Arizona Banking Rates and News

Hughes Federal Credit Union is offering an anniversary special certificate with a 29-month term. Three rates are available for different deposit sizes. The highest rate is 1.51% APY for a $99K deposit. There's also a 1.41% APY for a $50K deposit and 1.31% APY for a $1K deposit. These rates are listed in the credit union's term share account rates page as of 5/11/2012.

The credit union also has an interesting program for its term share accounts (CDs). It's called Buy Up Rate, and it allows you to add $10,000 or more to your...

BBVA Compass is offering its first major checking account promotion since it added new checking account fees. The promotion is listed on the bank's home page. Here's the direct link to the promotion. You can earn $100 for opening a new Build-to-Order or CompassLink Checking Account online by June 30, 2012. Also required is either a qualifying direct deposit or 3 online bill payments of at least $50 each within 60 days of online account opening. Below is the offer's small print:

$100 Bonus Terms & Conditions: New consumer checking accounts opened online from May 4, 2012...

The seven banking divisions of BOK Financial Corporation are offering a cash bonus for opening a new checking account. Four of the divisions are offering a $100 bonus, and the other three are offering a $50 bonus. To qualify for the bonus, the customer must either activate direct deposit OR make 10 debit card purchases ($10 minimum per transaction). The promotion is scheduled to end on May 31, 2012. Below are the links to the promotion pages of the seven divisions:

• $100 bonus at Bank of Texas (free checking)
• $100 bonus at Colorado State Bank and...

Update 5/25/2012: The 5-year Premium Money Market CD rate has fallen. According to the CSR, it's now 1.65% APY (down from 1.80% APY on 5/11). This is for California. Rates may vary for other states.

It's not common to find competitive CD rates at large brick-and-mortar banks, but I found one at Bank of the West. It's offering a 2.00% APY 5-year CD. This is the bank's Premium Money Market CD which requires a $2,500 minimum deposit. The rate isn't listed online, and it may vary by state. I called the bank yesterday (3/27/2012) and verified it for the bank's...

Washington Federal is offering a new checking account promotion in which customers can receive either an Amazon Kindle or Kindle Fire. The details are listed at Washington Federal's promotion page. The promotion is scheduled to end on May 31, 2012.

To qualify for the Amazon Kindle ($79 value), a Simple or Performance Checking Account must be opened. To qualify for the Kindle Fire ($199), a Stellar Checking account must be opened. As you might expect, you'll have to worry about monthly fees, especially for the Stellar Checking account. However, if you're careful, these could be good deals....

Bank of the West has just started a new checking account promotion with a bonus of up to $100. In addition, the bank will donate $25 to local schools. You can also earn another $25 by opening a credit card with the checking account. I didn't include this in the total bonus since there are many credit card bonuses that are over $25.

Bonus Details are listed in this Bank of the West promotions page. The checking account must be opened by 4/27/2012.

If you decide to give this promotion a try, don't forget Bank of the West...

It has been a while since BBVA Compass has offered competitive CD rates. BBVA Compass currently has one CD rate that's competitive. It's a 5-year CD with a 2.00% APY. Minimum deposit is $5,000, and the maximum is $1 million. This is listed on its CD rates page as of the morning of 2/7/2012. Rates may vary by area. I've confirmed this rate for several locations including Southern California, Houston Texas and Jacksonville Florida.

BBVA Compass provides few CD details on its website. I had to call their Telephone Banking Department at 1-800-266-7277 (option 2)...

Washington Federal continues to offer a competitive 5-year CD rate. For a minimum deposit of $90K, it's 2.30% APY. The 3-year and 4-year CD rates are also competitive: 1.55% APY for 3 years and 1.80% APY for 4 years. The rates are 5 basis points lower for a $1K deposit. These rates are listed in the bank's rates page as of 12/07/2011.

I first reported on this deal in September. When I called the bank in September, I was told that the rates are typically not changed until Fridays. One downside to this 5-year...

MidFirst Bank is offering a checking account promotion with a cash bonus of either $100 or $125. The bank's branches in Arizona have a $125 bonus, and those in Oklahoma have a $100 bonus. Details are listed in the bank's promotions page. To qualify for the bonus, you must open a new consumer checking by 12/31/2011. Also, 3 out of 5 of the following requirements must be met within 75 days of account opening:

• 250 minimum monthly recurring direct deposit
• 25 Visa Check Card transactions. Multiple swipes for the same transaction do not qualify.
• Elect eStatements and complete 5...

First American Credit Union continues to offer very competitive CD rates especially for minimum deposits of $50,000. Some of these include a 2.52% APY 5-year CD, 1.76% APY 3-year CD and a 1.26% APY 1-year CD. These rates are listed in the credit union's rates page as of 11/29/2011. This page has some old dates, but according to the credit union rep, these rates are still valid.

The credit union doesn't provide many details about its field of membership. In its How To Join page, it just says "All it takes to...

Mountain America Credit Union has increased the bonus amount of its Facebook checking account promotion. In mid October a reader mentioned a $100 checking incentive. It's now $125. They want you to "like" their Facebook page before they will show you the flyer. If you don't have a Facebook account, here's the direct link to the checking promo flyer (PDF). The flyer provides the following instructions:

Bring this coupon to any branch. Open your new checking account, set up free direct deposit and free eStatements to get your $125 bonus.

There is no expiration date...

On Friday US Bank did something that's rare these days. It raised the rate of its competitive long-term CD. The rate of the 59-month CD special increased from 2.00% to 2.25% APY. The two other special CDs with shorter terms are not nearly as competitive. One is a 1.25% APY 37-month CD and the other is a 1.01% APY 19-month CD. Minimum deposit is $1,000, and the maximum is $249,999. These rates are listed in US Bank's CD page as of 10/31/2011. Rates could change at any time, but they typically change on Friday mornings.