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 cards on a rate-raising, fee-charging rampage it’s no surprise that they’re devaluing their reward programs, too.

Just look at some of the changes Citi and its partners are making.

The Citi Hilton HHonors Visa, for example, allows holders to earn points toward free hotel rooms. But starting next year you’ll need at least 12,500 points, up from 10,000 points, to get one.

The Citi mtvU Visa card allows students to earn points that can be converted into payments toward student loans. But instead of earning $100 for every 10,000 points, you’ll now need 12,700

The Citi Home Depot Rewards MasterCard is being dropped altogether. The cards won’t be honored after Saturday, Oct. 31, and reward points not redeemed by Jan. 31, 2010 will be wiped out.

That’s the ultimate devaluation for those contractors and do-it-yourself types who were lured into this reward card, eh?

Let us know if you’re seeing any of favorite reward programs making it harder for you to earn and redeem points and miles.

TotalBank has led our rankings of the best 3-month CD rates for four months now, even though its returns have been steadily declining.

The bank, which has 16 branches in the Miami area, was paying 2.55% APY when it claimed the top spot in June and 1.85% APY as recently as last month.

Now it’s offering 1.65% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000, but that’s still good enough to lead our October rankings.

During that time, the national average for a 3-month certificate of deposit has fallen from 0.64% to 0.41%. That’s the lowest average since the survey we use began tracking 3-month CD rates in March 1989.

The other top nationally available CD rates are:

1.50% APY with a $25,000 minimum deposit from MetLife Bank, an online bank owned by the insurance giant featuring Snoopy in its ads.

1.50% APY from H&R Block Bank, the online bank owned by the income tax people, with a $5,000 minimum deposit. This offer expires on Nov. 9.

Click here to compare these rates with the best CD rates from dozens of other banks in our extensive database.

Atlantic Coast Bank, which has a dozen branches in Georgia and Florida, has moved into our rankings of the best 24-month CD rates.

It’s offer of 2.40% APR is a little shy of the top 2.50% APR being paid by Hudson City Savings Bank and Frontier Bank.

But those banks require significant minimum deposits while you only need $100 to buy one of Atlantic Coast’s certificates of deposit.

This deal is nationally available and the online application takes only a few minutes to fill out.

Click here to compare Atlantic Coast’s deal with the best CD rates from dozens of other banks in our extensive database.

The best deals on home loans are just as good as they were in September.

The lowest rates for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage ranged from 5.125% to 4.875% in the 10 cities we surveyed this month, almost identical to the 5.125% to 4.625% range we found in September.

That definitely beats the best deals we were seeing over the summer with one caveat. Although interest rates are lower, the fees lenders are charging to arrange home loans are a little higher this fall.

Anyone shopping for a mortgage can use these results to judge the deals they’re being offered.

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American Express Bank has popped onto our radar screen with a couple of good CD rates.

The credit card company’s online bank is paying 2.35% APY on a 24-month CD, which is not far from the 2.50% APY that the best, nationally-available 2-year certificates of deposit are paying.

While some of the CDs at the top of our rankings require investments of up to $50,000 to qualify for that rate, American Express has no minimum deposit.

It’s also offering 2.75% APY on 36-month CDs, which is about a point more than the national average of 1.74% and only one-quarter point less than the best-paying 36-month CDs. Again, there’s no minimum deposit.

Click here to see how these rates compare with the best CD rates from dozens of other banks in our extensive database.

As CD rates settled ever lower this week, there’s word that President Obama is preparing to stomp on the top execs at two big banks that helped caused the financial crisis.

According to reports from the Associated Press and New York Times, the president will demand that the annual salaries of the 25 highest-paid executives at Bank of America and Citigroup have their pay cut 50% or more from last year.

About time.

Savers have certainly had their incomes cut because of the incompetent, overpaid leadership at those two banks.

Bankrate’s weekly survey of large banks and thrifts taken Oct. 21 found the average annual yield for a:

3-month CD remained at 0.41% for the third week. But that’s the lowest average since the survey began tracking 3-month CD rates in March 1989.

6-month CD fell to 0.59% from 0.60% — the lowest average since the survey began tracking 6-month CD rates in January 1984.

1-year CD fell to 0.91% from 0.92% — the lowest average since the survey began tracking 12-month CD rates in October 1983.

2-year CD fell to 1.41% from 1.42% — the lowest average rate since July 2003.

5-year CD fell to 2.21% from 2.23%.That’s slightly above the 2.15% reached in July, which was lowest average rate since the survey began tracking 60-month CDs in January 1984.

(Smart savers won’t settle for average returns. Use our extensive database of CD rates to compare the best deals from scores of banks.)

Investors are suffering because the Federal Reserve is pushing interest rates artificially low to save the banking industry from its reckless lending of the early 2000s.

Bank of America and Citigroup are being singled out by the White House because they’re among the seven firms that received the biggest government bailouts but continued to reward themselves like they were titans of industry.

(Executives at the other five, which include General Motors and insurer American International Group will also have their pay slashed.)

The best thing that could happen is that some of those top Citi and Bank of America execs quit because those banks desperately need new and better leadership.

If you’ve got big money, Ridgestone Bank has big CD rates.

It’s paying 2.50% APY on a 25-month CD, which matches the best rates on nationally available 24-month CDs.

The drawbacks are that Ridgestone wants a hefty $40,000 minimum deposit and you can’t buy one of these certificates of deposit online.

You have to call one of the bank’s two branches in suburban Chicago (847-805-9520) or suburban Milwaukee (262-789-1011) to get an application e-mailed to you.

Click here to compare these offers with the best CD rates from dozens of other banks in our extensive database.

Country Bank for Savings has one of the best short-term CD rates around.

It’s paying 1.80 APY with a $500 minimum deposit on 5-month and 6-month certificates of deposit.

That’s the best, nationally available deal on a 6-month CD since H&R Block Bank switched its special to 3-month CDs last week.

The fact that the 14-branch bank based in Ware, Mass., just outside Springfield, is paying the same top rate on a slightly shorter 5-month term CD is even better.

The only drawback is that you can’t open an account online. It has to be done by mail. Contact a customer service representative to get started.

Click here to compare Country Bank’s deal with the best CD rates from dozens of other banks in our extensive database.

With most 12-month CD rates dropping like a stone, who’d have thought the best returns would be higher this month?

But they are.

Two banks offering 2.25% APY lead our October rankings of the top-paying, nationally-available 1-year certificates of deposit.

That’s up from 2.05% in our September rankings.

That increase comes despite the fact that average return on 12-month CDs fell from 0.96% to 0.92% over the past four weeks.

Just one year ago, the national average was 2.47% APY, or more than the best rates available right now:

2.25% APY with no minimum deposit from ING Direct, the online bank of the Dutch financial giant ING. That’s for an “added value” CD funded with money not currently on deposit with ING.

2.25% APY with a $25,000 minimum deposit from MetLife Bank, the online bank owned by the big insurance company.

2.10% APY with a $10,000 minimum deposit from Amboy Direct, the online division of Amboy Bank, which has 24 offices in central New Jersey.

Click here to compare these deals with the best CD rates from dozens of other banks in our extensive database.