NRL FCU Adds Limited Time 1-Year CD ($10K Max)

For one week, NRL Federal Credit Union (NRLFCU) is offering a 1-year Member Appreciation Day Certificate (2.00% APY). The minimum deposit is $500, with a $10k balance cap, and there is a limit of one Member Appreciation Day (MAD) Certificate per primary member. UPDATE: A checking account is also required.

Since there is little information on the website about the MAD Certificate, I called NRLFCU this morning. I was disappointed to learn about the $10k balance cap. That’s one important detail that NRLFCU’s promo page currently doesn’t have. With a $10k cap, the maximum you can earn with this CD is just $200. That’s just $30 more than what you would earn with a 1.70% 1-year CD that you can get from an internet bank.

Besides the min and max deposit levels, the CSR wasn’t able to provide many more details because they haven’t yet received a detailed briefing on this new, limited-time product. CSR stated there was a meeting later today and by the end of business today, more information would be available. Nothing like putting the cart before the horse.

CSR mentioned that the MAD Certificate would probably have many of the same attributes as a regular 1-year Certificate, but she did mention it was only available to individuals “who are already members.” Sounds simple enough, but CSR couldn’t tell me if there is any time frame associated with being a member. In other words, if I join NRLFCU today, can I open the MAD Certificate next week, even though I’ve only been a member for a matter of days?

UPDATE: Loyalty Rewards rate increase do not apply to the MAD Certificate.

Another unknown is whether the Loyalty Rewards rate increase (0.25% APY) will apply to the MAD Certificate. The Loyalty Rewards program automatically gives members a better rate when establishing a new qualifying Share Certificate, auto loan, or personal loan. Meet one of the following and your rate will become 0.05% better; two of the following, 0.10% better; three or more, 0.25% better.

As soon as I am able to get more information, I will update this blog post.

As stated in NRLFCU’s Terms and Conditions, booklet, the Early Withdrawal Penalty reads as follows:

If your account has an original maturity of 12 - 23 months:
The penalty we may impose will equal 90 days dividends on the amount withdrawn subject to penalty.

Many thanks to DA reader who saw the MAD Certificate mentioned in PhatWalletForums.com.

Availability

Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, NRL Federal Credit Union offers a way for almost any U.S. citizen/resident alien, 18 years or older, to join.

Easy Membership - Membership in the American Consumer Council (ACC) qualifies for NRLFCU membership eligibility. Joining ACC can be done through NRLFCU’s website.

Employment - Government employees (civilian or military), or contract employees stationed at or paid by the Naval Research Lab are eligible to join.

Affiliation - Employees, students, or members of nearly 100 Select Employee Groups (SEGs) are also eligible for membership. The SEGs are listed on the first page of NRLFCU’s online applicaton.

Family - Immediate family and household members of current NRLFCU members are eligible to join. This includes spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, stepparent, stepchild, stepsibling, adoptive relationships, domestic partners, roommates, and legal guardian relationships.

Joining NRLFCU and/or opening an MAD Certificate can be done online, or at either the Alexandria (VA) or Waldorf (MD) branches. The Washington, D.C. branch, located in the Naval Research Lab, is no longer open to the general public.

Effective immediately, access to our Naval Research Lab branch is only available to members who have unexpired badge access for the facility. The visitor center will no longer supply daily passes to non-badged member to visit the branch.

The Membership Application is also available as a download and can be returned by mail.

Credit Union Overview

NRL Federal Credit Union has an overall health grade of "A" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas ratio of 2.31% (excellent) based on June 30, 2017 data. In the past year, NRLFCU has increased its total non-brokered deposits by $4.92 million, an above average annual growth rate of 1.2%. Please refer to our financial overview of NRL Federal Credit Union (NCUA Charter # 5380) for more details.

NRL Federal Credit Union was founded in 1946 for the benefits of the employees of the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. NRL carries out a variety of basic scientific research, applied research, technological development, and prototyping. The Credit Union’s field of membership was expanded in the past few years to include members of the American Consumer Council, and today has over 23,80 members and assets in excess of $466 million.

How the Member Appreciation Day Certificate Compares

When compared to the 207 similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that require a similar minimum deposit and are available nationally, NRL Federal Credit Union’s 1-year Member Appreciation Day Certificate APY currently ranks first.

The above rates are accurate as of 10/11/2017.

To look for the best CD rates, both nationwide and in your state, please refer to our CD rates table, or our Rates Map page.