This one looks easy for anyone to open online
http://www.worldsavi...cd-dynamic.html

AmTrust http://www.amtrust.com/ Did a hard pull on a CD I did with them
Not sure why you listed utilities like Verizon. Comcast and Cingular, Those would be considered credit accounts. I was surprised recently when my home phone thru Verizion suddenly showed on my report after having it for over 10 years, Did not mind as it made my FICO go up. Anyone interested in maintaining a good credit score had better now treat utilities bill payments just like credit card and loan payments

Called the American Dream ‘My Way CD’ should have been called "No Way CD" 5% for 18 month CD is horrible and ranks way down on CD rates. Would have thought ED would have come out with something better.

Can not beat Middlesex Savings Bank CD offer for any term from 3 months to 71 months at 5.25%.
Another great thing is they have DIF so could put in as much as you want, Also they are 4 Star rated and over 4 Billion in size

http://www.middlesex...l/rates_cds.asp

GMAC offers the best rates on $500 min CD's. Right now 6 month 4.81% and 12 month 5%

Not sure where you are reading that but they show 4.60 from $100 to $100,000+


Under $10,000.00 4.50% 4.60% $100 Min
$10,000.00 - $24,999.99 4.50% 4.60%
$25,000.00 - $49,999.99 4.50% 4.60%
$50,000.00 - $99,999.99 4.50% 4.60%
$100,000.00 and up 4.50% 4.60%

Never used them before as putting my money in a "virtual" seemed strange. Found they are the online part of Lydian Private Bank out of FL. Safe an Sound rating of 3* and about $1.5 Billion in size. Going to take advantage of their 5.10% CD. Seems like one of the best rates for an easy to open online account.

Looks like you must go in to open. Saw this equally good offer on FW and open to everyone. Looks very easy to open online and they are a nice size bank at over 3 Billion in assets and Bankrates Safe&Sound give them 4*.

https://www.dimedirect.com/6mocd5.htm

Dime Savings Bank - 5.00% APY 6 month CD
$500 min, 250K max, expires on February 21, 2006
One account per household

https://www.dimedirect.com/6mocd5.htm or call 800-321-3463
PROMO CODE 3169615

If you suddenly have a big jump in your credit card debt it will lower your FICO. Unless your planning on getting a mortgage or other loan soon should not be a problem as it will come back up after paying down

Thought this sounded a little funny also
"I was sweet talked into opening an account at this bank by one of their employees at the local eatery"

They just opened their doors this month, So seems they are not ready. What kind of rates were they offering?

History:

Nov 2004: Indus American Bank founded in New Jersey by Deepak Khanna & Meenu Khanna, Sharad & Lalita Wagle, Anil & Kumud Bansal, Pankaj & Sheetal Kapur, Amita Desai & Tom Birch, Umesh & Sonia Gidwani, Baleshwar & Ina Khanna, Andrew & Valerie Krieger
Dec 2004: Kevin Lenihan joins as the President and CEO of Indus American Bank
Aug 2005: Stock offering of $11.5 million
Nov 2005: Raised $12.5 million in Private Placement Offering
Dec 2005: Received Final Charter approval from State of New Jersey Dec. Received Final FDIC approval
Dec 2005: Opened the doors for business

DIF stands for "Depositors Insurance Fund" Unlike FDIC it is not backed by the Government but I feel very safe leaving large amounts at banks with DIF. Massachusetts has very tough banking laws and DIF is audited by them. DIF was around before FDIC and was the model that FDIC was created from. Below I pasted some info on DIF and you will see that no one has ever lost a penny in a DIF insured bank. I have had one DIF bank fail on me and the very next day my account was just moved to a different DIF Bank. I got this info from the Salem Five site and if anyone is interested they have a great checking account that allows unlimited check writing, free global ATM plus many other benefits. Does require a $200,000 min but is paying 4.38% now and adjusts on the first of every month to the 1-month libor rate posted in the Wall street Journal. If you look at the history of the 1-month libor you will see it stays ahead of our FED Fund rate so this is a great account if your tired of chasing rates

http://www.salemfive...ashAccount.html

It works like this: As in the case of all FDIC-insured banks, the first $100,000 per depositor is covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). At Salem Five, however, amounts in excess of $100,000 are covered by the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF). The result? Your deposits are completely protected--without limitation.

The FDIC was established by the U.S. Congress in 1933 with a mission to insure bank deposits. Originally set at $2,500, the FDIC's insurance limit has increased over time to the current coverage of $100,000 per depositor.

The DIF was established by the Massachusetts legislature in 1932 and started insuring deposits in 1934. Today, the DIF is a private insurer covering over $7 billion of depositors' funds in excess of the FDIC limit, in over 100 Massachusetts chartered savings banks.

We are pleased to provide answers to many commonly asked questions surrounding the specific benefits of both the FDIC and the DIF deposit insurance programs.


Questions & Answers

I've noticed that my bank displays the FDIC and DIF symbols. What does Member FDIC/Member DIF mean?
Both organizations insure depositors' funds against loss. The first $l00,000 per depositor is insured by the FDIC. All deposits above this amount are insured by the DIF.


Do all banks offer FDIC and DIF insurance coverage?
No. While there are other insuring entities, only Massachusetts-chartered savings banks offer the additional protection of DIF insurance.


Are all my deposits in Massachusetts chartered savings banks insured in full?
Yes. All types of deposit accounts are covered, including savings, checking, and NOW accounts; money market accounts; certificates of deposit; IRAs and Keoghs; and all other deposit accounts held with Massachusetts-chartered savings banks.


Has any depositor ever lost money in a Member FDIC/Member DIF bank?
No. The FDIC has always paid deposits in full up to its insurance limit. The DIF has always paid all deposits in excess of the FDIC's limit. No depositor has ever lost a penny in an FDIC/DIF member bank since either Fund was established.


How financially strong are the FDIC and the DIF?
The FDIC is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. While the DIF is not backed by federal, state, or local governments, the Fund is very strong and has extensive recourses. The banking crisis of the late 1980s serves as a poignant example of the DIF's financial strength. In this period, 18 DIF member banks failed. These banks contained funds from over 6,300 excess depositors. Their excess deposits totaled $250 million. Each and every depositor was paid in full. This was the worst period in the history of the Massachusetts thrift industry, yet the Fund has more money today than it did at the start of the crisis.


Is the DIF subject to any form of regulatory scrutiny?
Yes. The DIF's financial records are examined regularly by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks, and audited annually by an independent auditor.


If a Member FDIC/Member DIF bank ever got into financial trouble, how would I get my money?
Based on past experience, arrangements would be made for all deposits to be automatically transferred to another bank. All your deposit funds would be available with no interruption of service.


I'd like to buy a CD for $125,000. Is it fully insured if I place it in one account, or will I need to open two accounts in different names?
You can buy a single CD for the entire amount. At a Member FDIC/Member DIF member bank, your deposits are fully insured, even if they exceed $l00,000.


Does the FDIC or the DIF insure investments in bank mutual funds?
No. Both the FDIC and DIF only cover deposits.


Where can I learn more about the FDIC and DIF?
Both the FDIC and DIF maintain websites where you can access additional information. Just click on the links for more information.

WFB moves up to 4.25%

WFB bumps again to 4%. Making ING's .10% bump up look pretty sad

Many Banks do a hard credit check when opening an account. I use MyFico.com to track my score and they sent me an email stating my score dropped 19 points because of those checks. Have no idea why giving a Bank money would require them to do a check on you. Most Banks that offer special deals know that there are many of us rate chasers around and do so with the understanding many will just open for the bonus or promo rate then close but figure they will pick up a percentage of people that will stick with them. Yes, At Tax time you will have a stack of 1099-INT but my account say's they are a lot easier than the numerous stock trades I had when I was day trading

http://www.centennialrates.com/
4.23% Passbook savings. Problem with most Passbooks accounts is you need to go into the bank.

Found this nice deal at a local Cooperative Bank.
They are offering a Passbook saving account at 4.07% with 25K Min. Rate guaranteed till 05/01/2006. Might only be good as a local deal, Located just North of Boston, as I don't know if you must go in for a Passbook account. Also offering a 8 month CD at 4.5%. Another plus is they have SIF which covers any amount over FDIC, Might now be time to take some $$ out of ING to open with them
http://www.equitable...com/intsav2.htm

Mark, Probably best to remove that link. I wanted to see the scary guy so clicked and instantly got a warning from my anti-virus software that I picked up the "Exploit-MhtRedir.Gen" Trojan. Luckily software removed it instantly.

I have never had to get money from the FDIC but did have one small local bank fail on me. FDIC just had other Local banks instantly pick up all depositors accounts. Also I remember hearing once that the FDIC has 99 years to payoff if there was ever a major banking crisis but have never been able to confirm this

What is FDIC Deposit Insurance?

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The FDIC was created by Congress in 1933 to make the savings of millions of Americans secure. The FDIC protects depositors' funds in the event of the financial failure of their bank or savings institution. The FDIC does not protect against losses due to fire, theft, or fraud, which are subject to other protections such as hazard and casualty insurance. FDIC also does not insure Non-Deposit Investment products (such as Stocks, Mutual Funds, and Annuities) that may be sold at a bank or savings institution.

When an institution is closed by its chartering authority, the FDIC makes payment of insured deposits to all of the failed institution's depositors as soon as possible, usually on the next business day after the closing. Those depositors who have funds in excess of the insurance limits receive the insured portion of their funds as described above. They also may receive a portion of their uninsured funds either at that time or as the assets of the failed institution are liquidated.

ING bumps up to 3.5%, Not much but enough to keep me there awhile longer. Is still a better rate than what I can get from most local banks, Including large banks like BOA or Citizens. Am looking at opening an interesting new account with Salem Five bank. It's called the Platinum Cash account. Rate is tied to the 1-month Libor rate that is posted on the first of every month in the Wall street Journal. Has unlimited check writing and withdrawals, Free worldwide ATM and bunch of other perks. Does have a $200,000 Min but it is currently paying 4.17% and Libor rate moves pretty much with our FED rate so could simplify the process of chasing rates. And since they have DIF you are covered for any amount

WFB bumps up to 3.68/3.75. Not a lot, but more pressure on ING?

State Farm bank offering nice 3 month CD. under $100,000 4.25% over $100,000 4.35%

http://www.statefarm...ank/fixrate.htm

Got this email from BOA yesterday. When I clicked on it's link it brought me to a very real looking BOA site and asked to update all sorts of info. Looked official but I highly doubt a bank would ask for this info by email. Sent it to abuse department at BOA but no response from them, when I tried to click on it again this morning a warning came up from AOL telling this link is now blocked as they feel it is phishing. Kind of strange that AOL seems to be looking out for me better than the bank it's self Anyone else get it?
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