GTE Financial Ups 12-Month CD To Near-Rate Leading Status

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Deal Summary: 12-month Share Certificate, 4.13% APY, $500 minimum deposit.

Availability: Easy membership by joining CU Savers ($10 one-time membership fee); residents of certain Tampa Zip Codes; SEGs.

As DA reader, calwatch, noted in a recent Forum post, Florida-based GTE Financial is currently offering 4.13% APY on its 12-, 24-, and 36-month Share Certificates, following rate increases of 237 bps, 160 bps, 109 bps, respectively. The minimum opening deposit is $500, with no stated balance cap.

APYMINMAXINSTITUTIONPRODUCTDETAILS
4.23%$500-GTE Financial24 Month Share Certificate
4.23%$500-GTE Financial36 Month Share Certificate
4.13%$500-GTE Financial12 Month Share Certificate
Rates as of March 24, 2023.

All GTE Financial Share Certificates are also available as IRA Certificates (Traditional, Roth, CESA, SEP), earning the same APYs with the same deposit requirements.

APYMINMAXINSTITUTIONPRODUCTDETAILS
4.33%$500-GTE Financial36 Month IRA (Traditional, Roth, CESA)
4.23%$500-GTE Financial24 Month IRA (Traditional, Roth, CESA)
4.13%$500-GTE Financial12 Month IRA (Traditional, Roth, CESA)
Rates as of March 24, 2023.

As stated in the Share Certificate Account Disclosure, the Early Withdrawal Penalty reads as follows:

The penalty applies to the amount withdrawn each time a withdrawal is made, and is based on the dividend rate in effect at the time of the withdrawal. The penalty will equal 90 days of dividends for accounts with terms of 12 months or less, and 180 days of dividends for account with terms greater than 12 months.

According to the fine print on the landing page,

No withdrawals may be made on a GTE Financial Share Certificate in the first 60 days of account opening.

Funding and Other Particulars

A Truth-in-Savings disclosure and a fairly comprehensive FAQ section used to be available on the GTE Financial website. Unfortunately, these are no longer available. The following information is from a Live Chat with CSR.

  • Funding – ACH, wire, shared branch transfer, or credit card (up to $5k).
  • Maturing Funds – transferred to a GTE Financial Savings Account.
  • Dividends – compound monthly and are paid on the last day of the month and can be transfer to a GTE Financial Savings Account without penalty.
  • Grace Period – 7 calendar days before automatic renewal.
  • Beneficiaries – unlimited, percentages assigned, Social Security numbers required.
  • Credit Check – Hard pull.

A Little History

For many long-time DA readers, a mentioning GTE Financial immediately brings one thing to mind: the mini-fiasco in the fall of 2019. At that time, GTE Financial cancelled the add-on features on existing 60-month promotional share certificates (3.30% APY) opened in 2018 and 2019. While GTE Financial quickly reversed its decision after a general outcry by its members, it definitely made the DA readership wary.

There haven’t been any recent reported problems with GTE Financial changing the rules on the 60-month add-on. Now that CD rates are higher than 3.30%, the add-on feature is no longer a concern, but it does serve as a cautionary tale.

Availability

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, GTE Financial’s field of membership (FOM) has a way for almost any U.S. citizen or resident alien to join.

Easy membership: Joining GTE Financial’s non-profit educational financial club, CU Savers (one-time $10 membership fee), qualifies for credit union membership.

Residency: Individuals who live, work, worship, or attend school in the following Tampa Zip Codes are eligible to join - 33602, 33603, 33604, 33605, 33606, 33607, 33609, 33610, 33619.

Employment: Employees of a Community Partner (SEG) qualify for membership. Individuals who have an immediate family member who works for a Community Partner are also membership eligible.

Relationship: Immediate family members (spouse, child, parent, sibling, stepparent, stepchild, grandparent, or grandchild) of a current GTE Financial member is also welcome to apply.

Joining GTE Financial and/or opening a Share Certificate can be done online, or at any of 24 Florida branches located in Bradenton, Brandon, Clearwater, Crystal River, Hudson, Lakeland (2), Lutz, New Port Richey, Ocala, Plant City, Riverview, Sarasota, Seffner, Seminole, St. Petersburg (2), Tampa (6), and Temple Terrace.

Current GTE Financial members can open a Share Certificate through the GTE online banking platform.

All it takes is a $5 deposit to become a member! When you have $100 or more in your savings account, the money will earn dividends.

GTE Financial participates in both the CO-OP Share Branch network and the ATM network.

Credit Union Overview

GTE Financial has an overall health grade of "A" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 4.48% (excellent), based on June 30, 2022 data. In the past year, GTE Financial has increased its total non-brokered deposits by $126.24 million, an excellent annual growth rate of 5.12%. Please refer to our financial overview of GTE Financial (NCUA Charter # 196) for more details.

GTE Financial’s predecessor, Peninsula Telephone Employees Federal Credit Union (PTEFCU) was established in 1901. While GT&E purchased Peninsula Telephone Company in 1935, the PTEFCU name remained in place until 1958, when it was changed to GTE Federal Credit Union. In the 1990s, GTE Financial was the first Florida credit union (and the second in the country) to implement a successful debit card program. The Credit Union rebranded in 2012 and is currently Florida’s ninth largest credit union, with more than 231,000 members and assets in excess of $2.8 billion.

As stated in GTE Financial’s “Check Out Our Timeline section,

2021 – GTE Financial opens a Community Financial Center in Lakewood Ranch and is named Corporate Philanthropist of the Year. GTE achieves $1 Billion in Total Loan Originations, providing affordable financing as the community recovers from COVID-19.

How the 12-month Share Certificate Compares

When compared to similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com which are available nationally and have minimum deposit requirements of $10k or less, two credit unions have higher rates than currently offered on the GTE Financial 12-month Share Certificate. The following table compares the 12-month Share Certificate 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 11/1/2022.

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

Related Pages: Orlando CD rates, Tampa CD rates, 1-year CD rates, 5-year CD rates, IRA CD rates, nationwide deals

Comments
racecar
  |     |   Comment #1
Just be sure to look at GTE's Fee Schedule so you know everything beforehand. GTE likes $$ Fees. A Fee for using Shared Branch. A Fee if you don't keep at least $500 in your savings account if you don't have any other product (ie, after your CD matures). Fees that others don't charge (like the shared branch one) and fees that are often higher than others. Don't avoid GTE if there's a deal that appeals to you, just be aware of all of their fees and note them, so you can avoid them. GTE tends to be fee-happy...
glasses
  |     |   Comment #2
The zip code range for membership is much wider than those few listed. I am a member and my zip code is in Sarasota County, not Tampa. Now that they have many branches outside of Tampa, the number of zip codes that can join has increased substantially.
GTE Financial Ups 12-Month Add-On IRA To 3.30% APY
Deal Summary: 12-month Add-On IRA Special, 3.30% APY, $500 minimum deposit, additional deposits limited by personal tax contribution limits.

Availability: Easy membership by joining CU Savers ($10 one-time membership fee); residents of certain Tampa Zip Codes; SEGs.

Florida-based GTE Financial has raised the rate on its 12-month Add-On IRA Special to 3.30% APY. The minimum opening deposit is $500, with no stated balance cap. There’s also a Jumbo version of the 12-month IRA Special, requiring a $100k minimum deposit, but it earns the same 3.30% APY....

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GTE Financial Has Promo CDs With Unlimited Add-Ons
Deal Summary: 60-month Jumbo Promotional Share Certificate (3.30% APY, $100k), 60-month Promotional Share Certificate (3.04% APY, $500), new money, unlimited additional deposits.

Availability: Easy membership by joining CU Savers ($10 one-time membership fee); residents of certain Tampa Zip Codes; SEGs.

For a limited-time, Florida-based GTE Financial is offering Promotional Share Certificates with increased rates and an unlimited add-on feature, “which means you can add money at any time during your term, in as little as $20 increments.” In the past, GTE Financial capped the add-ons at $6k, but...

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GTE Financial Offers Promo CDs With Unlimited Add-Ons
Deal Summary: Promotional Share Certificate – 60-month (3.04% APY), 48-month (2.94% APY), 36-month (2.84% APY), 30-month (2.68% APY), and 24-month (2.53% APY), $500 minimum, new money required. APYs 25 bps higher with $100k minimum.

Availability: Easy membership requirement by joining CU Savers ($10 one-time membership fee); residents of certain Tampa Zip Codes; SEGs.

For a limited-time, Florida-based GTE Financial has raised the rates on its Share Certificates and included an add-on feature, “which means you can add money at any time during your term, in as little as $20...

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GTE Financial Has Top CD Rates, Nationally Available

Update: According to the GTE Financial promo page, "This offer expires Friday, October 27th, 2017 at 5pm EST."

Deal Summary: Share Certificate Specials – 6-month (1.56% APY), 12-month (1.76% APY), 18-month (2.32% APY), 24-month (2.48% APY), 30-month (2.78% APY), $100k minimum, new money required. APYs 25 bps lower with $500 minimum.

Availability: Easy membership requirement by joining CU Savers ($10 one-time membership fee); residents of certain Tampa Zip Codes; SEGs.

Florida-based GTE Financial is offering limited-time Share and Jumbo Share Certificate Specials, with very competitive rates. New money is...

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GTE Financial Ups Nationally Available Long-Term CDs
Deal Summary: Member Advantage Share Certificates – 36-month (2.02% APY), 48-month (2.27% APY), 60-month (2.58% APY), $500 minimum deposit.

Availability: Easy membership requirement by joining CU Savers ($10 one-time membership fee); residents of certain Tampa Zip Codes; SEGs.

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The Share Certificates are also available as IRAs (Traditional,...

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