New York Banking Rates and News

Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) has just recently come out with a special 5-year CD rate that’s very competitive. It has a 2.20% APY with a $500 minimum deposit. MACU calls these Term Deposits, and they’re available in IRAs. This special term deposit is listed in MACU’s promotions page as of 3/3/2014. According to this page, this is a limited time special. Thanks to DA member OldGuy who posted on this news in the forum.

Some of the term deposit details are listed in the credit union's membership agreement. However,...

Bank of the West has again brought back its $150 checking account promotion. It looks like the same promotion they were offering last year. 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 3/7/2014.

To qualify for the full $150 requires the...

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...

Washington Federal is offering a holiday special CD with terms of 7 or 13 months. It has a 1.00% APY, and the minimum deposit is $1,000. Maximum deposit is $250,000. I found this special mentioned at this Washington Federal deposit rates page on 12/27/2013.

In 2011 Washington Federal had offered top rates on its 5-year CDs. This year they haven’t had any competitive rates for their 5-year CD or other standard terms.

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

RepublicBankAz, N.A. recently introduced reward checking and savings accounts under the Kasasa brand. The rates are a little low compared to some nationally available accounts, but they’re competitive, especially when compared to accounts from Arizona banks and credit unions. Below is a summary of the rates and features of these two accounts based on the bank’s Kasasa Cash and Kasasa Saver pages as of 12/6/2013:

Kasasa Cash rates and ATM fee refunds if certain monthly requirements are met:

• 2.50% APY on balances up to $15,000
• 0.20% APY on portion of balance over $15,000
• 0.03%...

PenFed isn’t the only credit union offering 3% CDs. Another credit union came out with a December CD special with some even higher rates. It’s Credit Union West, and it’s offering 5-year CDs and IRA CDs with rates around 3%. The best deal is the 5-year Jumbo IRA CD which has a 3.20% APY. Minimum deposit is $50,000. For a $10,000 minimum, the APY is 3.15%. The regular CD rates are a little lower, but they’re still very competitive. For a $50,000 minimum, the APY is 2.95%, and for...

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...

MidFirst Bank made a big increase in its 7-year CD and IRA CD rates. The Fixed 7-year CD APY increased from 2.00% to 2.50%. MidFirst also has callable CDs, and the 7-year callable CD with a 6-month lock now has a 2.75% APY. The shorter-term CDs are not nearly as competitive. The only one having a rate over 1.00% is the 5-year CD which has a 1.55% APY. Minimum deposit is $1,000. These rates are listed in the bank's CDs rates page as of 8/30/2013.

I haven’t been able to find...

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...

Bank of the West has again brought back its $150 checking account promotion. It looks like the same promotion they were offering February. 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 8/30/2013.

To qualify for the full $150 requires the following:

• Must...