4.41% Reward Checking Account at United Bank of Kansas - Local Only

United Bank of Kansas has a high-yield reward checking account called United Premier Checking. It has the following rates and features if certain monthly requirements are met:

• 4.41% APY on balances up to $30,000
• 0.91% APY on portion of balance over $30,000
• 0.20% base rate if requirements are not met
• ATM fee refunds up to $15 per month

The monthly requirements include:

• 12 signature-based debit card purchases
• 1 direct deposit or ACH auto debit

Additional features of the account regardless of the monthly requirements include:

• $100 minimum opening balance
• No minimum balance requirement
• No monthly service charge
• Free Bill Pay

It appears that a branch visit is required to open an account. Branches are located in the Kansas cities of Lenexa, Horton, Whiting, Lancaster and Atchison.

The bank's ratings for safety and soundness are above average: 3½ stars (good) at BauerFinancial and 4 stars (sound) at Bankrate.com. Both ratings are based on 6/30/09 financial data. The bank has been a FDIC member since 1952 (FDIC Certificate # 17104).

Other Reward Checking Accounts

A bank or credit union that only offers its reward checking account locally may have a better chance with keeping rates high. Banks with nationwide reward checking accounts are more prone to rate chasers, and many have cut their rates this year. The latest is Bank of the Sierra (see post).

To find reward checking accounts in other areas of the nation, please refer to the reward checking section of DepositAccounts.com. To learn more about reward checking, please refer to this reward checking overview.