Susquehanna Community Bank Offers 3.00% APY On Savings Account

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UPDATE 7/3/2019: Eagle Premium Savings must now be opened at a branch – not available online. The 3% promo has expired. The top tier rate is now Prime minus 3.00%, currently 2.53% APY.

Deal Summary: Eagle Premium Savings, 3.00% APY on balances of $100k+, minimum opening deposit of $100k, with at least $25k of new money.

Availability: Nationwide

A recent Forum post by DA reader, Carpline, and a response from DA reader, HankL, has uncovered a hidden gem: Susquehanna Community Bank (SCB) is offering its Eagle Premium Savings (3.00% APY) nationwide through an online application. The 3.00% APY applies to balances of $100k and above, and is guaranteed for six months. Following the initial six-month period, the APY will convert to Prime minus 3.00%, currently 2.53% APY. The minimum opening deposit is $100k, with at least $25k of new money.

The Eagle Premium Savings (EPS) has tiered APYs for lower balances:

  • 0.05% APY – $0.01-$2,499.99
  • 0.25% APY – $2,500.00-$24,999.99
  • 0.35% APY – $25,000.00-$99,999.99

In addition to low APYs for balances under $100k, there is a monthly maintenance fee of $10 "if balance falls below $25,000.00 on any day in the statement cycle."

Not surprisingly, this great rate comes with some restrictions, which some DA readers addressed in the Forum. According to the Deposit Account Common Features and Service Charge Schedule, a

$20.00 Excess Debit Fee will be charged for any withdrawal/debit in excess of ONE debit semi-annually (January 1-June 30 and July 1-December 31). DEBITS are defined as: Checks, ACH/Automated Clearing House, POS/Point of Sale, Telephone Transfer, Online & Mobile Banking Transfers and ATM Withdrawals. ONLY the monthly compounded interest may be withdrawn.

To quote DA reader, Test 3, that last sentence is,

ambiguous but a generous interpretation is that withdrawing the interest does not count against the single allowed withdrawal. (So yeah, it's a short-term jumbo no-penalty CD.)

Test3 is correct. According to a very knowledgeable CSR, the statement about withdrawing monthly compounded interest is not tied to the $20 Excess Debit Fee statement. Listing two disparate facts together (probably dictated by space restrictions) can definitely lead to confusion. Monthly compounded interest may be withdrawn fee-free and does not count toward the one semi-annual debit withdrawal, BUT the only way the interest can be withdrawn is through an automatic transfer to another SCB account. When the EPS account is set up, the online application provides options for transferring the monthly interest.

CSR also stated that a new EPS account can be funded through ACH or wire transfer, or by check. As stated on the online application, you will need a,

U.S. Checking or Savings Account to fund your new account(s) --- required
if you choose to immediately fund your new account electronically.

While there were some initial concerns voiced in the Forum about the online application not functioning properly, Test3 opened an EPS account successfully.

I signed up on Monday afternoon. The initial test deposit and funding were pending by Tuesday. Late Wednesday, I'm now seeing the funding posted with two days of accrued interest as well.

Thanks to all the DA readers who contributed to this conversation about the Eagle Premium Savings account.

Availability

Headquartered in West Milton, Pennsylvania, Susquehanna Community Bank offers its product line to US citizens and resident aliens, 18 years or older, with a valid Social Security number.

Opening an Eagle Premium Savings account can only be done online, or at any of six Pennsylvania branches, located in Beaver Springs, Lewisburg, Mifflinburg, Northumberland, Watsontown, and West Milton.

Bank Overview

Susquehanna Community Bank has an overall health grade of "A" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 2.06% (excellent) based on September 30, 2018 data. In the past year, the Bank increased its total non-brokered deposits by $6.97 million, an above average annual growth rate of 2.03%. Please refer to our financial overview of Susquehanna Community Bank (FDIC Certificate # 8421) for more details.

Susquehanna Community Bank is currently the 81st largest bank headquartered in Pennsylvania, with assets in excess of $411 million. Founded in 1920 as the West Milton State Bank, the Susquehanna re-brand occurred less than a year ago. As stated on SCB’s website,

In 2018, we were ranked 34th in the Nation as a Top Community Bank by US Banker Magazine based on the institution’s three-year average return on equity. In addition, we have finished in the top ten in the state of Pennsylvania 2012-2018 according to a leading bank performance report of 8 different performance criteria.

How the Eagle Premium Savings Compares

Because of the Eagle Premium Savings’ unique structure, making a comparison to traditional savings accounts doesn’t make much sense. Suffice it to say, the 3.00% APY is definitely the highest rate currently offered by any savings account found on DepositAccounts.com.

Given the six-month rate guarantee and the restricted withdrawal policy (complete with $20 Excessive Debit Fee), comparing the EPS to a six-month CD isn’t that far-fetched. When compared to 197 short-term CDs tracked by DepositAccounts.com that are available nationwide, Susquehanna Community Bank’s Eagle Premium Savings APY currently ranks first, regardless of minimum deposit requirements.

The above rates are accurate as of 2/14/2019.

To search for the best Savings Account, both nationwide and state specific, please refer to DepositAccounts.com’s Savings Account Rates page.

Related Pages: Wilkes Barre savings accounts, savings accounts, nationwide deals

Comments
deplorable 1
  |     |   Comment #1
Looks good until you figure out this is actually a $100,000 6 month 3% CD. NFCU has the same deal.
Mikey1
  |     |   Comment #2
It’s not a savings account if an emergency arises and I am penalized for withdrawing my own money.

Deal - or no deal?

NO DEAL HOWIE!
RonPaul
  |     |   Comment #4
It says a fee will be charged in EXCESS of ONE meaning you can make one without a fee.
QED
  |     |   Comment #7
Not same deal as NFCU deal. The NFCU 3% 6 month CD imposes a penalty for early withdrawal. This Eagle deal does not.
deplorable 1
  |     |   Comment #11
It's the same deal if you were only planning on depositing $100,000. Unless you want to drop it and only earn .35%.
Hidden Gem
  |     |   Comment #70
If you have the minimum $100k (max $250k, no POD that I could find to extend FDIC coverage beyond $250k), this 3% account is the best savings deal at the moment. There's no hard credit pull and trial deposits/debit (from linking an external ACH account to deposit/withdraw funds) do NOT incur the $20 fee. You only incur the extra $20/withdrawal fee if you withdraw more than one time in 6 months. Additionally, there are no limits on external ACH withdrawal amounts, so, just link an external account (like Ally) and you're good to go. If you need liquid access, you can have the monthly accrued interest deposited into a checking account (ask customer service) for free, each month - or you can always withdraw, though any withdrawals beyond 1 per 6 months will incur a $20/fee (which seems to be what's throwing everyone for a loop). For perspective, that's like a *one day* EWP if you're thinking about this like a CD and you've got $250k sitting in there earning 3% (or like a *1 week* EWP if you've only got $100k in account).

I was setup and earning 3% APY in under 48 hours. It's sort a non-standard offer, I suppose, but it's legitimate and it's working and their customer service was efficient.
midas89
  |     |   Comment #71
Hidden Gem, I too can confirm that setting up this account was really fast. No credit pull was done, as you reported.

I called them today to ask if the trial deposit withdrawals will count as a debit, and the rep could not give me a firm answer either way. She did offer that if a $20 charge shows up, I can call them and request for a reversal.
RonPaul
  |     |   Comment #3
Not everybody has a military relationship. Most probably do because of the huge police state we live in, but not all. Also, this account seems to allow 1 withdrawal without penalty.
111
  |     |   Comment #43
"Police state"? I was able to become a Navy CU member many years ago only because my father fought in the Pacific in WW2. Funny, he never told me that he felt like a stooge of a police state. Geez, who knew?
David K
  |     |   Comment #45
111, in reality, the 1940s were an incredibly difficult time for Americans who were other than white, heterosexual, and male, or who cared about those types of people.
111
  |     |   Comment #46
Hey Dave - "in reality" the 1940's also weren't too good for some Americans who WERE (as you put it) "white, heterosexual, and male". I'm talking about the ones who didn't come BACK from the war.
David K
  |     |   Comment #47
111, try to understand, not everything is about you.

This is in reply to your glib comment that America was not a police state, when of course it was for many.

Of course, many of those same people died in World War 2.
111
  |     |   Comment #48
Well Dave - "try to understand" (as you so condescendingly put it), that RonPaul was the first to decide to first introduce politics into this particular thread (#3, "huge police state"), and that YOU chose to double down on this with your own comments (starting with #45). Your, and his, disparagement of Navy FCU members, their families, and US armed forces members in general, are frankly offensive to many.
David K
  |     |   Comment #49
111, get off it.

If you are an actual patriot, instead of a faux patriot, you would have actually served. Right?
David K
  |     |   Comment #50
111, do you get your "I never served but can pretend to be defending the honor of non cowards who actually served" attitude directly from Trump?
David K
  |     |   Comment #52
111, as a Navy Federal member, your insults towards me in defense of Navy Federal members is overly dramatic.

Please, get over yourself.
David K
  |     |   Comment #53
And 111, I surely never said you MENTIONED Trump, I wondered if he enables your incoherent arrogance.
police state?
  |     |   Comment #44
RonPaul, you are free to leave anytime you want. Or are you among those who promised to leave but never left after Trump was elected President of our country? They never had it so good, just that they will not admit it and now refuse to keep their promises and LEAVE.
JohnStossel
  |     |   Comment #54
How many libertarians does it take to **** in a light bulb? None of your business! Am I being detained? **** this police state!
QED
  |     |   Comment #5
I'm not liking the deal because of the penalties. Could live with a deal where you have either $100k in the account or $1, provided there was no penalty on the $1 balance. But there is a penalty, so no dice.
deplorable 1
  |     |   Comment #9
Right if your balance drops below $100,000 there is a penalty so the $100,000 may as well be in a 3% CD since you can't withdraw it without losing the interest rate anyway. I guess you could put $250,000 in there and take up to $150,000 out without a penalty one time though so there is a slight difference.
QED
  |     |   Comment #17
Do not agree but you nevertheless raise an interesting and very important issue. Here is the scenario:

You're rich but not SUPER rich. You have a hundred grand to get the account going. You want 3% and you know you can pull out your hundred grand without penalty should a 4% CD become available in the next six months, at which point you would want the 4% CD instead of the 3% Eagle account.

The question you raise, and I do not have the answer, is what happens next? You cannot keep your Eagle account open without paying a penalty. So can you close the account without an early closure penalty, or some other sort of "gotcha"? Because this bank appears to have a boatload of "gotchas" in it's arsenal. Anyway, inquiring minds want to know.  3% is enticing, but just exactly how liquid is your hundred grand within a penalty-free context?
jeremyharrison
  |     |   Comment #6
That "confusing" sentence IS a complete sentence - "ONLY monthly compounded interest may be withdrawn". Does that mean I am not ever allowed to withdraw my principal - in 1 month, in 6 months - 6 YEARS from now? That is what it says.
midas89
  |     |   Comment #8
Does anyone know if they do a hard or soft credit pull?
RonPaul
  |     |   Comment #14
they said they do not do any credit check
111
  |     |   Comment #10
Not a terrible deal, but quirk and clunky. You can draw off your interest without penalty, but only to another Susquehanna account that you may not even need otherwise? If you go even $1 below 100K the rate is nearly 90% lower? I can kind of accept it as a 6-month CD with an EWP (after the first withdrawal) of only a flat $20. Not sure if its worth starting another account.

And whatever else it is, the guy in the write-up who called it "a short-term jumbo no-penalty CD" is simply wrong. I have actual no-penalty CDs at Ally and AgFed, and they truly have NO penalty when liquidating both principal and interest, at any time after the first 7 days.
David K
  |     |   Comment #55
Wrong, 111.

Ally allows a single no penalty withdrawal. Just like this one.

Unlike here, only a single, entire withdrawal is allowed at Ally.

Stop being so dramatic.
diamondx
  |     |   Comment #12
Am I the only one not able to bring up their website ? privacy error / site not to be trusted
JimmyCrack
  |     |   Comment #15
I just completed the application 5 minutes ago.
Yu
  |     |   Comment #18
How do they check your identity ? Do they run credit check?
jeremyharrison
  |     |   Comment #27
I applied Thursday. They needed a driver's license an a 2nd verification - SS card, or utility bill, etc. They said they run no credit check, and i didn't see anything in the application informing me they did.
JimmyCrack
  |     |   Comment #13
You all are making too big of a deal about the $20 debit. We're talking $100K+ here. $20 is 0.02% of $100K, and less than that if you are putting more money in. Even if you do 5 withdrawals at $100K you are at a 2.9% savings account for 6 months. See the forest, not the trees.

Do trial deposit/withdrawals from accounts count against the limits typically? Most banks do 2 trial deposits so that could hit you with $40 to link an account.
midas89
  |     |   Comment #16
JimmyCrack, you raise a great question, and thank you. On some of my other Savings and/or MM Accounts, the Trial Withdrawals from my outside banks I initiate for ACH linkage have always counted towards the 6 withdrawal max per month for Savings & MM Accounts. 
The exact wording in their PDF (notice the word "any"): "$20.00 Excess Debit Fee will be charged for any withdrawal/debit in excess of ONE debit semi-annually."

Someone needs to call this bank and get a definitive answer if they would waive the Withdrawal fee for Trial Withdrawals, and not even count Trial Withdrawals as the one free per every 6 months.
Cdfan
  |     |   Comment #19
While the $20 is not a big deal, what is a big deal is that any withdrawal that reduces the balance to less than $100k reduces the intereet rate from 3.0 to 0.35
RonPaul
  |     |   Comment #21
Then you just close the account and pull everything out!
ra88
  |     |   Comment #29
Or you can open a checking account as well and link all the banks you want.
RonPaul
  |     |   Comment #20
Honestly, this account is a no brainer yes to me. You deposit 100-250k to get 3% for 6 months. Worst case scenario if you need to pull everything out and close the account, you just pay $10 account closure fee. You guys are all hung up on $10-20 does not make any sense. The EWP on a CD would be like $1800.
james
  |     |   Comment #22
How easy is it to open an account do they ask a lot of questions or is it just open online? How is their online interface
RonPaul
  |     |   Comment #23
its pretty simple, they dont ask a lot of questions. The only minor pain is you will need to print 3 documents sign, then upload to their website. It was pretty simple and they were quick to respond to questions on the phone.
james
  |     |   Comment #28
What is the max ach you can withdraw at once? and can we pull a huge amount from a bank like ally and can we deposit easily?
jeremyharrison
  |     |   Comment #37
Per the manager I've dealt with, no dollar limit on ACH's, either in or out.
james
  |     |   Comment #40
can we open a checking account and transfer the funds there and write a check out without any issue
RickZ
  |     |   Comment #24
If this bank offered a six month 3% $100K minimum CD with a three month EWP, everyone would say what a good deal. But instead they offer a much better deal: a liquid savings account with a 3% rate for $100K+, which is a much higher rate then any other liquid account out there, but they add a couple minor restrictions on withdrawals, and a lot of people are saying it’s full of gotchas. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth.

To answer the question about early closure of the account, the representative who opened my account told me that there is an early closure penalty for accounts closed in the in the first 30 days (I don’t know the amount but I’m sure it can’t be that significant) and no penalty for closure after that.

I also asked them about trial deposits counting as withdrawals. They hadn’t thought about this point so, after some internal review, they told me that if the trial deposits triggered a fee, and/or later caused a real withdrawal to trigger a fee, then I should call them and they would reverse the fee. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t link more than one account.
midas89
  |     |   Comment #25
Thank you, Rick, for getting the answer to the ACH Trial Withdrawal answer and providing it to all of us. I agree with you that with this type of account, probably linking just one external account should be enough.

You're not wrong in your first paragraph above, of course. All I would add is that I understand one's frustrations with the fact they decided to call it "Savings" and we all think of a Savings Account as one where you get the no-fee federally-regulated 6 withdrawals per month. Perhaps Susquehanna could have just named this the "Eagle Premium Money" account instead of Savings.
Test3
  |     |   Comment #26
Framing is everything.

"Nonetheless, I wouldn’t link more than one account."

Once you set up the account and sign up for online banking, under the Transfer tab, it gives a number to call to set up external transfers.
RickZ
  |     |   Comment #30
Yes you're right - you can initiate external transfers through Susquehanna once they activate that option for you. I hadn't really thought about using them for ACH transfers as I assumed their limits would be too low. So I checked with the bank and was told that the outbound and inbound external transfer limit using their system is $5,000 per day. That limit doesn't have much utility for me with an account of this size.
midas89
  |     |   Comment #31
Thank you, RickZ, for letting us know that Susquehanna's ACH transfer limit is just $5,000 per day. What a sad number considering the $100,000 minimum for the Eagle account. So, ACH'ing from our outside bank(s) is really the only option for people who want the convenience and speed of "big money" ACH'ing. (I am assuming there is no limit for ACH withdrawal initiated at an external bank.)
AZX
  |     |   Comment #32
So with $20 debit fee if you want to withdraw your 100K it would essentially cost you $380 over 20 transactions? That's a hard NO.
JimmyCrack
  |     |   Comment #34
The options seem to be:
1. Pay the $30 outbound wire fee
2. Link an external account to pull from (might cost you $20 in account link fees for the trial deposits?)
3. Open a checking account with them as well, and transfer the money all to there, and then heave less restrictions on how you transfer out.
larry
  |     |   Comment #42
Comment #34 I'm not doing this deal because I already have an account at NFCU with the intention of doing the 6 month promo certificate. I would like to know if you are sure about the $20 in account link fees for the trial deposits at Susquehanna Community Bank? That would be ridiculous if true.
jeremyharrison
  |     |   Comment #38
The manager I have dealt with has told me that there are no dollar limits on ACH transfers initiated from the Susquehanna online site. We have conflicting info here.....
RickZ
  |     |   Comment #39
Yes we have conflicting information - but I hope I'm wrong and you're right. I was dealing with a person in account services and she put me on hold to check. As you know, these limits are there to protect the bank from fraud so no limit at all seems suspect.

Anyway, I just added an external bank to my Susquehanna account and they are sending trial deposits. After I verify the deposits I'll attempt a large transfer and I'll report back - that will tell the tale.
Kevin
  |     |   Comment #41
They may have confused ach (external transfer) with the popmoney feature which is a send money to people via email or text feature. The site does say a 5k limit on popmoney.
RickZ
  |     |   Comment #59
I completed the linking of an external account to my Susquehanna account. A $10,000 pull in from my external account was rejected as being above my limit while a $5,000 pull was allowed (before I cancelled it).

This is consistent with the $5,000 limit that my contact at the bank advised me about. Susquehanna also charges a $1.50 fee for transfers initiated at their bank. Their transfer system is basically useless to me.
???
  |     |   Comment #60
RickZ you really should PUSH the funds To susquehanna from your linked acct
and see if it gets there
RickZ
  |     |   Comment #62
Of course I understand how to push funds to Susquehanna. It's just that my hub FI, Alliant CU, limits me to $25K per day in outbound pushes. Some people here were advised that there was no limit on in or out transfers initiated from Susquehanna and that was what I was testing.

As an aside, there is no limit from Susquehanna on how much you can push into your account and there is no fee for funds pushed into the amount.
???
  |     |   Comment #63
Alliant has sub accounts. are they independent enough to also use for 25K transfers?
or you can only transfer from main account?
Maybe take a look at ALLY.
ALLY Bank has Large limits
midas89
  |     |   Comment #64
At first, Alliant CU allowed $100,000 max ACH out. I was upset when they changed the outbound limit to just $25K.

Currently, PurePoint has large ACH limits that would certainly work as a funding source, and a good way to withdraw from Susquehanna. (Sadly, PurePoint has not yet raised their rate to 2.5%, but hopefully they will eventually.)
midas89
  |     |   Comment #61
Thank you very much, RickZ, for letting us know this disappointing news. Does Susquehanna even deserve our $100K+ money considering their perhaps unnecessary/unfair $1.50 ACH transfer fee combined with their measly $5,000 ACH limit, also keeping mind the 3% rate lasts only 6 months?
Depache
  |     |   Comment #33
I'm unable to find the SCB web page to upload documents to support the application. The linked address in the confirmation e-mail does not work. Does anyone have the URL in memory that you can share?
JimmyCrack
  |     |   Comment #35
I had the same issue and emailed them about it, we'll see. In the meantime I just faxed in the documents.
JimmyCrack
  |     |   Comment #36
They responded and corrected the link, it's one of the options now on https://www.scb.bank/contact-us/
RJM
  |     |   Comment #56
I was interested in this deal but right now, I do not have $100k available. Plus, its very much like a CD in nature.

And I just found out about the upcoming Andrews 6 month at 3.25% so I am going with that unless something better comes up by 2/25 when the Andrews deal starts. (It's a one week deal)
----------------------
Military Saves Week
Special 6 Month 3.25% APY* Share Certificate Available During Military Saves Week
Every year, military installations and organizations around the world join forces to motivate, support, and encourage service members and military families to save money, reduce debt, and build wealth through a week of financial focus and education. Andrews Federal Credit Union is a proud partner of the Military Saves Campaign.

In celebration of Military Saves Week, we encourage you to:

Open a limited-time only Special 6 Month Share Certificate with 3.25% APY* during the week of February 25 through March 2
Yu
  |     |   Comment #58
In the medical printout, Do I need to put anything in the Witness field next to the signature?
PHilk
  |     |   Comment #69
I called and they said they could witness it and I could leave blank
Yu
  |     |   Comment #65
I just received the email that mentioned I would see a small withdrawal from my funding account soon. Anyone can share the following?
(1) Once I verify the small withdrawal, how soon will they withdraw the rest(big) amount?
(2) When will I start earning the interest in the new account?
(3) When the money leaves my funding(external) account?

In summary, I don't see my money in limbo during the weekend and I don't earn interest.

Thanks.
RickZ
  |     |   Comment #66
I had the same concern as I was dealing with a 3-day weekend but everything went very fast. I verified the deposits Wednesday AM, the funds were credited to my Susquehanna account that same day and starting earning interest either Wednesday or Thursday (it's a little hard to be sure on this point), and the debit didn't show at the funding bank until Thursday.

One wrinkle is that bank is closed this afternoon due to weather. I'd verify on Wednesday, on Friday I'd hold off until Monday, and Thursday verification should be safe but no guarantee.
Yu
  |     |   Comment #67
thank you RickZ
Worrywort
  |     |   Comment #68
The procedures at this bank make me fear for the security of my funds. Without giving specifics, it was possible to verify my external account without ever logging in or communicating with the external bank, meaning someone could put anyone's account info there and it could be verified and the big deposit would take place. That's not necessarily a risk to me, but with procedures so lax I worry about what else is handled incorrectly.
RJM
  |     |   Comment #72
I might have to look into this deal closer soon unless something better comes. I have a large Keesler maturing on the 18th and when this deal first came out, it did not sound great. However, now my option might be sitting in my 2.50% savings account. NASAs deals are dead, Hyperion's are dead.

And I am not going to leave my money at Keesler for 19 months at 3%.

I cannot join NFCU.

I thought I recall someone being rejected for possibly too many chexsystems new accounts? Can anyone confirm?

I should not be afraid to sit tight at 2.50% for a week or even a month or two but I am getting anxious about it. On $155k I lose $14.90 per week as compared to 3%.
Newbie1
  |     |   Comment #73
RJM. I can confirm that I have been rejected for having too many chexsystems “hits”. That bank in question had a policy of a max of 5 inquiries. If you haven’t yet done so, order a copy of your Chex report.
RJM
  |     |   Comment #75
You mean with THIS bank or another one? I was rejected once 10-15 years ago but I have 5 new accounts or more in the last 12-15 months. Not sure how many used Chex.
Newbie1
  |     |   Comment #74
P.S having read through the comments, posters are reporting there was no credit check opening this account.....
Cotton
  |     |   Comment #76
Ive been calling their phone number. The recording says leave a message, the mailbox is full and you can't leave a message. This does not inspire confidence.
JDubs
  |     |   Comment #77
The rate is now down to 2.27% anyway

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