Bank Deals, Checking Accounts, Local Bank Deals

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.

Seacoast Commerce Bank of San Diego has an Investors Money Market Account earning 1.25 percent annual percentage yield (APY). The interest rate is current as of May 31, 2011.

The money market requires a minimum deposit of $25,000. Once the account is open you need a minimum daily balance of $25,000 to continue earning the interest rate. If you don’t meet the balance requirement, the monthly service fee is $25. The Investors Money Market Account can be opened by personal and business customers.

If you don’t have as much money to get started, you can open a Basic Money Market Account with a minimum opening deposit of $2,500. The account requires a minimum daily balance of $2,500 to avoid a $12 monthly fee. You get six free automatic transfers per statement cycle, and that includes up to six checks. The money market account has an interest rate of 0.25 percent APY.

Seacoast Commerce Bank also offers a Premium Business Money Market that requires a minimum opening deposit of $500 and has tiered interest rates. The High Yield Business Money Market, which also has tiered interest rates, requires a minimum opening deposit of $25,000 and a minimum daily balance is $1,000.

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).

Pacific Mercantile Bank has a 1-year certificate of deposit with a 1.26 percent annual percentage yield (APY). The Costa Mesa, Calif.-based bank also has other CD rates and terms, including:

• 0.4 percent APY for 3 months
• 1 percent APY for 6 months
• 1.41 percent APY for 18 months
• 1.48 percent for 24 months
• 1.48 percent for 36 months
• 1.48 percent for 60 months

Interest rates are current as of April 26, 2011, and are subject to change at any time. CD rates are fixed for the term upon opening an account. Interest is compounded daily and is credited to the account at maturity or according to an interest payment option you select when opening an account.

Certificate of deposit accounts have no monthly fees. Withdrawing money early from a CD may result in a penalty. To open a CD you need a minimum deposit of $10,000 for non-IRA accounts. To open an IRA certificate of deposit you need a minimum of $7,500. You can make three deposits into a CD before maturity if the term is six months or longer. Funds in Pacific Mercantile Bank accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC).

If you live in Oklahoma you can open a checking account at Bank2 that earns 4.01 percent annual percentage yield (APY). The Great Rate Checking Account earns the high interest rate on balances up to $15,000. Other details of the account include:

• 1.01 percent APY on balances over $15,000
• 0.1 percent APY if account requirements are not met
• No monthly service fees
• No minimum balance is required
• Unlimited checking
• $100 to open account
• Free online banking and bill pay
• ATM fees refunded

If you also open a Great Rate Savings Account you can have the interest from the checking account deposited in it, as well as refunded ATM fees. The savings rate for the savings account is 2.01 percent APY on balances up to $35,000. Balances over $35,000 earn 1.01 percent APY and if account requirements are not met the savings rate is 0.1 percent.

Accounts at Bank2 are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). Bank2 is a subsidiary of Chickasaw Banc Holding Company, which is 100 percent owned by the Chickasaw Nation. The bank is the number one source of Native American home loans in the state of Oklahoma.