Ideal Credit Union: Best 4-Year Jumbo CD. Ideal Credit Union is a Minnesota-based credit union that was established for postal workers in St. Today, anyone can join by making a one-time $5 donation to the John D. Miller Foundation. You’ll also need to keep at least $1 in savings.
© MoMo Productions/Getty Images Couple using tablet at homeYields generally aren’t as high as they were almost a year ago, but it’s still possible to find a competitive interest rate. One way to do that is to shop around and look at the yields tied to the share certificates offered by credit unions.
The average 1-year CD yield was 0.20 percent annual percentage yields (APY), according to Bankrate's weekly survey of institutions on Feb. 24, 2021.
Brick-and-mortar banks can be pretty stingy when it comes to paying out interest to customers with savings accounts. In many cases, their CD rates aren't impressive either.
Credit unions are member-owned institutions. That means they're always looking out for their customers. It's not hard to find a credit union offering competitive rates tied to CDs (or, as credit unions often call them, “share certificates”).
The drawback? You may not have access to a credit union share certificate if you cannot qualify for membership. While there are many credit unions that are easy to join, there are still institutions that have restrictions based on where you live or work, or the group you’re affiliated with.
Even if you can become a credit union member and apply for a share certificate, you may forget about this account if you have multiple accounts at different banks or you have no other ties to the credit union. If you’re not careful, your CD could automatically renew, forcing you to keep money locked up for a longer period of time than anticipated. That could cause problems if you need money you’ve saved to cover an emergency or make an important purchase.
Here are some credit unions offering today’s best widely available 1-year CD rates.
Note: The APYs (Annual Percentage Yields) shown are as of Feb. 26, 2021. Bankrate's editorial team updates this information regularly, typically biweekly. APYs may have changed since they were last updated.
Delta Community Credit Union began as the Delta Employees Credit Union in 1940. It was started by eight Delta Air Lines employees. Delta Community Credit Union has more than 430,000 members and has 29 branches in metro Atlanta and three branches outside of Georgia.
Navy Federal Credit Union has more than 9 million members and is the world's largest credit union. It has a global network of 340 branches. Navy Federal Credit Union has its headquarters in Vienna, Virginia.
In addition to CDs, Navy Federal Credit Union also offers checking and savings accounts, loans and credit cards.
Golden 1 Credit Union has been around since 1933. It has 1 million members and more than 70 branches in California.
In 1935, what's now Alliant Credit Union was founded as the United Airlines Employees' Credit Union. Alliant currently has more than 500,000 members nationwide.
Alliant offers competitive APYs with low minimum balance requirements for CDs. Alliant also has traditional individual retirement account (IRA) CDs, Roth IRA CDs and SEP IRA CDs.
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union was formed during the Great Depression in 1934. Created by school employees, the credit union has 50 branches. SchoolsFirst FCU has low minimum balances and CD terms from 30 days to five years. The more money you put in your CD, the higher the APY. CDs at this credit union have four balance tiers: $500, $20,000, $50,000 or $100,000.
Bethpage Federal Credit Union is one of the largest credit unions in the United States, with over 300,000 members. It opened in 1941 for Grumman employees. Anyone who opens a $5 savings account can become a member.
Bethpage offers nine terms of CDs, ranging from three months to five years, and one 39-month Bump-Up CD.
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, VyStar Credit Union (formerly Jax Navy Federal CU) has more than 735,000 members and is one of the largest financial institutions in northeast Florida.
VyStar offers share certificates ranging from three months to five years, with a $500 minimum deposit to open. It also offers an 18-month step-up certificate that lets you deposit more money and “step up” your rate.
Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) was established in 1935. It has more than 2 million members and has its main office in McLean, Virginia.
PenFed has nine terms of CDs. They range from a six-month CD to a seven-year CD.
Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union has more than 55 branches. It has at least one location in the Texas cities of Austin, Corpus Christi and San Antonio.
Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union was established in 1952 and has its headquarters in Live Oak, Texas.
Besides its CDs, the institution offers a Really Free Checking account that doesn't require a minimum balance or charge a monthly fee.
Before signing up for any bank account, it's important to understand the terms and conditions. With share certificates - and CDs across the board - there's typically a penalty for early withdrawal. By pulling money out of your share certificate (or CD) before it matures, you'll likely forfeit some of the interest you've earned. Consequences for early withdrawals vary from one credit union to the next and sometimes vary within a single credit union for share certificates with different term lengths.
As long as the credit union you've chosen is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration Share Insurance Fund, the money you've deposited in your share certificate will be safe. In the event that the credit union shuts down, you'll still walk away with your savings. Just keep in mind that there's a $250,000 threshold for single ownership accounts. Larger amounts won't be automatically insured.
Institution | APY | Minimum deposit for APY |
---|---|---|
Delta Community Credit Union | 0.80% | $1,000 |
Navy Federal Credit Union | 0.55% | $1,000 |
Golden 1 Credit Union | 0.50% | $500 |
Alliant Credit Union | 0.50% | $1,000 |
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union | 0.50% | $20,000 |
Bethpage Federal Credit Union | 0.45% | $50 |
VyStar Credit Union | 0.45% | $500 |
Pentagon Federal Credit Union | 0.45% | $1,000 |
Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union | 0.45% | $1,000 |