Bank Deals, Checking Accounts, Credit Cards

Chase is offering special banking options to military families. The Military Banking program is for active and reserve members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Military personnel who have a Chase checking account will automatically be upgraded to a Chase Premier Plus Checking Account. With direct deposit the checking account includes the following features:

• No monthly service fee
• Interest earned on account balance
• No ATM fees for all non-Chase ATM transactions
• Free checks
• Free safe deposit box
• Chase Plus Savings with no monthly service fee and higher interest rates
• Two additional Chase checking accounts with no monthly service fee
• No fees for money orders, official checks and travelers checks at branches
• No fee on wire transfers
• Insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC)

Chase also has credit card offers for military personnel. The Military Star Rewards MasterCard has a 2 percent cash back bonus offer for purchases made the first 60 days the account is open. The Air Force Club Membership MasterCard offers 2 percent cash back at AAFES locations, the exchange and commissary. The Army MWR MasterCard offers 2 percent cash back on base at Force Services merchants, MCCS, MWR, exchange and commissary.

You can earn up to $120 each year with any checking account enrolled in Green$ense at Citizens Bank. The checking account pays 10 cents each time you make a payment without writing a check, such as with a debit card, online bill payment or by setting up automatic payments. Green$ense checking accounts receive a debit card made from recycled plastic and online statements.

According to the Citizens Bank Web site, after just one year of enrolling in Green$ense, for every dollar you earn through the program you will:

• Save emissions equal to more than 87 miles of driving
• Save almost 4 gallons of gas consumed by transporting statements and bills
• Prevent more than 3.5 gallons of waste water
• Lower the global warming impact equal to turning off your refrigerator for a week
• Save more than 7 square feet of forest

Citizens Bank offers several personal checking accounts that can be enrolled in Green$ense, including:

• Green Checking, which has no minimum balance requirement and a low fee
• Circle Gold Checking with Interest which has preferred rates on saving and borrowing, plus rewards and special perks
• The Personal Checking with Interest which has no monthly fee when you carry a minimum balance
• Circle Checking which allows combined balances in the checking, savings and loans to offset the monthly fee.

Other checking accounts are available at the bank, which is based in Providence, R.I.

Open a high interest Kasasa Checking Account at Atlantic Coast Bank and you could earn 3.01 percent annual percentage yield (APY). The interest rate is current as of May 16, 2011, and can change at any time. The free checking account earns the interest rate on balances up to $15,000. Balances over $15,000 earn 0.5 percent APY. If requirements of the account are not met, the interest rate is 0.05 percent APY for all funds in the account.

Other details of the checking account offer include:

• Minimum opening deposit of $100
• No minimum balance
• No monthly fees
• Refunds up to $25 of nationwide ATM fees
• eStatements
• Direct deposit

Atlantic Coast Bank has other free checking accounts available. Coast Checking is an account “with no strings attached. There are no minimum balance requirements, per-item fees or direct deposit requirement. The account offers a free debit card, Internet banking and bill pay. The Fresh Start Checking requires $100 to open but has no minimum balance requirement. It also has unlimited check writing and free online banking.

Atlantic Coast Bank has branches throughout northeast Florida and southeast Georgia. Free ATMs are available at over 900 Publix Presto! locations.

Salem Five Direct is offering an eOne saving accounts that can help you earn higher rates on deposits.

Details of the savings account offer include:

• 1 percent annual percentage yield (APY) for balances up to $1 million
• Balances over $1million may be transferred to a standard statement savings account
• $100 minimum to open
• Can be used as overdraft protection for checking account

Customers who do not currently have a savings account or checking account can apply online and current eOne checking account customers are eligible to open an eOne savings account. However accounts must be opened with funds that are not currently on deposit with Salem Five Direct.

For checking accounts Salem Five Direct will reimburse up to $15 in ATM fees per statement cycle. Also, non-PIN based purchases are eligible for Cash Back Debit Rewards. The interest rate on the checking account is 0.55 percent APY for balances up to $1 million. The bank reserves the right to transfer balances over $1 million to an eOne funding account, which has a 0.25 percent APY.

All interest rates shown are accurate as of June 1, 2011.

Hopkins Federal Savings Bank has a VIP checking account that earns 1.01 percent annual percentage yield (APY). The interest rate is current as of April 28, 2011. New checking accounts at the Baltimore-based bank are available only to residents of Maryland. Details of the bank offer include:

• Free ATM card
• Free transactions at ATM machines
• Free printing of one order of checks each year
• No monthly maintenance fee with balance of at least $500
• Minimum balance of $1,000 to earn the APY

Hopkins Federal Savings Bank also has a Money Market Checking Account with a competitive interest rate. You can earn 1.11 percent APY on the account. The checking account offers an ATM card that can be used free at ATM machines and for point-of-sale purchases. You also can issue three checks of at least $500 during each statement cycle. The monthly maintenance fee is waived if you have a minimum daily balance of at least $2,500. The account is ideal for customers who don’t need to make a lot of transactions each month.

Hopkins Federal Savings Bank is a locally owned bank that has served residents of Baltimore and nearby communities since 1921. Accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).