General Question
Why is there such a disparity in CD rates between local banks and national (online) banks?
I have a 12-month CD maturing in about a month, from a local bank here it Atlanta. I have been shopping around for what I might want to do with it.
The local banks here (and even the local branches of the national chains) are offering pitiful interest rates:
Chase .10%
Bank of America .25%
BB&T .35%
Wells Fargo .20%
local credit union .45%
and so on..
When I look at the national (online) scene, I see rates like these:
Ally 1.05%
Synchrony Bank 1.25%
BBVA 1.35%
And there are any number of competitive and insured offerings in that same ballpark.
I suppose I would mildly prefer to have a local person to talk to, but not at the cost of a full percentage rate return. Rates are bad enough as it is?
Why aren’t the local banks competitive? Do they think people are suckers?
Is there a cogent reason NOT to move my CD to one of the national internet banks and earn 2–3 times the return?
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