West Virginia Banking Rates and News

Susquehanna Bank is offering a $100 bonus for opening a personal checking account and for completing 5 transactions each month for the first four months. The offer is listed at this Susquehanna Bank promo page, and it requires that you fill in the form to receive a $100 offer coupon in the email. You then need to print the coupon and take it to a Susquehanna Bank branch near you. The offer is scheduled to end on 5/26/12.

The following is the offer's small print:

Transaction Reward: Complete 5 transactions in each of the four calendar months...

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...

It has been over a year since my last post of Justice Federal Credit Union. Over the years I have done several posts on this credit union due to its competitive rates and a field of membership that allows many people to qualify. Even though many may be able to qualify for JFCU membership, it doesn't mean it's easy as a reader described in this review. Because of this problem, I haven't mentioned this credit union for the last year. However, it continues to offer some top CD rates. Also, several readers have been able to join. Thus,...

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...

We are still seeing checking account bonuses from the big banks. Those who are careful may be able to profit from these, but the banks know that they will most likely profit in the end. The latest big bank offering a checking account bonus is M&T Bank which is offering a $100 cash bonus for customers who add direct deposit to a MyChoice Checking account. M&T Bank has this promotion advertised on its home page and on its special website raisethegreenflag.com/mychoice.

Those who try to qualify for this bonus should be aware of...

WesBanco has a new checking account promotion that's scheduled to last until November 21, 2011. Unlike most checking promos, this one doesn't require direct deposit. However, you'll have to make a lot of debit card purchases to qualify for the full bonus. The bonus is listed at this WesBanco promotions page. There are three levels of bonus amounts with different number of debit card purchases that are required. These requirements must be met within 90 days of account opening:

• $50 for 10 purchases
• $75 for 30 purchases
• $100 for 50 purchases

The bank still offers a free...

Huntington Bank has been offering a very competitive rate on its Premier Plus Money Market Account. It has a 1.25% APY for balances from $20K to $2M. No interest is paid on balances under $20K. This is listed in the bank's rate finder page as of 9/29/2011.

One worrisome issue for money market accounts is the question about how long the competitive rates will last. I contacted the CSR via the online chat, and I was told the typical reply that the rate could change at any time. We do have the rate history of this account. You...

WesBanco is offering a new checking account promotion that’s scheduled to last until July 1, 2011. On WesBanco’s promotions page, it states that you can earn up to $179. However, $50 of that bonus requires referring a friend. I don’t usually include refer-a-friend bonuses in new-account bonuses. Even without this refer-a-friend bonus, it’s still a pretty good deal. You can earn up to $129 without too much work. Here’s what is listed in the promotions page to qualify for the full $179 bonus:

• $50 for opening the account with an initial minimum balance of $50
• $50 after your...

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...

First Peoples Community Federal Credit Union continues to offer very competitive CD, savings and money market rates. The long-term CD special rates have gone down since my October post, but they remain a good deal: 2.40% APY for 39 months and 2.80% APY for 5 years. Minimum deposit is $5,000. These rates are listed in the credit union's promo page as of 4/13/2011.

Short-Term CD Rates

The credit union also has several competitive rates on its standard CD rates, especially on the shorter terms. The best ones include a 1.70% APY 18-month CD, a 1.60% APY 12-month CD...

I hope this isn't an April's Fools joke, but Bayer Heritage Federal Credit Union has just increased some of its CD rates which were already very competitive. The best rates are 3.56% APY for a 5-year term and 3.30% APY for a 4-year term. These rates are up by about 40 basis points since February. The shorter term CD rates also went up, but they're not quite as competitive. These include a 2.02% APY 3-year CD and a 1.51% APY 2-year CD. Minimum deposit is $500, and these are also available in an IRA. These rates are listed in...

Huntington Bank is again offering a checking account promotion that makes it easy to qualify for a $100 bonus. It's very similar to what they were offering in December, and like that one, the promo is scheduled to end soon. The checking account must be opened by February 27, 2011. The promo page is listed at www.huntington.com/100dollars. To qualify for the $100, you must open a checking account with a $25 deposit and either set up an automatic direct deposit OR make 5 debit card purchases in 60 days.

Unlike the December promo, there's...