CSE Federal Credit Union (LA) Has Top Rate 18-Month CD
CSE Federal Credit Union's (CSE) 18-month Share Certificate currently earns 1.26% APY. The minimum opening deposit is $1k, with no stated balance cap. The 18-month Youth Share Certificate also earns 1.26%, but only requires a $500 minimum deposit.
The Share Certificate is also offered as an IRA Certificate (Traditional, Roth, CESA), but earns 1.31% APY with a minimum $250 opening deposit.
In early July 2019, the 18-month Share Certificate offered its highest rate (2.22% APY), which lasted for about ten months. Two rate drops in May and July lowered the APY to the current 1.26%. The APY became competitive in the past few months, while the majority of the 18-month CDs available in the FOM had significant rate drops.
CSE does not allow partial withdrawals, only early closures. As stated in the Truth-in-Savings disclosure, the Early Withdrawal Penalty reads as follows:
Terms of 1 year to 18 month – 180 days’ dividends
Rewards Checking
CSE’s Rewards Checking account earns 3.25% APY on qualifying balances up to $10k. Qualifying balances of $10k+ earn 0.10% APY, with non-qualifying balances earning 0.05% APY.
The qualifying requirements include,
- At least 12 debit card transactions per qualification cycle
- At least one Direct Deposit, ACH Auto Debit, or Bill Pay per qualification cycle
- Log into Online Banking at least once per qualification cycle
- Receive monthly eStatements
Monthly nationwide ATM fees will be reimbursed up to $15 if qualifying requirements are met. There is a limit of one Rewards Checking account per Social Security number and is only available as a personal account.
Availability
Headquartered in Lake Charles, Louisiana, CSE Federal Credit Union's field of membership (FOM) is primarily residency based, with individuals who live, work, worship, or attend school in the Louisiana parishes of Calcasieu, Cameron, or Jefferson Davis eligible to join.
Employees of nearly 500 Business Partners are also membership-eligible.
Immediate family of current CSE members (spouses, children, stepchildren, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren) qualify for membership, regardless of where those family members live.
Joining CSE can be done online.
Once your application is received, you will be contacted by a New Account Representative within 1-2 business days.
While CSE has reinstated its normal business hours for three of its Louisiana branches (Lake Charles (2), and Sulphur), the Jennings branch lobby remains closed for repairs.
Establishing a membership with CSE requires opening a Share Savings account, with a minimum $5 deposit.
While applying for a loan can be done online, opening a Share Certificate must be done at any of the above-mentioned branch locations or by calling 800.625.5747.
CSE participates in the Co-Op Shared Branching and ATM networks.
Now you can have access to your accounts nationwide. Over 5000 shared branch locations are available to our members through the CO-OP network.
Credit Union Overview
CSE Federal Credit Union has an overall health grade of "A+" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 4.17% (excellent), based on June 30, 2020 data. In the past year, CSE FCU increased its total non-brokered deposits by $33.9 million, an excellent annual growth rate of 12%. Please refer to our financial overview of CSE Federal Credit Union (NCUA Certificate # 5086) for more details.
Founded in 1943, CSE Federal Credit Union’s original FOM included the employees of Cities Service Refining Corporation. As I was reading about CSE’s history, I wondered why there was so much detailed information listed about the dollar limits on share deposit account and loans over CSE’s first 60 years. I found the answer:
Several landmark decisions were made at a special board meeting in November 2004. The board voted that CSE expand its services beyond shares and loans to include share-draft (checking) accounts, debit cards, online bill pay and eventually credit cards.
CSE is currently the tenth largest credit union in Louisiana, with more than 32,000 members and assets in excess of $365 million.
How the Share Certificate Compares
When compared to 161 similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that require a similar minimum deposit and are available within the FOM, CSE Federal Credit Union’s 18-month Share Certificate APY currently ranks first.
The above rates are accurate as of 10/30/2020.
To search for the best CD rates, both nationwide and state specific, please refer to DepositAccounts.com’s CD Rates Table page.
