Justice Federal Credit Union Adds 24-Month CD Special

It's a new month, with new deals, and a new limited-time 24-month Certificate Special at Justice Federal Credit Union (Justice FCU). The 24-month Certificate Special earns either 3.252% APY ($500 min) or 3.354% APY ($100k min). These rates include a 10 bps rate increase, predicated on opening and maintaining either a Justice National or Beyond the Badge checking account relationship (more detail about that below).

According to the fine print on the promotion page, all deposits must be new money, which is considered to be,

Funds that have been on deposit in a Justice Federal
account for 30 days or less transferred to a 24-month certificate.

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

As stated on the Certificate Special promotion page, the Early Withdrawal Penalty reads as follows:

A certificate with a term of 13 months or more
will lose 180 days of dividends for early withdrawal.

Checking Relationship

As I mentioned earlier, the stated rates include an additional 10 bps for maintaining either a Justice National or Beyond the Badge checking account. The only difference between the two checking accounts is that Beyond the Badge is for individuals 55 years or older. Both accounts earn 0.05% APY, have a $25 minimum opening deposit, and require a $2.5k daily balance to avoid an $8 monthly service fee. 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.”

Many thanks to the DA reader who let me know about this hot deal.

Availability

Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, Justice FCU bills itself as the "premier provider of financial services to the Justice, Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Community." Employees of the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, State and Federal Courts, and the Georgia Department of Public Safety are the largest groups eligible for membership.

Members of certain Law Enforcement Associations, and Retirees and Contractors of specific government organizations are also eligible.

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

While the field of membership (FOM) appears to be somewhat narrow, membership eligibility is open to the general public through the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) and the National Native American Law Enforcement Association (NNALEA).

The NSA has a "Citizens Sustaining Membership" ($15) that is open to anyone, 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 FCU.

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.

Joining Justice FCU and/or opening a Certificate Special can be done online, or at any of 26 branches located in California (2), Florida, Georgia (3), Illinois, New York (2), Texas (2), Virginia (5), West Virginia (2), and the District of Columbia (8).

The membership application can also be downloaded to facilitate joining.

The vast majority of Justice FCU branches have limited access, with only one public access branch available in each of the following: California, District of Columbia, Georgia, 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.

Justice FCU is a member of the Co-Op Shared Branch network, providing members with access to more than 5,500 shared branches and nearly 150,000 ATMs throughout the country.

Credit Union Overview

Justice Federal Credit Union has an overall health grade of "A" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 2.59% (excellent) based on March 31, 2018 data. In the past year, Justice FCU increased its total deposits by $36.89 million, an excellent annual growth rate of 6.52%. Please refer to our financial overview of Justice Federal Credit Union (NCUA Charter # 151) for more details.

The history of Justice Federal Credit Union is a classic example 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-three years later, Justice FCU has become the 14^th largest credit union headquartered in Virginia, with more than 60,600 members, branch locations in eight states and the District of Columbia, a diverse field of membership, and assets in excess of $767 million.

How the Certificate Special Compares

When compared to the similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com, that are available nationally, Justice Federal Credit Union’s 24-month Certificate Special APY has little competition, regardless of minimum deposit requirements.

The above rates are accurate as of 8/2/2018.

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