The Federal Reserve said it will continue to hold interest rates down for an “extended period” as CD rates reached new record lows this week.
The Fed’s rate-setting committee met on Wednesday and concluded that the weak economic recovery continues to make cheap credit more important than reasonable returns for investors.
As a result, prudent savers will [...]

Frontier Bank is now alone at the top of our rankings of the best 24-month CD rates.
It did that by raising the best rate on its “Silver CDs” to 2.55% APY from 2.50% APY at a time most banks are lowering their returns.
But you’ll need an awfully lot of money to take advantage of Frontier’s [...]

First National Community Bank has an intriguing offer that combines a high-yield checking account with attractive CD rates.
It’s paying 4.01% APY on balances of up to $25,000 in its “Maximum Earnings” checking account.
Anything over that earns a paltry 1.01% APY, which is quite typical for these kinds of accounts.
But FNCB is also [...]

Hudson City Bank hasn’t cut its chart-topping 36-month CD rates for more than a month now.
That’s noteworthy given the way other banks chopped their returns and CD rates fell in October.

Hudson City, which has dozens of branches in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, continues to pay 3.00% APY with a minimum deposit of [...]

PerkStreet Financial is an odd little newcomer that does one thing, and one thing only: checking accounts.
You can open an account with as little as $25 and pay no monthly fees as long as you use your account once a month.

There’s also no charge for using any of the 37,000 ATMs in the STAR network [...]

If you’re thinking of purchasing a home, don’t go with just any real estate agent: Get a full-time buyer’s agent.

One of the biggest advantages of working with a buyer’s agent is that you’re less likely to have any conflicts of interest.
Unlike agents who represent buyers and sellers, buyer’s agents won’t steer you towards a home [...]

Chase has revived its $100 bonus for opening a checking account.
All you need to do is open a Chase checking account with as little as $100 in new money.

If you sign up for a basic “Chase Checking” account, all you have to do is establish one direct deposit, or make five debit card purchases, within [...]

Long-term CD rates fell in October, undercutting hope that the sharp delcine in savings rates that began with last year’s financial crisis might be over for at least some certificates of deposit.
The average return on 5-year CD rates had risen slightly in August and September.
But this week’s retreat leaves the average just four-hundredths of a [...]

Here’s another way credit cards are abusing customers — reducing the value of their reward programs.
The ability to earn points or miles towards everything from cash rebates to airline tickets is often touted in credit card ads.
But the terms of how those points can be earned and redeemed can change at any time. With credit [...]