MoneyRates Blog
Dying or Running out of Savings: Which Scares You More?
By Barbara Marquand | Money-Rates Columnist
Sure, death is scary. But even more frightening to most Baby Boomers is the prospect of running out of money.
Roughly six in 10 people said they feared outliving their income more than dying, according to a new survey by Allianz Life Insurance Co. of North America, which polled 3,200 people in May ranging in age [...]
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Ulster Savings Bank
By Bank Specials Guru | Money-Rates Columnist
Ulster Savings Bank - Bust The Bill Stack Instant Win Game
Account Type: Checking Account
Special Type: Contest/Drawing/Prizes/Sweepstakes
Play the, Bust The Bill Stack, instant win game with Ulster Savings Bank and you could win up to $5,000. All you need to do to participate is sign up for online banking with bill pay and pay some bills [...]
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Bank Rates to Rise in 2011, Bank Economists Predict
By Barbara Marquand | Money-Rates Columnist
Bank economists say we’re on the path to a solid recovery, a double-dip recession is highly unlikely, and they expect the Fed will start raising interest rates next year.
The prediction about rising interest rates was unanimous among the dozen members of the American Bankers Association Economic Advisory Committee, which recently released its views on how [...]
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‘Frugality Fatigue’: Could Higher Spending Lead to Higher Savings Rates?
By Barbara Marquand | Money-Rates Columnist
In releasing its latest poll on consumer spending, Gallup coined a new syndrome with which most of us can relate: “frugality fatigue.”
Who, after all, hasn’t grown tired of clipping coupons, putting off big purchases and saving every spare dime, only to find savings rates at minuscule levels during the recession?
Unfortunately, the rich apparently are the [...]
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Making Sense of Unemployment Numbers
By Barbara Marquand | Money-Rates Columnist
With the announcement on Friday that the U.S. economy added 290,000 jobs in April–the biggest monthly gain in four years — you’d think we’d be hearing champagne corks popping across the country.
Unfortunately that statistic was accompanied by another, less uplifting number. The unemployment rate rose from 9.7 percent to 9.9 percent.
What Gives?
The first number comes [...]
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CharterBank
By Bank Specials Guru | Money-Rates Columnist
CharterBank - REWARDSChecking
Account Type: Checking Account
Special Type: Free Items/Gifts/Promotional Items
Special Type: Cash
Special Type: Rate
APY:
5.01% on balances up to $25,000
1.01% on balances $25,000.01 and over
0.10% if qualifications are not met
CharterBank’s REWARDSChecking has a great rate of 5.01% APY, ATM fee refunds nationwide, and
has no monthly service charge when you meet their three simple features. Plus, when [...]
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Bank Rates Likely to Get Better
By Clark Schultz | Money-Rates Columnist
Rates on bank deposits are set to go higher if the recent statements of leading economists and the Federal Reserve Chairman are to be believed. The economy is still mired in recession, but the pace of contraction has decreased. Any hints of economic growth, when combined with the enormous amount of money flooded into the [...]
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Online Banking and Linking External Accounts
By Clark Schultz | Money-Rates Columnist
One of the best features of online banking is linking external bank accounts. The basic idea behind linking an external account to your existing bank account is the ability to transfer funds between the two accounts online. The transfer of funds online is much easier and faster than mailing a paper check from one bank to the other. It [...]
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Bank Bailouts 2009: Check Your Bank’s Rates and Fees
By Clark Schultz | Money-Rates Columnist
The U.S. Senate behind Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd is proposing that the FDIC be allowed to borrow as much as $500 billion from the Treasury Department. The proposal came after FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair publicly stated last week that the insurance fund was underfunded to meet potential bank failures in the future. Americans are already [...]
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Bank Money Market Rates Outpacing Yields on Money Funds
By Clark Schultz | Money-Rates Columnist
Mutual fund money markets have had a tumultous six months. A perfect storm arose to test the whole industry. First, the safety of money funds was called into question after several funds “broke the buck” during the mortgage-backed securities crisis. Then yields on money funds were pushed down close to 1% after the Fed lowered [...]
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FDIC Proposes Capping Bank Rates Offered by Weak Banks
By MoneyRates team | Money-Rates Columnist
The FDIC has proposed tightening the caps on the rates that can be paid on CDs, money market accounts, savings accounts, and checking accounts for banks that are categorized as “Less Than Well Capitalized”. Instead of using Treasury yields for calculating the ceiling on deposit rates, the FDIC proposes using national rate averages. The intended [...]
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Savings Bonus from WT Direct
By MoneyRates team | Money-Rates Columnist
WTDirect (the online division of Wilmington Trust Bank) is running a new promotion called the Winter Bonus Blast in which customers open a new savings account can earn up to $250 in a cash reward. To earn cash rewards new customers must:
(1) Open a new account using promotion code WTG3DNC
(2) Link an existing bank account [...]
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More Special Offers from National City Bank
By MoneyRates team | Money-Rates Columnist
National City Bank has been a longtime leader in online bank deals and even after the purchase of National City Bank by Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank the deals continue. A $150 VISA Gift Card is available to new customers who open a checking account.
(1) Apply online, visit your local National City branch or call 1-800-622-4036 to [...]
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Money-Rates.com Twitter Updates Available
By MoneyRates team | Money-Rates Columnist
Money-Rates.com is now posting Twitter updates at Twitter.com for people interested in keeping track of the latest up-to-the-minute bank deals. The easiest way to keep track of the updates is to open an account at Twitter - a process that takes less than five minutes.
Twitter Updates
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Highest Rates on Bank Savings Accounts Unchanged After Fed Rate Cut
By MoneyRates team | Money-Rates Columnist
The Federal Reserve lowered short-term interest rates a half-point this week in a move that typically precipitates a corresponding lowering by banks of their own savings rates. But, as of today the list of the nation’s best savings rates is largely unchanged with a few banks even raising rates late in the week. Banks offering [...]
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Top Ten Highest Rates on Bank Savings Accounts
By MoneyRates team | Money-Rates Columnist
There is a lot of interest in bank savings account now that the FDIC is pushing Congress for the authority to increase deposit limits from $100,000 to $250,000. Here are the top ten rates on a Bank Savings Account ranked by Annual Percentage Yield as posted on Money-Rates.com:
AmTrust Direct, 4.00% APY, $500 minimum
Washington Mutual Bank [...]
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Reward Checking Rates as High as 6.00%
By MoneyRates team | Money-Rates Columnist
Reward checking accounts are online checking accounts which pay a high-yield for customers who meet monthly banking requirements. The accounts are now available from banks in all 50 states. Each individual bank has their own tiered-rate schedule and unique monthly requirements. Some of the banks offering reward checking accounts today include:
Crossroads Bank Illinois6.10% APY on [...]
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Bank Money Market Accounts Better than Money Funds, Savings Accounts, and CDs?
By MoneyRates team | Money-Rates Columnist
One of the best places to park cash today might be bank money market accounts which offer yields that beat mutual fund money market accounts and offer more flexibility than savings accounts or CDs. Money funds offered by the largest mutual fund companies like Fidelity, Vanguard, and Dreyfus are currently yielding between 2.00% and 2.45% [...]
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Virtual Bank Increases Rates on Money Market Accounts, Savings Accounts, and CDs
By MoneyRates team | Money-Rates Columnist
Virtual Bank is division of Lydian Private Bank which has been operating as an “internet-only” bank for over 5 years. Without branch overhead VirtualBank has been able to consistently pay some of the top rates on their deposit products. VirtualBank increased rates this week with the following rates available to online banking customers:
eMoney Market Accounts [...]
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North Carolina Bank is a True Online Bank
By MoneyRates team | Money-Rates Columnist
NewDominion Bank is an example of a true online bank - no branches and no branch overhead to pass on to customers. Countless banks claim to be an online bank, but are actually just divisions of large multi-branch and multi-state banks. These banks have the high costs associated with their branch operations that an online [...]
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