Justice Federal Credit Union Adds Rate-Leading 12-Month Special CD

For a limited-time, Virginia-based Justice Federal Credit Union (Justice Federal) is offering a very competitive 12-Month Special Certificate earning 4.25% APY ($100k) or 4.15% APY ($500). This promotional Certificate requires new money, which is defined as “funds not currently on deposit with Justice Federal.”

The Special Certificate is also available as IRA Special Certificate (Traditional and Roth), earning the same rates with the same deposit requirements.

As stated in the Membership Booklet (page 21), the Early Withdrawal Penalty reads as follows:

Terms of 3 months to 12 months – 90 days’ dividends

If the Special CD hasn’t earned enough dividends, or if the dividends have already been paid, the penalty will be deducted from the principal.

Extra 10 bps with Checking Relationship

The 12-month Special Certificate rates are eligible for an additional 10 bps for maintaining either a Justice National or Beyond the Badge checking account.

Certificate rate increase effective by end of day on date of opening. JNA/Beyond
the Badge account and certificate must be under the same account number.

The only differences between the two checking accounts is that Beyond the Badge is for individuals 55 years or older and comes with free checks. Both accounts earn 0.05% APY, have a $25 minimum opening deposit, and require a $2.5k daily balance to avoid the monthly service fee ($10 for Justice Nation and $8 for Beyond the Badge). There are no transactional requirements with either checking account.

If you close your checking account during the term of the Certificate Special, the “rate will be reduced to the original dividend rate of your Share Certificate for the remainder of the certificate term.”

Funding and Other Particulars

• Funding – ACH, wire, or Shared Branch transfer.
• Maturing Funds – distributed by check to address on file, wire ($20 fee) or through internal transfer to checking/savings account.
• Grace Period – ten days to “examine reinvestment alternatives” before automatic renewal.
• Beneficiaries – unlimited, equal shares, Social Security number required.
• Dividends – compounded and credited monthly; can be transferred to other Justice Federal share accounts or mailed to account holder.
• Credit Check – Soft pull when applying for membership.

Thanks to DA reader, cumulus, for his DA Forum post on this CD Special, and thanks to DA reader, me1004, for describing the difficulties he experienced from Justice Federal in trying to join.

Availability

Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, Justice Federal Credit Union’s field of membership (FOM) is wider than its name might suggest, with an easy membership requirement available to all U.S. citizens and alien residents. Membership in either the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) or the National Native American Law Enforcement Association (NNALEA) qualifies for Justice Federal membership.

The NSA has a "Citizens Sustaining Membership" ($22) that is “open to anyone who supports law enforcement,” regardless of employment status.

According to NNALEA’s website,

Membership is open to both Native and Non-Native Americans. Members do not have to be law enforcement officers. The National membership fee is $15.

Note: An “easy membership requirement” does not necessarily equate to an easy joining process, as evidenced by DA reader, me1004’s, comments from an earlier blog post for Justice Federal.

I note, this place might be "easy" membership, but you will find it is not very easy at all. You will have to join one of those two groups on you own in advance, and the CU will not accept any proof of membership other than a formal membership letter, which you won't get for weeks.

Employees, retirees, and family members of the following are eligible to join Justice Federal:

• Department of Justice
• Department of Homeland Security
• State or Local Law Enforcement
• United States Courts
• Georgia Department of Public Safety
• Georgia Bureau of Investigation
• National Capital Planning Commission
• National Crime Prevention Council
• Law Enforcement Associations
• Government Contracting Companies
• City of Bridgeport (WV)

Immediate family of current Justice Federal members are also welcome to apply. Those included are “spouses, children, siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, stepchildren, stepsiblings, stepparents, adopted family, as well as anyone living in the same residence under a single economic unit.”

For a complete list of membership qualifications, please refer to Justice Federal’s Membership Eligibility page.

Joining Justice Federal and/or opening a Special Certificate can be done online, or at any of 19 branches located in Los Angeles (CA), Pembroke Pines (FL), Atlanta and Forsyth (GA), Chicago (IL), New York City (NY), Fort Worth and Houston (TX), Arlington, Chantilly, and Quantico (VA), Bridgeport and Clarksburg (WV), and five locations in the District of Columbia.

The vast majority of Justice Federal branches have limited access, with public access branches available in California, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Many of our Branches and ATMs are located within secure facilities. Access to these locations may be restricted. Please ensure you have proper clearance to enter these restricted access branches prior to visiting.

The membership application can also be downloaded to facilitate joining.

To establish membership, a $5 minimum deposit is required
to a Share Savings account, or Young Savers account.

Justice Federal participates in the CO-OP Shared Branch network, providing members with access to more than 5,500 shared branches. Justice Federal has partnered with the largest fee-free ATM networks, with nearly 150,000 ATMs throughout the country.

Justice Federal has partnered with the largest surcharge-free ATM networks (Allpoint, Alliance One, CO-OP, STAR) worldwide to provide you with the most convenient ATM access possible.

Credit Union Overview

Justice Federal Credit Union has an overall health grade of "A" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 5.44% (excellent) based on June 30, 2022 data. In the past year, Justice Federal increased its total deposits by $43.6 million, an excellent annual growth rate of 5.69%. Please refer to our financial overview of Justice Federal Credit Union (NCUA Charter # 151) for more details.

Justice Federal Credit Union’s story is a classic tale of a successful workplace credit union that began with a group of employees trying to help each other financially.

MARCH 2, 1935 – Twelve Department of Justice employees organize to form a credit union offering employee access to low cost loans and savings accounts. With only $137 in assets and 41 charter members, The Department of Justice Federal Credit Union (DOJFCU) is founded.

Eighty-seven years later, Justice Federal has become the 17^th largest credit union headquartered in Virginia, with more than 60,000 members, branch locations in eight states and the District of Columbia, a diverse field of membership, and assets in excess of $928 million.

How the 12-Month Special Certificate Compares

When compared to similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that are available nationally, no banks or credit unions have a higher rate than currently offered on the Justice Federal Credit Union 12-Month Special Certificate, regardless of minimum deposit requirements. The following table compares the 12-Month Special 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 10/21/2022.

To search for the best CD rates, both nationwide and state specific, please refer to our CD rates table page.