Americans like prepaid debit cards. They really do.

Yes, we can question the wisdom or convenience of picking up a prepaid card when it’s still possible to get free checking accounts at numerous banks and credit unions.

But it’s undeniable the market is exploding. Billions of dollars are placed on prepaid cards each year, and annual usage is expected to reach nearly $202 billion by 2013, a Pew Health Group report cited.

So why are people flocking to these products — many of which carry charges that make today’s bank fees look downright generous? Click here to read more

General Electric Credit Union’s 60-month CD rates easily beat the top nationally available rates — and membership is open to just about anyone in the Cincinnati area.

It pays 2.33% APY with a $500 minimum deposit.

That’s more than a third of a percentage point higher than the top nationally available 60-month CD rate on our CD Rates Leaderboard. Click here to read more

If you’re looking for 60-month CD rates north of 2% APY, you’re going to have to search beyond the CD Rates Leaderboard.

The top 60-month CD rate has been stuck at 1.95% APY since the beginning of January.

Better deals are definitely out there. We find them all the time, mostly at local banks and credit unions.

We’ve started listing the highest CD rates we find, to save you the trouble of having to hunt for them, too. Click here to read more

CBC Federal Credit Union has announced its 60th anniversary special, and here’s the update I promised.

The southern California credit union is paying 6.00% APY for the first six months of a 60-month CD with a $1,000 minimum deposit.

After that, the rate changes to 2.08% APY. So, when it’s all said and done, you’ll earn 2.50% APY.

Sounds good, huh?

Unfortunately, there’s one more six in the mix to carry on the anniversary theme.

The maximum deposit on this CD special is $6,000. (Maximum equals the most you can invest, of course.) Click here to read more

We’ve added two institutions this week to our chart highlighting the very best CD rates from credit unions and local banks we’ve found.

We also said goodbye to one bank that cut its CD rates pretty severely.

This chart represents deals that are ineligible for our CD Rates Leaderboard. The Leaderboard features only banks that offer the highest-paying certificates of deposit available to savers in all 50 states. Click here to read more

It looks like Series I Savings Bonds will pay a bit less beginning next month.

But they remain a better option than all but the best local and credit union CD rates.

The total return on Series I Bonds is calculated by adding the inflation rate, which changes every six months, and a fixed rate that is established when you buy each bond and never changes.

The Consumer Price Index released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning shows the annualized inflation rate from September through March was 2.21%.

So that should become the inflation rate on I Bonds purchased beginning next month. Click here to read more

Bust out the party hats and do the happy dance!

AloStar Bank of Commerce has rocketed to the top of our CD Rates Leaderboard in the 12- and 24-month terms after it boosted rates by more than two-tenths of a percentage point.

It pays 1.25% APY on 12-month CDs and 1.40% APY on 24-month CDs with a $1,000 minimum deposit.

The bank says these CD rates are available “for a limited time only,” so snap them up while you can.

Indeed, this is a good deal for the times. Click here to read more

Who couldn’t use a few extra bucks?

New Jersey residents can get $100 in their pocket just for taking a couple of extra steps when they open a free checking account at Columbia Bank, based in Fair Lawn, N.J.

When you opt for the new Yield Plus Checking account, you’ll get an extra $50 in your account just for having at least one direct deposit within the first 60 days and another $50 for making an online banking transaction. Click here to read more

I’ve written several times lately about the stabilization of rates on our CD Rates Leaderboard.

Through the first couple of weeks of April, that trend appears to be holding. There hasn’t been a rate change at the top of the Leaderboard in a month.

However, that doesn’t mean we aren’t still seeing significant rate cuts from some of the banks competing to offer the best certificates of deposit to savers nationwide. Click here to read more