Bellco Credit Union Unveils Competitive 17-Month Promo CD

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Deal Summary: 17-month Promo CD, 5.00% APY, $500 minimum deposit, available through February 28, 2023.

Availability: Easy membership requirement

Now through February 28, 2023, Colorado-based Bellco Credit Union (Bellco) is offering three Promo CDs: 17-month (5.00% APY), 13-month (4.50% APY), and 6-month (3.50% APY). Of the three, the 17-month offers the most competitive rate. Any of the Promo CDs can be opened with a $500 minimum deposit, with no stated balance cap.

APYMINMAXINSTITUTIONPRODUCTDETAILS
5.00%$500-Bellco Credit Union17 Month CD Special
Rates as of March 29, 2023.

As stated on the Truth in Savings disclosure, the Early Withdrawal Penalty reads as follows:

For certificates with terms of 6 to 44 months, the amount of the early withdrawal penalty is 90 days interest on the amount withdrawn.

If the account has not yet earned enough interest, or if the interest has already been paid, the penalty will be deducted from the principal.

Availability

Headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado (a suburb of Denver), Bellco Credit Union’s field of membership is wide and varied, and includes virtually all U.S. citizens and resident aliens.

Easy Requirement In Colorado: Residents of Colorado who join Consumers United Association ($5 yearly fee or $25 lifetime fee) are automatically eligible to join Bellco.

Easy Requirement For Those Outside Of Colorado: As stated in the Bellco Membership Eligibility page, “For interested parties outside of Colorado, we've got you covered. By joining the Bellco Foundation [minimum $10 donation], you become eligible for Bellco membership.”

Residency: Individuals who live or work in the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Garfield, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, Moffat, Rio Blanco, or Weld also qualify.

Employment: Employees of nearly 1,600 SEGs are eligible to join.

Relationship: Family members (related by blood, marriage, or adoption) of current Bellco members also qualify for membership.

Account Opening

Joining Bellco and/or opening a Promo CD can be done online, or at any of the 27 Colorado branches located in Aurora (3), Brighton, Castle Rock, Centennial (2), Denver (4), Edgewater, Grand Junction, Greenwood, Lakewood, Littleton (2), Lone Tree, Longmont, Louisville, Parker, Sheridan, Thornton (2), Westminster (2), and Wheat Ridge.

A new Bellco membership can be established by opening a Savings Account with a minimum $25 deposit. There is also a one-time $5 membership fee.

Bellco participates in both the CO-OP Shared Branch network and ATM network, giving member access to more than 5,600 shared branches and more than 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide.

Funding and Other Details

The following information is from a conversation with CSR.

  • Funding – If opening online, only Plaid can be used for funding, no ACH or wire funding available. If opening in-branch, the funding options are Plaid or an internal transfer.
  • CO-OP Shared Branch Participant – Yes.
  • Dividends – Compounded/credited monthly and can be withdrawn penalty-free.
  • Maturing Funds – Plaid transaction, cashier's check to address on file, or deposited in a Bellco savings account.
  • Beneficiaries – Up to two can designated with equal shares; DOB, Social Security number, address, and phone number are required.
  • Grace Period – 10 calendar days before automatic renewal as a traditional 12-month CD.
  • Credit Check – Soft pull when joining.

Credit Union Overview

Bellco Credit Union has an overall health grade of "A" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 1.77% (excellent) based on September 30, 2022 data. In the past year, Bellco CU has increased its total non-brokered deposits by $665.69 million, an excellent annual growth rate of 13.2%. Please refer to our financial overview of Bellco Credit Union (NCUA Charter # 68437) for more details.

Chartered in 1936 by employees of Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company, Bellco Credit Union is currently Colorado’s second largest credit union, with more than 358,000 members and assets in excess of $7.1 billion. According to a Credit Union Times December 2022 article, as of September 2022, Bellco was the fourth largest credit union holder of commercial real estate loans.

4. Bellco Credit Union of Greenwood Village, Colo., 10 miles south of Denver ($7.1 billion in assets, 358,564 members), which held $1.9 billion in commercial real estate loans on Sept. 30, or 32% of its total loans. The balance rose 4.1% from June 30, and rose 69% from a year earlier.

How the 17-Month Promo CD Compares

When compared to similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that are available within the FOM and have minimum deposit requirements of $10k or less, no banks or credit unions have a higher rate than currently offered on the Bellco Credit Union 17-month Promo CD. The following table compares the 17-month Promo CD to the two highest-rate CDs from other credit unions and the two highest-rate CDs from banks.

The above information and rates are accurate as of 1/26/2023.

To look for the best CD rates, both nationwide and state specific, please refer to our CD Rates Table page.

Related Pages: Denver CD rates, Grand Junction CD rates, 1-year CD rates, 5-year CD rates, nationwide deals

Comments
fred_b
  |     |   Comment #1
I joined Bellco early in 2022. Finally a decent CD deal from them. The curious thing is that Bellco joined SaveBetter, but the credit union is offering this deal directly only.
rockies
  |     |   Comment #2
According to CSR, this certificate is not available in an IRA.
Kaight
  |     |   Comment #3
Heckuva deal. Many thanks to Ken for posting!! I was unaware.  Good things happen when you log into Ken's website.

I would not invest at Bellco, or anywhere else, through SaveBetter.  But direct like this:  you betcha!!

ETA:

Interesting.  I'm a Bellco member and, after posting the above, I telephoned them on their toll-free number.  Was unable to get through.  Got message:  "Sorry, but your call cannot be completed".

They must be swamped.  Tried on their local number, 303-689-7800, and reached them quickly with no drama at all.  Asked about limitation, if any, regarding number of Promo accounts permitted to be opened by a single member.  There is no such limit.  You may open away at 5% APY.  Also inquired how long this deal has been ongoing.  It is a new deal.  Has only been around for a few days.  Such a sweet deal!
Zemo999
  |     |   Comment #4
Anybody know what 'Plaid' is? It says funding can only be done through that. In addition, does anyone know if, upon maturity, it's deposited into a Belco savings account, can one withdraw those funds through ACH or wire? Thanks in advance!
Kaight
  |     |   Comment #5
Just off the telephone with Bellco. To open a Promo CD you can ACH funds into your Bellco savings. Once those funds become available you have the choice of opening the CD online, telephoning them and requesting to open the CD, or opening the CD in person at any Bellco branch.

Plaid? Sounds like could be one of those San Francisco fly-by-night fintech operations. Really I have no idea. But you don't need Plaid to get this Bellco deal. If you did, I would be remaining clear.
RG
  |     |   Comment #13
The Bellco site says "If you're applying for membership, Bellco's online membership application requires that you use Plaid to connect to an account at another credit union or bank." I'm wondering if you could ACH funds into your savings account because you got membership years ago and new members wouldn't be so lucky.
Kaight
  |     |   Comment #15
RG: you're right. A full confession follows:

I did join Bellco a number of years back. At that time this Plaid foolishness was not in effect. I have kept my otherwise inactive membership alive with small yearly ACH funds movements into my Bellco statement account. I do this with all my inactive CU memberships, just lying in wait for a deal to (I live in hope) come along.

So when Ken posted this deal I was joyful for this easy shot at 5% APY CDs with no upper limit.  I skipped, for obvious reasons, reading the portion of Ken's post where he discussed joining Bellco. Thus I was unaware of the new, to me, Plaid requirement. Heck, had that been a requirement back when I joined there is an excellent chance I would not have joined Bellco in the first place!

Anyway, you're right again. Once one is a Bellco member then opening the 5% CDs via ACH is very easy and straightforward, with no Plaid involvement.

Only God knows why Bellco management imposed this asinine Plaid hurdle. After further review I also have discovered (it at least appears on the surface) that Bellco in addition now requires membership aspirants to have a cell phone telephone number. That, if true, would have been yet another reason I never would have become a member in the first place.   I eschew cell phones.

Bottom line, things have gone downhill regarding ease of joining up at Bellco since I became a member several years back. And I was unaware of this when I wrote my other posts on this thread.
lou
  |     |   Comment #16
No cell phone? Wow, I can't imagine not having one, although sometimes I wish I didn't.
Choice
  |     |   Comment #17
And even more gave up on email! When one receives such w/o any opportunity to refute/reply is ethically wrong…at a minimum. Merely sending mail does not constitute receipt!
Kaight
  |     |   Comment #18
Have no clue what you mean. For the record I am a heavy user of (written) email and Google voice as well - - but not using a cell phone.
Choice
  |     |   Comment #19
Kaight…on using email…how does one know if your email is received? Is it “operative” when sent? What does one do with sent “do not reply” emails that are received and recipient does not agree with what is stated therein?
Kaight
  |     |   Comment #20
I dunno. I've been sending and receiving email for over twenty-five years. Never have had a problem or an issue. And certainly have never had anything happen which would approach justifying paying for cell telephone service.
Zemo999
  |     |   Comment #21
Perhaps it's just me, but trying to open that CD at Bellco, as an out-of-state person, has increasingly got me feeling like this is some nightmare 'phising operation', these folks are completely incompetent and contradictory, or both. If it's my ****-up, I'd like to know that, too. One might see my Jan 29th post (far below) for the spooky feeling applying engendered: It *appeared* that I could apply online, and that funding of the acct. would be done as part of that process. But first, they required my social security number, picture of my driver's license, a selfie, and other priviledged information. If one plows through their privacy policies, it *appears* they have the right to share information with a number of other parties, and may even be able to sell your info. I closed my eyes after a while. It gave me an application number, and said a Bellco rep would contact me within 3 business days. I got contacted, but by email, and it demanded that I join the Bellco foundation by sending a paper check by snail mail. It also said that, as an out-of-state resident, I needed to send them a bank statement with my name and address on it (!), and a utility bill with the same. It gave an email address to send that to, and said to send the documents as a 'secure PDF.' (Very odd - they want their applicants to know how to make a secure PDF (and how would they know the password, unless one included it in the email, defeating the purpose of 'secure' altogether); but they want you to send them a snail mail check - no mention of the strange 'Plaid' system that folks on this thread have said is a useless PITA. I called them, and they 'scheduled' me for a zoom video visit (apparently as a way to set up an account, never mind all the work I've put into that so far, without any forward movement). But at the same time, they're dunning me by email, saying they haven't received the funding and other documents they've required in addition to the SS#, driver's license, etc. I've already sent them.
Yeah, it's a very sweet looking deal with a 90 day EWP, but if I were going to set up a maximum phising scam, I'd do exactly what they're doing - require highly sensitive personal information, and when you supply it, require more of it. Am I paranoid, the only one who finds this anxiety provoking, or do others think this is 'in-line' reasonable? I'm becoming tempted to see if they can just securely erase all the personal info I've sent them, and call it a day. Comments/experience appreciated.
P_D
  |     |   Comment #6
Plaid is not a fintech although it provides services to fintechs.  It is a third party company that provides certain technical services to financial institutions.

You will primarily encounter it when creating an "instant" ACH link to an external financial institution. It will ask you for your log in information to the other FI and after you put it in you will be able to create a link to an account at the other FI. That is the general way it works. Convenient, but not very comfortable from a security standpoint since a company with which you have no relationship is getting your private information.

My advice is that any time you use it, go to the other FI and change your password and if possible your user name too immediately afterward for better security.
John2022
  |     |   Comment #10
Plaid, it should be noted, just recently settled a Class-Action Lawsuit against them for collecting Depositors private information and selling it. As the previous commenter suggested - when funding a new account at small banks and credit unions YOU have to give a 3rd party vendor- Plaid- your log-in username AND password that you use at the financial institution from which this new account will be funded. Changing your user name and password afterwards is really smart recommendation. I refuse to do business with any bank or credit union that requires a 3rd party to provide the means to make an ACH. What a lame process.
Kaight
  |     |   Comment #11
John2022:

Spot on! Good and helpful post.

Plaid might not be a fintech, but that is merely a technicality. Plaid IS located in San Francisco. Not one cent of my money will ever go to any such San Francisco based financial world operation. Only an absolute fool would assume such risk.
unmesh
  |     |   Comment #7
Can a current member share what Bellco wants to see as authorization for an outgoing wire transfer?

Thanks
Kaight
  |     |   Comment #8
Successfully and easily opened my first seventeen month Promo CD early this morning online. No telephone call was needed.  They will not be open out there on Mountain Time for a while anyway.

The process was very smooth. Only wrinkle, if you even can call it that:

My new CD took several minutes to appear in my accounts list. It did not show up instantaneously. But it did show up in short order and everything is correct. I like that at Bellco, unlike at some other financial institutions, they provide you the interest rate when you pull up your account. All in all, and bottom line, a very straightforward way to earn 5% APY on your money.

I have a history with Bellco that goes back a few years.  Have found them to be quite helpful and easy to work with throughout. Nice people. Course with this CD you don't even have to telephone them. It all easily can be accomplished online.
Zemo999
  |     |   Comment #12
Perhaps I'm missing something (and if you can enlighten me, I'd appreciate it.) One has to be a member of Bellco Foundation before you can open an account. However, for someone outside of Colorado, or otherwise not eligible by their 'normal' means, I keep getting stuck in a 'loop' where it wants me to:
"How to Make a Donation
Bellco Credit Union accepts donations on behalf of the foundation. If you would like to become a member of the Bellco Foundation, simply fill out the Foundation Form and mail a check (of at least $10) payable to “Bellco Foundation” to:

Bellco Credit Union
Attn: Foundation
P.O. Box 6611
Greenwood Village, CO 80155-6611"
Can that be right? Filling out a paper form and mailing a check? I'll check with them on Monday if I can get through. But it feels like '1990' tech, unless, as I said, I'm missing something.
Edit: If I read it right, it said to put 'Belco Foundation member' (or something to that effect) to do what, presumably, would be both joining the Foundation and becoming a member. However, it never did ask for the $10 needed to join, neither by 'Plaid' nor any other method, simply saying that what I sent them would be processed in 3 business days. *One* thing you might want to consider, which I (hope not foolishly) ignored: If you read their terms and privacy documents, some of it sounds pretty scary: They require uploading of photo ID, your *social security number*, name, address, selfie picture, the whole nine yards. And they say that they may sell and/or share your information with....it's pretty cloudy language but it feels rather like selling your firstborn child. With your social security alone they could do a lot of damage by sharing or selling it. Perhaps I ought not just to change whatever passwords I'll have to give them to fund the account, but my name as well. Let's hope not.
fred_b
  |     |   Comment #14
Note Bellco does use ChexSystems when you apply for membership. One good thing about their 17 month CD is that the EWP is only 90 days.
Zemo999
  |     |   Comment #22
Perhaps I'm paranoid, but things have gotten stranger as I've gotten further into the process of trying to open the Bellco CD as an out-of-state resident. This really starts to feel like either a 'phishing' expedition, or confusion and incompetence on their part, and I find it scary: In my Jan. 29th comment, I spoke of Bellco *seeming* to say you could apply/open this online. And I did apply. But as noted, they required some very sensitive personal information: My social security #, a picture of my driver's license, a selfie, plus more reasonable things like my phone numbers, address, etc. But it never did let me fund it, through Plaid, or any other method. It gave me an application number, and said a rep would contact me within 3 business days. Well, I did get an email saying that I needed to fund it by joining Bellco and sending a check by snail mail. But it also was requiring that I email (regular email) them a bank statement with my name and address on it (!), as well as a utility bill with the same. And that I should send this by 'secure PDF.' Seems a bit strange/disjointed that they expect their customers to know how to encrypt a PDF, but funding is done by snail mail. (And how would they know the password to 'unencrypt' the PDF, unless it was in the email, defeating the purpose?) They've begun 'dunning' me for why haven't they received the snail mail funding. They did give me an application number, but when I called in, the rep couldn't find it, nor my social security number. (If I read it right, in their privacy disclosure, it seems they reserve the right to share info with vaguely named other entities, and (I'm not sure of this) but may have said something about selling one's info - I'll have to go back and re-read.) I called again yesterday, and was told that I could have a zoom 'video visit' in a couple of days. But the info they sent me told me to allow cookies (do they mean 'tracking cookies' as well - why would they want to see where I go online - other financial institutions?), and to disable any pop-up blocker. Maybe those last 2 requirements are innocuous, and have benign explanation. But the whole experience is beginning to creep me out. If I were to invent a system for 'Phising', I'd do exactly what they've done - require highly sensitive personal information, let you feel like you're getting somewhere, and then demand increasingly more personal information/permissions. They claim they need all this for out-of-state customers for security reasons. Wait - they're 'borrowing' money from me, why would they act like anyone out of state is trying to launder money or pull some other scam until proven otherwise?
I would very much welcome comments on this experience. Have other out-of-state applicants had these same problems? Any thoughts on all of ths? I'm wondering if I ought to contact them and ask them to securely erase all the materials they've gathered so far.
Zemo999
  |     |   Comment #23
I don't want to rattle on endlessly about things that are worrisome to me that continue to crop up with Bellco, especially if others are not interested. But indeed, I'm wondering if how they treat matters like privacy is different (i.e., more egregious) than other financial institutions. I re-took a look at their general privacy notice here: https://docs.bellco.org/disclosures/consumer/PrivacyNotice.pdf and their online privacy notice here: https://docs.bellco.org/disclosures/general/OnlinePrivacyPolicy.pdf
In the former, it stipulates some of the personal information they collect, what you can or can't opt out of, and ill-defined 'third parties' they may share information with. (Bellco required my name, address, telephone number, SS number, bank statement with my name and address, etc. Unless I specifically opt-out, they can presumably share all of that with 'third party marketers.')
I don't know if these disclosures are more draconian than other financial institutions' rules. But I do know that I find it a bit chilling, given that, as an out of state applicant, given all the very personal information they require you give them about you, that,
"When you are no longer our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this
notice."
You can opt-out of some info sharing, but there are 4 catagories that you cannot. I assume that if you've shared with Bellco information about a benficiary (such as their social security number, which is required), they can share that, too - I don't see where it's prohibited.
I'm reluctant to give up on this deal, because the short EWP is just so tantalizing. But I am heavily leaning towards pulling the plug on my application tomorrow, and and asking them to please not share the voluminous personal information they've already gathered with anybody, as it's starting to smell like a stinky fish to me.
lou
  |     |   Comment #24
Did you mention they will do a zoom with you. I would schedule that and see what can be accomplished during that session.
Zemo999
  |     |   Comment #25
Lou - I did do a zoom with them to open a new account. The rep I spoke with seemed earnest and was knowledgeagble about the opening process (although for out-of-staters it still involves sending bank stmt, utility bill etc. by snail mail and they'll tell me their 'decision' whether to accept me as a member.) But he knew nothing about their privacy policies. He didn't think they'd give or sell my info to marketers, although it's in their disclosures unless you opt-out (and as I've mentioned before, you can't opt out of some egregious things, such as their using all the personal information you've given them even after you are no longer their customer.) I'm on the fence about whether to gamble on this - most likley not.
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