Sun East Federal Credit Union Offers Rate-Leading Short-Term CDs

POSTED ON BY

Deal Summary: 6-month Certificate Special, 4.00% APY, $1.5k minimum deposit. 9-Month Summer Savings Certificate Special, 4.00% APY, $500 minimum deposit.

Availability: Easy membership requirement

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the 6-month Appreciation Certificate (4.00% APY) offered by Pennsylvania-based Sun East Federal Credit Union (Sun East). While the rate was quite competitive, the Appreciation Certificated was only available to existing members and required at least 50% of new money. The 4.00% APY is still in effect, but the 6-month Appreciation Certificate is now the 6-month Certificate Special, available to new and existing members, with new money no longer required.

The 6-month Certificate Special still requires a $1.5k minimum opening deposit. The early withdrawal penalty (EWP) is 90 days of dividends, with no partial withdrawals allowed; the 6-month Certificate Special can only be closed earlier.

9-month Summer Savings Certificate Special

Although the Labor Day weekend is only days away, Sun East has added a 9-month Summer Savings Certificate Special that also offers 4.00% APY. This limited-time offer can be opened by current and new members with a $500 minimum deposit. Like the 6-month Certificate Special, the 9-month Summer Savings Certificate Special has a 90-day EWP, with no partial withdrawals allowed.

APYMINMAXINSTITUTIONPRODUCTDETAILS
4.75%$500-Sun East Federal Credit Union9 Month CD Special
Rates as of March 21, 2023.

Funding and Maturing Funds

Funding a Certificate Special can be done by ACH, wire, check, or internal transfer. Maturing CD funds are automatically transferred to a Sun East savings account, at which point, a cashier’s check can be issued – no wire or ACH transfer is available.

Unlimited beneficiaries can be designated, with Social Security numbers required for all named beneficiaries. Percentages can be assigned.

Excess Share Insurance

Looking to deposit more than $250k, but concerned about deposit coverage at Sun East?

Deposits insured up to $500,000.

$250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration, a U.S. Government Agency, and $250,000 by ESI, a licensed property and casualty insurer.

Availability

Headquartered in Ashton in southeast Pennsylvania, Sun East Federal Credit Union expanded its field of membership (FOM) about three years ago. Now virtually any U.S. citizen/resident alien (18 years or older), with a valid Social Security number, can qualify for membership by joining the Sun East Charitable Foundation.

The Sun East Membership Page lists five different ways to “pre-qualify for membership.” The fifth option is “Pre-Qualify by Support.”

Support the Sun East Charitable Foundation. For a donation of only $10, you not only help worthy individuals and organizations in the greater Brandywine Valley, but you will also pre-qualify for a Sun East membership.

Joining Sun East Charitable Foundation and the credit union can be done simultaneously using the online application.

The other options to pre-qualify for membership include:

By Location: Residents of Nottingham, Oxford, and Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) or Newark and Wilmington (Delaware) qualify, with Zip Code being the final determinant.

By Family Member: Immediate family members (parent, child, spouse, sibling, grandparent, grandchild) of a current Sun East member are welcome to apply.

By Employer: Employees of more than 1,200 SEGs (drop-down menu available on membership page) also qualify for membership.

By Community: Individuals who worship, attend school, or volunteer in Nottingham, Oxford, and Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) or Newark and Wilmington (Delaware) are membership eligible.

Joining Sun East Federal Credit Union and/or opening a 6-month Certificate Special or a 9-month Summer Savings Certificate Special can be done online, or at any of six Pennsylvania branches located in Ashton, Concordville, Nottingham, Springfield, Upper Chichester, and Upper Darby. There is also a branch in the Concord Gallery Shopping Center located in Wilmington, Delaware.

Already a member? Easily open a new certificate in Online Banking or the Mobile App by selecting “Add an Account/Product”; select your desired product and then follow the steps to add the new product.

Opening a Certificate Special can also be done by phone (877-5-SUNEAST, 877.578.6328).

When you join Sun East Federal Credit Union and deposit as little as $5, you become a member and shareholder of the credit union.

In addition to the branches located in southeast PA and north Delaware, Sun East is part of the,

CO-OP Shared Branching Network with nearly 30,000 surcharge-free branches and ATM locations nationwide.

Credit Union Overview

Sun East Federal Credit Union has an overall health grade of "B+" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 7.77% (excellent) based on June 30, 2022 data. In the past year, Sun East has increased its total non-brokered deposits by $17.9 million, an above average annual growth rate of 2.56%. Please refer to our financial overview of Sun East Federal Credit Union (NCUA Charter #6160) for more details.

Founded in 1949 as the Sun Oil Marcus Hook Federal Credit Union, Sun East Federal Credit Union is currently Pennsylvania’s 19th largest credit union, with more than 52,000 members and assets in excess of $817 million. Along with five other southeast Pennsylvania credit unions, Sun East has partial ownership in First Heritage Mortgage Services.

First Heritage Mortgage Services, LLC is a credit union-owned company that offers seamless first mortgage solutions for credit unions and financial institutions nationwide. First Heritage supports and services more than 100 partner credit unions with combined assets of more than $10 billion. Founded in 1984, First Heritage’s owners include American Heritage Credit Union, Service 1st Federal Credit Union, Erie Federal Credit Union, People First Federal Credit Union, Sun East Federal Credit Union, and Lebanon Federal Credit Union.

How the 6-Month and 9-Month Certificate Specials Compare

When compared to similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that are available nationwide and have minimum deposit requirements of $10k or less, no banks or credit unions have a higher rate than currently offered on the Sun East Federal Credit Union 6-Month or 9-Month Certificate Specials. The following table compares the two Certificate Specials 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 9/1/2022.

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

Related Pages: Philadelphia CD rates, 1-year CD rates, nationwide deals

Comments
bkm7441
  |     |   Comment #1
Is this the right time to lock in a CD or should I wait for this months rate hike?
P_D
  |     |   Comment #2
Impossible to give an effective answer without knowing two things:

1. Your entire financial situation and goals and;

2. The future of the economy and interest rates.

It's a crystal ball question so any answer is a guess. Are some guesses better than others? Very likely yes. The only problem is you won't know which ones until some time in the future.  And by then it will be too late.
Mak
  |     |   Comment #4
bkm...The 10 year is back to 3.25% and usually if it tries enough times it will get thru it so I can't make you any guarantees but I think you will get higher rates if you wait a little. I have a feeling if the fed actually does shrink its balance sheet we will find out how much they have been costing savers all these past years with their QE.
Mak
  |     |   Comment #5
TNX pretty overbought so might need rates to back off a little to make a better run at it.
jofr4646
  |     |   Comment #3
Good to see 4%, a step in the right direction..
milty
  |     |   Comment #6
The tea leaves are predicting rates to continue to rise and more importantly not to fall in 2023. So, in my opinion, f you have some funds that you don't need at the moment and are earning less than 2%, locking in a short-term 4% rate might definitely be worth considering.
Rickny
  |     |   Comment #7
I'm calling to open the 9 month CD. I'm caller number 39 in que.

Edit They have a callback feature.
Mak
  |     |   Comment #8
Support for the SPX in the 3890 to 3900 area.
Robb
  |     |   Comment #21
Mak nice bounce off your level late day. Heck of a run in Rates the past few weeks!
Mak
  |     |   Comment #22
Federal reserve is letting bonds roll off lately, another $25 billion last week, that imo is why the 10 year is moving up lately. They let some roll off and then wait a week and see what happens, then they let some more roll off ... they're working hard...;)
Mak
  |     |   Comment #25
Robb... draw a line attaching the bottoms on 6/17 and 7/14 and extend it out and you will see a touch of that line yesterday...bingo
Bought BMY a couple days ago and sold it this morning for a 5% gain... who needs a 4% CD....;)
Robb
  |     |   Comment #37
Mak…yes we’ve been tracking a possible Triangle pattern on the SP 500. Remains quite Whipsawed in general.
Mak
  |     |   Comment #38
Robb...Actually it didn't quite touch the bottom of the triangle, it hit the 61.8 fib though which is right above the bottom line of the triangle. Oversold on the short term but not quite on a longer term.... fear climbing but not enough yet imo. Think if we break that line that we could retest the lows but will have to wait and see. So far we got back up to the 200 day which was 10% from the all time high which I called for, I still think we can get one more rally up with the high September/October and then see what happens but not 100% sure.

Also pullback in the 10 year yield as expected, need to cool off the overbought reading on TNX and the hopefully make another run at 3.25%
fred_b
  |     |   Comment #9
When I got my 6-month 4% APY CD, the rep asked me if I wanted to close it out to my savings account at maturity rather than automatically renew into a 12-month CD. I said yes.

Looks like it may have gotten messed up. Today my interest was posted but instead of staying with the CD it was credited to my savings account. I don't really care that much because it's only a 6-month CD, but now I have to ACH pull my interest out to an external FI every month because their savings account only pays 0.05% APY.

The current 9-month deal wasn't available at the time I got my 6-month 'member exclusive' CD.
Rickny ... they do a good job of calling you back without losing your position in the queue.
SouthernGirl
  |     |   Comment #10
Fred, you might consider to call Sun East and ask for interest to remain with cd. I would be interested in feedback on how well Sun East would actually do what the customer wants, before I invest with them. Better earnings for you, as you know.
Rickny
  |     |   Comment #11
Was told by rep had to open on line. Had to become a member 1st. Did the application and took me to a funding page but had 3k limit. Rep said wouldn't let me fund to after approval. How do you do a larger deposit than 3k? Very confusing.
SouthernGirl
  |     |   Comment #13
Rickny, Sun East is a member of CO-OP Shared Branch Network. Upon approval, Sun East will give you the routing number and savings account number. One method of funding is to go a local CO-OP shared branch and make a deposit into the Sun East savings account. Call Sun East to move the funds from savings account to open and fund the CD. Another method of funding is to mail a check.
Funding instructions are listed above. " Funding certificate special can be done by ACH, wire, check or internal transfer."

I believe that you will have these other options, when the membership application is approved.
Rickny
  |     |   Comment #16
Thanks for the info. I'm waiting for membership approval. I did the $10 donation. I can't complete the application is the last part is funding , either an ACH with 3k limit or fund from an internal account.
eneldar
  |     |   Comment #54
I was told by CSR Gabriel today that I could not use the shared branch to deposit funds for my CD. She said the ONLY way to fund a CD is by wire and they charge a $10 fee for an incoming wire. I thought I was probably given erroneous information, so I emailed Sun East the following message: "I tried to apply for membership and open a 9 month certificate online. While on hold to speak to a Sun East representative, my application timed out. I spoke to Gabriel, who explained that I will have to submit another application for membership, then add the CD after my membership is approved and savings account is open. I asked if, at that point, I could use the shared branch network to deposit funds into my savings account to fund the CD. She said my only option to fund the CD would be a wire. Could you verify this information and/or explain the options for funding the CD?" Sun East did respond via email the same day and stated: "We are coming to the end of the promotion. So at this time only wires will be accepted to have the CDs funded."
schott99
  |     |   Comment #39
Same Problem.....Anyone get answer to this???
SouthernGirl
  |     |   Comment #42
I spoke with Chrissy at Sun East on 09/01/22 and she confirmed with back office that ACH limit is $1M and that customer should be able to fund CD by ACH when the membership is approved. She can be reached at 610-485-2960 ext. 571. I would suggest that you call on 09/06/22 to determine if you are approved and get specific instructions on how to do the ACH funding. She may have to transfer you to the back office for help. Do not give up. There has to be a simple way to procedurally get the CD opened through ACH. Please advise if you are successful and maybe the exact steps taken.
fred_b
  |     |   Comment #47
SouthernGirl, I contacted Sun East via their secure messaging asking them to keep my future interest payments with my CD to compound. I got a response within a few hours saying it's been corrected.
highly_intrestd
  |     |   Comment #12
What is the transfer limit from another external institution? I wen't through the application process and it says there's a $3000 limit. Is that right? is there a way to transfer a much larger amount?
SouthernGirl
  |     |   Comment #14
See my comment #13 above.
highly_intrestd
  |     |   Comment #15
Ugh, what a pain, not worth all the hoops if you can't do it electronically...Thank you!
Chief
  |     |   Comment #27
I agree. Transfer limit from outside finance co. $3000 is a deal breaker
schott99
  |     |   Comment #40
comment #13 is missing....what was your reply?
SouthernGirl
  |     |   Comment #17
FYI, go to suneast.org and read high call volume alert that states, "to allow a minimum of five (5) business days to process your application."
milty
  |     |   Comment #18
When you call, try entering an extension to a sun east local branch, for example, x571.
aoluser1996
  |     |   Comment #19
Does anyone think that Nasa FCU will raise their CD short term rates any day now? If I locked into their 15 month 3.75% CD and a couple of days later the rate jumps, can I get that new rate?
SouthernGirl
  |     |   Comment #20
Nasa FCU extends 9, 15, and 49 month CD Specials into September. Available from September 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022. It appears that the rates will remain the same.
payitforward
  |     |   Comment #23
According to one of the reviews, dated 2018, they do a hard pull credit check.
Kaight
  |     |   Comment #26
For whatever help it might be to others, I dealt with Sun East fairly extensively up until recently, perhaps a couple of months ago. Their back office can be problematic at times. For example, I opened CDs on which they thereafter paid no interest. When I requested a fix, they manually credited insufficient interest. I never detected malice; just incompetence.

Also, there are good people at Sun East, competent people who know what they are doing. If you are fortunate enough to speak with such a person, be certain to obtain her or his extension number, so you will have it in future should things go amiss.

Only my opinion, but I do not think things at Sun East are so bad as to drive you away from this or any deal. But know going in there are some warts.
Striker
  |     |   Comment #32
Raising the white flag on this one ! I give up !
Two frustrating days of trying to open an account. (2) $10 donations to Sun East Foundation that the credit union has no record of receiving. (2) disputes filed now with PayPal to get the donations credited back to my credit card. Spoke to 2 different service reps - one yesterday - one today after several hour waits for a callback. They have no idea why they have no record of the donations to the foundation. I have receipts for both. They say that doesn't mean anything to them. Were supposed to have someone email me yesterday with a resolution. Did not happen. Neither rep knows of any means to do an account application - other than trying again to make another donation, hoping it goes thru, and then the website is supposed to take you automatically to an account application. It doesn't happen. Anyone who calls goes onto a long callback wait list. I've tried to call again and am now number 102 on the call back list. Another call back, I am pretty certain will yield the same result -"I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you to do other than try making another donation to join". They are beyond overwhelmed with response to this offer, and from my experience - pretty dysfunctional.
4% sounds good - it's not worth the aggravation. The apathy and dysfunction are enough of a red flag for me to pass on this one.
Striker
  |     |   Comment #35
You got that right, diamondx ! PayPal or sending a personal check are the only 2 options that Sun East gives you to make the donation to their foundation to qualify for membership. Since no one there can get me to an application or connect me with anyone who can - I'm giving up. I called PayPal to dispute the 2 charges and get the $20 refunded back to my credit card. They denied the dispute :
"We have reviewed this transaction(s) and are denying your case(s). The decision was made because the purchase is ineligible for PayPal Purchase Protection according to our User Agreement.
We're sorry for any problems you may have experienced with the transaction(s).
So I had to call the credit card to dispute the charges. The charges have been paid. They are not yet showing on my on-line statement - so I was told to call back Monday or Tuesday. And, after they show up I can try to get them dropped from my credit card.
All this for chasing 4% !
I did get another call back an hour or so ago from Sun East from getting in the que about 5 hours ago. The rep told me that this was the wrong department so she could not help me. I had been put on a call back list for the wrong department. When I told her I had chosen the option for "open a new account" - she replied that their system was not working right and call back numbers were being given to wrong departments - but she could manually add me to a list for the correct department to attempt to resolve the issue. If you wrote a book about this place - no one would believe it !
At least now I know to stay away from Sun east FCU !
Choice
  |     |   Comment #36
I like apologies…and they are worth? First it indicates that the person went to charm school but forgot about the part that an apology w/o remedial action is worth…? I can take the apology and $4 and get a cup of coffee at—-(fill in the blank)…it is worth nothing!
Rickny
  |     |   Comment #28
If you're looking for a quick and easy place to put some cash away for 9 months, this is NOT the place.
SouthernGirl
  |     |   Comment #43
Please help us to understand. Did Sun East ever approve your membership application? What is the status?
fretboardboy
  |     |   Comment #30
I also was declined to become a member. I called to find out why, and the customer service rep told me that she could not tell me why. Crazy!!! I’m am sort of glad after that phone call that I wasn’t accepted. NOT the kind of financial institution that I want to do business with!
Shelby
  |     |   Comment #31
Why anyone would chase this 9 month deal is beyond me considering all the effort needed for only 270 days...
diamondx
  |     |   Comment #44
cuz the stock market return the last 9 months is WAY less than 4%
myth1
  |     |   Comment #34
I had the same experience of being declined a membership despite bring told the only requirement is making a donation to the Sun East foundation. The call center is useless (if you actually reach someone after a couple of hours and the call does not get disconnected). The 2 people I talked to just keep saying they do not know the reason for declining but a letter should be mailed explaining why. I highly doubt any letter will ever be sent, but the credit check cannot be the reason. This deal is certainly not worth the hassle and the deal should be updated with the issues people are having getting a membership.
Has anyone outside of Pennsylvania actually had any success in getting a membership by using the online application with the donation method in the last month?
1roxanne
  |     |   Comment #45
You may want to check the BBB website about this bank before you open an account. Lots of unresolved complaints. https://www.bbb.org/us/pa/aston/profile/credit-union/sun-east-federal-credit-union-0241-144358597/complaints
chipcollector
  |     |   Comment #46
As I noted earlier, I applied, went thru all the application steps only to get a rejection without any reason. As noted above by another poster, calls to customer service are an utter and complete waste of your time. DONT DO IT.

Earlier I suggested "either they have too much business so they cont care or they are just a-holes"

Well now, I'd like to update that.

THEY are just a-holes!
P_D
  |     |   Comment #49
At least you get to leave with a consolation prize. Check your credit record ... sounds like this place does a hard pull and dings your credit score before they reject you.

Sounds to me like a badly managed operation that is in way over its head.
schott99
  |     |   Comment #48
Per CSR today, when you are filling out an online  application for a new account, there is a $3,000 max ACH new account opening limit
Rickny
  |     |   Comment #50
Tried to open the account. Called and the rep said go through the process and join the charity 1st for $10 via Papal and then after approval fund the account. Never heard back from the CU. I decided to give up opening this account and get my $10 back. PayPal refused my request. I went on line to my credit card company who would not do the charge back on line but to call them. Made the call and they told me the charge was reversed. Was going to put a large amount of my liquid cash in this account for the 9 months.
Choice
  |     |   Comment #51
And all of this after expressing your opinion above…care to opine?  Change in heart or…?  Want to retract/revise/expand anything? 
P_D
  |     |   Comment #52
Take your money to join, do a hard pull on you and mess up your credit, waste your time, get access to all your private information and then drop you like a deadbeat. Sounds like the classic FI depositor's nightmare.  I would be ****ed (starts with a p).
fred_b
  |     |   Comment #55
Looks like these deals have expired. They are no longer on the Sun East FCU website.
Sun East Federal Credit Union Adds Competitive Short-Term CD Specials
UPDATE 8/31/2022: 6-month Certificate now available to current and existing members. New money requirement dropped.

Deal Summary: 6-month Appreciation Certificate, 4.00% APY, $1.5k minimum deposit, at least 50% of new money, existing members only. 12-Month Certificate Special, 3.00% APY, $500 minimum deposit, existing and new members, existing and new money.

Availability: Easy membership requirement

Pennsylvania-based Sun East Federal Credit Union (Sun East) has added four limited-time CD specials, two of which offer quite competitive rates.

6-month Appreciation Certificate

  • Only existing members (as of...
Continue Reading
Sun East Federal Credit Union Has 19-Month CD Special, 2.25% APY
Deal Summary: 19-month CD Special, 2.25% APY, $500 minimum deposit.

Availability: Easy membership requirement

Pennsylvania-based Sun East Federal Credit Union (Sun East) is currently offering a 19-month CD Special earning 2.25% APY. The minimum deposit is $500, with no stated balance cap.

The 19-month CD Special is also offered as an IRA (Traditional, Roth), earning the same APY with the same funding requirements.

Sun East’s website doesn’t provide a lot of documentation, so the following information was provided by a CSR.

  • The Early Withdrawal Penalty for...
Continue Reading
Sun East Federal Credit Union Adds MAX-Yield MMA, 2.20% APY
Deal Summary: MAX-Yield Money Market Account, 2.20% APY, 13-month rate guarantee, $5k min/$250k max deposit, new money.

Availability: Easy membership requirement

Pennsylvania-based Sun East Federal Credit Union (Sun East) started September by offering a new version of its MAX-Yield Money Market Account. The latest MAX-Yield MMA earns 2.20% APY (guaranteed for 13 months following account opening) on balances between $5k and $250k. The minimum opening deposit is $5k of new money, defined as not being “existing Sun East Funds or Sun East transferred funds.”

Continue Reading
Sun East Fed Credit Union Offers 27-Month CD Special, EXPIRED
UPDATE 12/26/2018: 27-month CD Special is no longer available.

Deal Summary: 27-month CD Special, 3.50% APY, $500 minimum deposit, new money.

Availability: Easy membership requirement

Many thanks to DA reader, QED, for posting in the Forum that Sun East Federal Credit Union (Sun East) has recently become an easy membership requirement credit union. This is great news because now virtually all DA readers are eligible to open Sun East’s 27-month CD Special (3.50% APY). The minimum deposit is $500 of new money, with no...

Continue Reading
5.25% 60-Month CD at Sun East FCU in Pennsylvania
Sun East Federal Credit Union is offering a special 60-month certificate with a yield of 5.25% APY and an interest rate of 5.12%. This special CD rate is listed in the credit union's certificate rate table as of 11/18/08. The other two certificate specials listed are not nearly as competitive. These include a 3.75% APY 15-month certificate and a 3.50% APY 25-month certificate. According to the Certificates Overview Page, you may choose to have your monthly interest credited to the certificate balance, posted to a Share Account or have a...
Continue Reading

More Past Offers



The financial institution, product, and APY (Annual Percentage Yield) data displayed on this website is gathered from various sources and may not reflect all of the offers available in your region. Although we strive to provide the most accurate data possible, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. The content displayed is for general information purposes only; always verify account details and availability with the financial institution before opening an account. Contact [email protected] to report inaccurate info or to request offers be included in this website. We are not affiliated with the financial institutions included in this website.