Georgia Banking Rates and News

It has been a while since I reported on Atlanta Postal Credit Union. Some other Georgia credit unions had higher rates in 2011, but this year Atlanta Postal Credit Union is on top with competitive CD and IRA CD rates. Two of the best rates include a 2.00% APY 5-year CD and a 1.25% APY 2-year CD. Below is a summary of the certificate rates listed in the credit union's rate sheet as of 4/30/2012.

• 2.00% APY 5 years
• 1.75% APY 4 years
• 1.50% APY 3 years
• 1.30% APY 30 months
• 1.25% APY 2 years
• 1.00% APY 1 year
• 0.85% APY 6 months
• 0.75%...

Many banks may have ended their free checking accounts, but at least a few are still offering new account bonuses. Customers will have to be more careful if they plan to take advantage of these promotions. That's the case with BB&T which is offering a $100 bonus for opening a checking account and performing some additional activities. Last year BB&T ended its free checking account, so those interested in this promotion will have to make sure they can avoid the fees.

To qualify for the $100 bonus, new customers must open a BB&T checking account and set-up direct deposit OR...

SunTrust Bank has a CD and IRA CD special with a competitive rate. It's a 6-year (72 month) CD with a 2.00% APY. Minimum deposit is $2,000, and the maximum opening deposit is $250,000 per CD. A new or existing checking account is required. This is a limited time special, and the rate may vary by location. This special rate and term are listed at the SunTrust CD rates page for several zip codes as of 2/28/2012.

I wasn't able to find an account disclosure online, so I used SunTrust's online chat service to find out about...

Atlantic Coast Bank is offering two internet CD specials with very competitive rates. These are a 1.25% APY 15-month CD and a 1.05% APY 7-month CD. Minimum deposit is $1,000. These rates are listed in the bank's rates page as of 10/20/2011.

These accounts can be opened online, and according to the application, they welcome all U.S. residents to apply. It does require that you are either a U.S. citizen or resident alien. One nice feature of the online application is that it allows for two POD beneficiaries. The link to the application is in...

Banks sometimes offer higher rates on IRA CDs than regular CDs. That's the case with United Central Bank which is offering IRA CD rates that are 25 basis points higher than its regular CD rates. The most competitive IRA CD rates are 1.51% APY for 18 months and 1.56% APY for 2 years. Even though the 18-month regular CD rate is 25 basis points lower, this still makes for a competitive CD with a 1.26% APY. Minimum deposit is $1,000 for regular CDs and $500 for IRA CDs. These rates are listed in the bank's rates...

Randolph Bank & Trust Company is offering a very competitive 3-year CD special. It's only available via an online application to residents of certain southeast states (see below). The 3-year CD has a 2.05% APY, and the minimum deposit is $5,000. This special is listed in the bank's CD page as of 8/31/2011. There's also a branch 3-year CD with a 1.85% APY with some special features and requirements. Thanks to the reader JasonLee who mentioned this deal in this forum thread.

In addition to this CD, Randolph also has good deals on its savings...

Affinity Bank recently increased its short-term CD rates. The three most competitive ones include a 1.46% APY 18-month CD, a 1.41% APY 1-year CD and a 1.14% APY 6-month CD. Minimum deposit is $10,000. The bank's tiered money market account rates have fallen since my last post, but they continue to be competitive. The top rate is 1.30% APY for balances of at leat $100K. These rates are listed at the bank's rates page as of 6/29/2011.

Online Application - Georgia Only

The bank has an online application based on the Andera service. The link is located on the top right...

Randolph Bank became popular last year when they launched a nationally available reward checking account called Extra-Mile Choice Checking with a yield of 4.75%. Unfortunately, the availability and the yield didn't last. The bank reduced availability to North Carolina residents, and in late December, the yield fell to 2.50% APY for balances up to $25K. However, I just noticed two favorable changes.

First, the bank is allowing more people to apply. According to their reward checking page, in addition to North Carolina, they're accepting applications from residents of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia....

SunTrust Bank continues to offer its special CD package with the competitive 2.40% APY. I first reported on this special in January. The special requires that you open both a 39-month CD and a 63-month CD with a $2K minimum deposit in both. Both CDs have a 2.40% APY. I have the full details in my SunTrust CD review.

SunTrust just came out with a new CD/IRA special with a higher rate. It's offering a 2.70% APY on a 66-month CD. Minimum deposit is $2K. This is listed at SunTrust's CD page as of...

For those who missed the short-lived high rates at Credit Union of Atlanta in February, you can still get some good CD and IRA CD deals. These are just the standard rates, but some of them are still very competitive. Two of the best ones are a 1.53% APY 1-year CD and a 2.52% APY 3-year CD. Minimum deposit is $500. These rates are listed on the credit union's deposit rates page as of 4/14/2011: According to the credit union's share savings certificates page the penalty for early withdrawal is 90 days dividends...

Affinity Bank continues to offer very competitive money market and CD rates. The money market rates have gone down a little since my last report of this bank in September. The money market's top rate is currently 1.40% APY on balances of at least $100K. Below is the full list of rate tiers:

Money Market Rates as of 4/11/2011:

• 1.11% APY $2.5K to $10K
• 1.20% APY $10K to $25K
• 1.30% APY $25K to $100K
• 1.40% APY $100K and above

Last September the bank's short-term CD rates were very high compared to what other banks were offering. Now they're more inline with the others, but they...

Resurgens Bank is offering a very competitive rate of 2.90% APY on its 5-year CD and IRA CD. Minimum deposit is $500. I was told by the bank that the early withdrawal penalty is 6 months of interest. This CD rate is listed in the bank's rates page as of 3/28/2011 and is subject to change at anytime.

A branch visit is required to open an account. It's a small bank with one office located in northeast Atlanta.

The bank has an overall health score at DepositAccounts.com of 5 stars (out of 5)...