Ohio 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

Citizens Bank and Charter One regularly have checking account promotions with nice bonuses. Both are brand names of RBS Citizens, N.A. Citizens Bank branches are primarily located on the east coast and Charter One branches are located in the Midwestern states of Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. Charter One is currently listing a bonus of up to $175. I can’t find a similar one at Citizens Bank, but when I called Citizens Bank at 888-411-7442, the CSR told me that this same $175 bonus is available. (see update below) However, he said a new customer will need to visit a...

As I was looking over our 1-year CD rate table for Michigan I noticed Health One Credit Union was on top with a rate much higher than the other Michigan banks and credit unions. Its 1-year CD rate is 2.00% for a $100,000 minimum deposit. We have been listing this rate since March. I checked the credit union’s rates page, and sure enough, it’s listed there. I also called the credit union, and I was told that it’s correct. In today’s environment, I’m suspicious of any 2% CD, and especially when the term is only...

Checking account promotions are still common at large banks, but one thing that’s not common are free checking accounts. Huntington Bank is one large bank that’s still has a free checking account. It’s called Asterisk-Free Checking. It has no monthly checking maintenance fee, no minimum balance, and no required number of debit transactions.

Huntington Bank’s promotion for its Asterisk-Free Checking offers a $150 bonus. This promo does have direct deposit and debit transaction requirements which are common for checking account bonuses. At least you don’t have to worry about these requirements to keep the account free.

Here’s the

Last November American Savings Bank, fsb began offering a reward checking account called Kasasa Cash. I just learned today that the bank has begun accepting applications from every state. For nationally available accounts, its rate and balance cap are not the best, but it is competitive. With only around 15 banks in the nation that have nationally available reward checking accounts, it’s always nice to see a new addition.

In addition to the Kasasa Cash account, American Savings Bank also offers a linked savings account called Kasasa Saver. Below are the rates and features of the Kasasa accounts as of...

Dollar Bank is offering a checking account promotion in which you can earn up to $150. To get the full $150 required debit card purchases, direct deposit and waiting for one year. The full details are listed in the bank's promotions page. The offer is scheduled to end on 2/28/2013.

The first $50 is paid as a rebate on your signature-based debit card purchases. The second $50 is a credit for receiving cumulative direct deposits of $250 or more. The third $50 credit will be paid within 2 months of the 1-year anniversary of account opening. Below...

Citizens Bank is offering a checking account bonus of up to $150. The bonus doesn't require too much work. One downside is that the checking accounts do have monthly service fees, but there are easy ways to avoid them. This promotion is scheduled to last until 2/28/2013. The details are listed at www.citizensbank.com/150. Here's summary of what's required to earn the full $150:

1. Open your first new personal checking account by 2/28/13
2. Get $50 when you setup direct deposit and have a single deposit of $500 or more clear your new checking account by 4/30/13
3. Get $50 when you...

Wright-Patt Credit Union is offering some competitive rates on its long-term share certificates. It's one of the rare institutions that offer 6-year terms. Its Jumbo 6-year CD has a 2.25% APY. The Jumbo 5-year CD has a 2.00% APY and the Jumbo 4-year CD has a 1.60% APY. The Jumbo minimum deposit is $100,000. The rates are 10 bps lower for a $500 minimum deposit. These rates are listed in the credit union's rates page as of 12/12/2012.

The IRA share certificates have the same rates as the regular share certificates. The credit union does a good...

As I was searching for new reward checking accounts, I came across the Kasasa Cash account at First Federal Community Bank in Ohio. At first I was disappointed about the low balance cap of $10,000. However, I noticed it also offers Kasasa Saver, a savings account that links with the Kasasa Cash account. Thanks to that Savings account, this bank can be a good alternative to your internet bank. Before I describe why, here are the features of the bank's Kasasa Cash and Kasasa Saver accounts as of 10/18/2012:

Kasasa Cash

• 3.01% APY on balances...

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...

Citizens Bank is offering a promotion that includes a short-term CD special and a special credit card cash-back deal. It's called the "Get the Value of Five." The promotion is scheduled to end on 9/28/2012. Here's the link to the Citizens Bank promo page. Citizen's Bank branches which are branded as Charter One have this same promo. Here's the link to the Charter One promo page. Hat tip to DA reader Kaight who posted on this deal in this forum thread. More details about this promo is available in this

Back in 2011 Connexus Credit Union used to have very competitive CD rates. That changed a year ago when its CD rates had big cuts. Over the last year those CD rates have held steady while the rates at other institutions have fallen. So Connexus CD rates are again competitive. It's one of the few institutions that still offers a 2.00% APY 5-year CD. However, there is an important downside. The top rate requires that you have an active checking account.

One recent change at Connexus is that two new CD terms are listed. A 2-year and 3-year CD are...