Texas Banking Rates and News

For much of the last year Libertad Bank had been offering a great 18-month CD deal. That has ended, but it now has new deals that are even better, especially for those who don’t like to lock into CDs. One of the new deals is a money market account special with a 1.50% APY for balances of at least $10,000. The rate is guaranteed until 6/30/2014. New money is required, and there’s a $9.99 monthly fee for balances under $1,000. This offer is listed at the bank’s money market page as of 5/16/2013. Thanks to DA...

Thanks to companies like Andera which provides online applications to banks, it’s easy for small banks to offer their products online to anyone in the nation. We’ve seen several good online deals from small banks in the last few years. I just found another one at Triumph Savings Bank. It’s not a hot deal, but it’s very competitive compared to internet banks. The best deal is a 12-month CD with a 1.06% APY. There’s also a 3-year CD with a 1.30% APY. Minimum deposit is $1,000. These rates are listed in the bank’s CD rates page...

Unless you can get lucky with a hot short-term CD deal, you’ll probably have to settle for rates around 1.00% for good short-term CD deals. That’s the case for Your Community Credit Union which is offering a 1.00% APY for a 6-month and 12-month Jumbo CD. The minimum deposit to qualify for this rate is $100,000. The rates go down quite a bit for smaller deposits. This rate is listed in the credit union’s rates page as of 5/2/2013.

Credit union membership is open to those who live, work or worship in one of many cities...

Update 5/17/13: According to an Irvine branch CSR, the You Choose CD rate has fallen to 1.50% APY. All other features remain the same.

SharePlus Federal Bank is offering special CDs called the You Choose CD. It allows you to choose any term on the bank’s regular CD products between 1 year and 5 years and earn 2.00% APY. Minimum deposit is $10,000. The maximum deposit is $25,000 without a checking account. It’s $50,000 when you have an active SharePlus checking with either direct deposit or an average account balance of at least $1,000 (must remain for the life of...

If you live in the market area of Capital One Bank, new customers can still get a good checking account deal. They have been offering this deal for awhile, and I’m still seeing it advertised. It has become a better deal as rates at other banks have fallen. Capital One is guaranteeing a promotional rate (1.00% APY for most areas) for balances up to $100,000 for the first 12 months. Details of this promotion are listed at the Capital One High Yield checking page. Note, it will only show if your zip code is in their...

Regions Bank is again advertising a checking account promotion in which you can earn $125. This is another big bank that lacks free checking so you'll have to be careful to avoid monthly fees. The offer requires a new customer open a LifeGreen Checking Account online with the promo code 125, have at least $500 in total direct deposits and at least 10 Visa check card purchases in the first 60 days. Offer is scheduled to end on 4/7/2013. The offer is listed in this Region's promotion page.

There's no mention of this offer on Region's home...

It's difficult finding short-term CDs with rates over 1.00% these days. This is especially the case if you prefer to open a CD at a brick-and-mortar branch. If you're searching for this CD, you might be interested in the CD special at Premier America Credit Union. It has a 13-month term with a 1.03% APY. Minimum deposit is $1,000. It's available for IRAs and business accounts. This is a limited time offer. The special CD rate is listed in the credit union's rates page as of 3/13/2013.

Premier America Credit Union also has a good deal on...

Air Force Federal Credit Union recently increased its 1-year and 2-year CD rates. Also noteworthy is that its 7-year CD rates remain very competitive. The credit union's top-tier 1-year and 2-year CD rates went up by 15 basis points. The Jumbo 1-year CD now has a 1.00% APY, and the Jumbo 2-year CD has a 1.10% APY. These require a $100K minimum deposit. The rates for deposits under $100K are 0.85% APY for 1-year and 1.00% APY for 2-year. The credit union's Jumbo 7-year CD yield is still 2.00%. For deposits under $100K, the 7-year CD has...

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...

Over the last few years we've seen many rate cuts on reward checking accounts, and sometimes those cuts can be big. That was the case on Friday at Coppermark Bank. Its reward checking account has long been a rate leader with a 4.00% APY for up to $25K since I reviewed this account in 2009. That ended last Friday when the rate plummeted from 4% to 1.25% APY. The balance cap of $25K remains the same. Thanks to DA reader Pearlbrown who posted on this news in this forum thread. There had been speculation that this rate...

If you had been planning to open a PenFed CD, you need to hurry before March. PenFed CD rates appear to be falling quite a bit for March. Thanks to the reader who forwarded me the new rates he received from his correspondence with PenFed. Below are the new rates that the reader received by email. I also included the current rates. All of the new rates are 25 bps lower.

• 1.75% APY 7-year CD (was 2.00% APY)
• 1.65% APY 5-year CD (was 1.90% APY)
• 1.60% APY 4-year CD (was 1.85% APY)
• 1.60% APY 3-year CD (was 1.85% APY)
• 1.35% APY 2-year CD (was...

Every now and then a financial institution will offer a CD special that's actually more like a checking account bonus. That's the case at Chartway Federal Credit Union. It's offering a special called the GO Direct Promotional Certificate. It has an 11-month term and a 3.00% APY. Minimum deposit is $1,000. Here's the catch (there are actually two). Maximum deposit is $20,000, and it requires direct deposit for the duration of the CD. The details of this special CD are listed in this Chartway promotions page as of 2/22/2013. It's a limited time offer.

Update 2/27/13: A...