Idaho Banking Rates and News

KeyBank has another checking promotion in which you can earn $150. It's very similar to the $150 bonus that it was offering last year. 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).

KeyBank doesn’t have the best reputation among many DA readers. You can read the problems customers have experienced in the comments of my 2012 KeyBank post and in my 2011 KeyBank post. If you have experience with KeyBank promotions and checking accounts, please leave a comment below.

Here's the

Washington Federal is offering a special short-term CD. It's a 7-month CD with a 1.00% APY. Minimum deposit is $1,000, and the maximum is $250,000. Thanks to DA reader Pearlbrown who first noted this special in the forum. I found this special mentioned at this Washington Federal deposit rates page on 3/5/2013.

In 2011 Washington Federal had offered top rates on its 5-year CDs. Most of its current standard CD rates are not too competitive.

A branch visit has been required to open accounts. For those who prefer opening a CD in a branch, this bank may...

After other credit unions have cut their CD rates, Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) now has the best 5-year CD and IRA CD rate as compared to other major credit unions. Mountain America calls these Term Deposits. The 5-year Term Deposit has a 2.00% APY. Minimum deposit is $500. This rate is listed at MACU's rates page as of 2/12/2013. Rates are subject to change at anytime.

Some of the term deposit details are listed in the credit union's membership agreement. However, it doesn't appear to list the early withdrawal penalty. When I last...

Bank of the West has recently brought back its $150 checking account promotion. It looks like the same promotion they were offering last summer. Just like the last one, there's also a $200 bonus, but that requires a checking account with high monthly service fees that can't be easily waived. These promotions are listed on Bank of the West's home page.

Details for the $150 bonus are listed in this Bank of the West promotions page. The checking account must be opened by 3/8/2013.

To qualify for the full $150 requires the following:

• Must open a new Easy...

KeyBank has another checking promotion in which you can earn $150. It's very similar to the $150 bonus that it was offering last year. 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 KeyBank promotions page. The offer is scheduled to last until September 28, 2012. Like last year, it requires quite a bit of work:

• open a qualifying KeyBank checking account online and enter offer code ONFT0912 by September 28, 2012, and
• make at least 30 payments and/or purchases within 3...

Bump-up CDs that give CD holders the option to bump up the rate of a CD are rare and often have lower rates than regular CDs. That's not the case at Idaho Central Credit Union which has very competitive rates on its bump-up CDs that it calls Freedom CDs. The best rates are 2.15% APY for a 5-year term, 1.80% APY for a 4-year term and a 1.55% APY for a 3-year term. Minimum deposit is $500. These rates are listed in the credit union's Freedom CD rates page as of 8/16/2012.

The bump-up feature of the...

Bank of the West has just started a new checking account promotion with a bonus of up to $150. There's also a $200 bonus, but to qualify you must open a checking account that requires a large balance to avoid a high monthly service charge. These promotions are listed on Bank of the West's home page.

Details for the $150 bonus are listed in this Bank of the West promotions page. The checking account must be opened by 8/31/2012.

To qualify for the full $150 requires the following:

• Must open a new Easy Checking, Choice Interest Checking, or 55...

I first reviewed the reward checking account at Capital Educators Federal Credit Union in 2009. The credit union calls it High Yield Checking. As you might expect, the rate isn't as high as it used to be in 2009. In addition, the balance cap has fallen. The reason this deserved a new review is due to the credit union expanding its field of membership. Anyone can now become a member by joining a foundation. When compared against other reward checking accounts nationally available, it's competitive.

The following are the rates and features if certain monthly requirements are met as of...

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...

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 CD is...