Sun East Federal Credit Union Has 19-Month CD Special, 2.25% APY

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 terms greater than 12 months is 180 days interest. Partial withdrawals are not allowed, only early closures.
• Funding a CD Special can be by check, wire, or ACH.
• 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.

MAX-Yield Money Market Account

Sun East is continuing to offer a promotional rate on its MAX-Yield Money Market Account: 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.”

After the initial 13-month promotional term, the MAX-Yield MMA and corresponding promotional APY, will then revert to a Classic MMA with the corresponding account terms and then-current APY; currently .10% as of 12/31/19.

This isn’t the typical MMA, as fee-free withdrawals are restricted to only one per calendar quarter. Each withdrawal in excess of the one free withdrawal per calendar quarter will incur a $15 fee.

The $10 monthly service fee will be waived if an average daily balance of $5k is maintained.

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 a year 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.

Sun East’s 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.

Note: Based on some of the comments in the Reviews section of Sun East’s DA bank page, I wanted to make sure Sun East is truly an “easy membership requirement” credit union. After calling Sun East three times and speaking with three different CSRs, I was told the same thing each time: anyone, regardless of where they live, can qualify for Sun East membership by joining the Charitable Foundation.

The other options to pre-qualify 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 1,000 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 CD Special can be done online, or at any of seven Pennsylvania branches located in Ashton, Avondale, Concordville, Nottingham, Springfield, Upper Chichester, and Upper Darby. There is also a branch in the Concord Gallery Shopping Center located in Wilmington, Delaware.

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 "A" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 5.56% (excellent) based on September 30, 2019 data. In the past year, Sun East has increased its total non-brokered deposits by $78.13 million, an excellent annual growth rate of 16.38%. 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 16^th largest credit union, with nearly 52,000 members and assets in excess of $639 million. Along with five other southeast Pennsylvania credit unions, Sun East has partial ownership in First Heritage Mortgage Services.

First Heritage Mortgage Services provides versatile, cost effective and integrated turnkey mortgage solutions and services to nearly 90 partner credit unions that have combined assets of over $11 billion and more than 1.1 million members throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware. First Heritage is endorsed as the exclusive mortgage service provider for the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association (PCUA).

How the CD Special Compares

When compared to 173 similar length-of-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that require a minimum deposit of $10k or less and are available nationwide, Sun East Federal Credit Union's 19-month CD Special APY currently ranks third.

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

How the MAX-Yield Money Market Account Compares

With only one no-penalty withdrawal allowed per quarter, the MAX-Yield Money Market Account is more like a No-Penalty CD than a traditional Money Market Account. When compared to the currently available No-Penalty CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that are available nationwide, Sun East Federal Credit Union's MAX-Yield Money Market Account APY currently ranks first.

The above rates are accurate as of 12/31/2019.