account with a $25 minimum deposit by 3/31/2013
• Have a qualifying direct deposit of at least $300 from an unrelated third party post to the account within 90 days of account...