Northern Star Credit Union (VA) Long-Term CDs Have Competitive Rates

Northern Star Credit Union (Northern Star) is offering very competitive rates on its 60-month (1.50% APY) and 48-month (1.25% APY) Share Certificates. The minimum opening deposit is $1k for either CD, with no stated balance cap.

As stated in the Account Disclosures, the Early Withdrawal Penalty (EWP) for any Northern Star Share Certificate is only 90 days of simple interest on the amount being withdrawn, with partial withdrawals permitted.

With such a mild EWP, closing a 60-month Share Certificate wouldn’t be that financially painful should rates begin to rise significantly in the next four or five years. Using DA’s Early Withdrawal Penalty Calculator, you can see what the effective yields would be on a month-by-month basis. For example,

• 1.41% APY – closed at 4 years
• 1.38% APY – closed at 3 years
• 1.32% APY – closed at 2 years
• 1.26% APY – closed at 18 months
• 1.13% APY – closed at 1 year

The Account Disclosures also states,

Compounding and Crediting You must select a dividend distribution option at the time the certificate is purchased. You may elect dividends to be compounded and credited on a quarterly basis. Alternatively, dividends can be mailed to you quarterly in the form of a check or transferred to a specific account.

Availability

Headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, Northern Star Credit Union’s field of membership (FOM) is community-based, with U.S. citizens/resident aliens (18 years or older with a valid Social Security number) who live, work, or attend school in the Virginia communities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, or Virginia Beach, eligible to join.

Immediate family members of current Northern Star membership are welcome to apply.

Joining Northern Star can be done online, or at the sole Virginia branch located on George Washington Highway in Portsmouth.

While savings and checking accounts can be opened online, opening a Share Certificate must be opened in-branch or by phone. According to CSR, the easiest method for funding for Share Certificate is through an internal transfer from a savings or checking account. Northern Star participates in the CO-OP Shared Branch and ATM networks, making a funds transfer relatively easy.

Prime Share - Our basic savings account which is used to establish membership with Northern Star Credit Union. It is a requirement for all members to open this account and maintain a minimum $25.00 balance.

Credit Union Overview

Northern Star Credit Union has an overall health grade of "B+" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 13.01% (above average) based on March 31, 2021 data. In the past year, Northern Star has increased its total non-brokered deposits by $10.9 million, an excellent annual growth rate of 16.67%. Please refer to our financial overview of Northern Star Credit Union (NCUA Charter # 66956) for more details.

Established in 1928 as The Navy Yard Credit Union, the founding members were 32 employees from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Business was conducted by the members on Shipyard grounds and the first employee wasn’t hired until 1952! Between 1986 and 2014, three mergers occurred with GE Credit Union, Portsmouth Police Department Credit Union, and Belt Line Employees Credit Union joining forces. The Northern Star rebrand occurred in 2002 as better reflect the changing FOM.

We have been in business since before Tidewater was Hampton Roads and rebranded into #the757 of Coastal Virginia. We have survived recessions, depressions, and natural disasters and will continue to serve you in years to come.

How the Share Certificates Compare

Northern Star is a small credit union (8,900 members and assets of $93+ million), but the current population in the FOM is more than 1.4 million. With approximately 22% of that population under the age of 18, only a tiny fraction of the membership-eligible adult population has joined Northern Star. These competitive long-term Share Certificates (with exceedingly mild EWPs) are good deals.

When compared to the similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that require a similar minimum deposit and are available within the FOM, Northern Star Credit Union's 60-month Share Certificate APY currently ranks first.

When compared to the similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that require a similar minimum deposit and are available within the FOM, Northern Star Credit Union's 48-month Share Certificate APY currently ranks second.

The above information and rates are accurate as of 8/19/2021.

To look for the best CD rates, either nationwide or state-specific, please refer to our CD Rates Table page.