Royal Credit Union (MN/WI) Adds Competitive 15-Month CD Special

Wisconsin-based Royal Credit Union (Royal) recently began offering a 15-month CD Special. Offering a competitive 5.25% APY, the limited-time CD Special has no minimum opening deposit requirement, but the opening deposit is capped at $250k.

The 15-month CD Special is the most competitive CD in the Royal product line, with the highest APY offered of any Royal CD; the next highest rate is 2.60% APY, offered on the 60- and 72-month CDs.

As stated in the Truth-in-Savings disclosure, the Early Withdrawal Penalty reads as follows:

Penalty for certificates greater than one year up to and
including three years - equivalent of 180 days dividends.

Availability

Headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Royal Credit Union’s field of membership (FOM) has expanded significantly since my 2020 Royal blog post: anyone who lives in Minnesota or Wisconsin can qualify for Royal membership by making a $5 donation to the RCU Foundation. The donation can be made by an applicant or by RCU on behalf of an applicant.

Other ways to qualify for membership include living or working in any of the following counties:

Minnesota Counties – Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Goodhue, Hennepin, Isanti, Olmsted, Pine, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Wabasha, Washington, Winona, or Wright.

Wisconsin Counties - Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Lincoln, Marathon, Pepin, Pierce, Portage, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Washburn, or Wood.

Employees of Marten Transport, Tenneco-Packaging Corporation (Appleton, WI), and the former Uniroyal plant qualify for membership, as do employees/affiliates of the Realtor Associations of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Members of the UWEC Alumni Association are also membership eligible.

Immediate family members of a current Royal member qualify for membership, as do immediate family members of anyone who simply lives or works in any of the above-mentioned Minnesota or Wisconsin counties.

Account Opening

Joining Royal and/or opening a CD Special can be done online, or at any of nine Minnesota branches, all located in the great Minneapolis metro area, or 47 Wisconsin branches, located in Altoona, Balsam Lake, Chippewa Falls (8), Colby (4), Eau Claire (17), Hudson, Medford, Menomonie (2), New Richmond, Osceola, Rice Lake (3), River Falls (2), Saint Croix (3), Somerset, and Whitehall. Appointments are available and can be scheduled online.

Existing Royal members can log in to online banking or mobile banking to start a new application.

Opening a Primary Savings Account with a minimum $5 deposit is required to establish an Royal membership.

Funding and Other Details

The following information is from the Royal website and a conversation with CSR.

• Funding – ACH, wire (no fee), internal transfer, or Shared Branch transaction.
• CO-OP Shared Branch Participate – Yes.
• Ownership – Individual, joint, or trust.
• Dividends – Compounded daily/credited monthly and can be withdrawn penalty-free.
• Maturing Funds –Cashier’s check to address on file or transferred to an RCU checking/savings account.
• Beneficiaries – Unlimited and percentages can be assigned. Social Security numbers are required.
• Grace Period – 10 calendar days before automatic renewal.
• Credit Check – Soft pull when joining.

Credit Union Overview

Royal Credit Union has an overall health grade of "A" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 2.10% (excellent), based on March 31, 2023 data. In the past year, Royal increased its total non-brokered deposits by $353.65 million, an excellent annual growth rate of 9.57%. Please refer to our financial overview of Royal Credit Union (NCUA Charter # 66834) for more details.

Royal Credit Union is currently Wisconsin’s sixth largest credit union, with more than 288,000 members and assets in excess of $4.5 billion. Founded in 1964, the original FOM was exclusive to the employees of Uniroyal. Between 1972 and 1974, an additional 27 SEGs were added to the FOM. A community charter was adopted in 1975, enlarging Royal’s footprint across Minnesota and Wisconsin.

As part of the Credit Union’s community commitment, the RCU Foundation was established in 2012.

The RCU Foundation is a perfect example of how we are striving to live out our core purpose of creating a positive impact in the lives we touch. The Foundation awards grant funds to organizations in the communities Royal serves across Western Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota. Since it began in 2012, the RCU Foundation has given more than $8 million to our communities.

How the 15-Month CD Special Compares

When compared to similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that are available within the FOM and have minimum deposit requirements of $10k or less, one credit union has a higher rate than currently offered on the Royal Credit Union 15-month CD Special. The following table compares the 15-month CD Special 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 6/8/2023.

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