State Department Federal Credit Union is currently out to be competitive as it raises its rates for both CDs and IRAs this November. Among its best offers are the 2.42% APY on the 5 year CD, 2.07% APY on the 4 year CD, 1.61% APY on the 3-year CD, 1.41% APY on the 2-year CD, and even 1.21% on the jumbo CD. All of these rates are considerably higher compared to those nationally available from the banks.
CD Rates Offered by State Department Federal Credit Union:
6 month – 0.60% APY
12 month – 0.95% APY
24 month – 1.41% APY
36 month – 1.61% APY
48 month – 2.07% APY
60 month – 2.42% APY
How These Rates Compare
Currently, State Department FCU is giving away one of the highest CD rates available for long term CDs. Its 5 year CD is certainly better than the leading 5 year CD from Discover Bank and First Internet Bank of Indiana at 2.00%. It is also offering a higher 5 year CD than Fairwinds Credit Union at 2.33%. The same also rings true for their 2 year CD, with the highest available at banks being 1.30% from AloStar and CIT Bank. However, Doral Bank is still offering a higher 3 year CD at 1.65% APY, which is just slightly higher than State Department’s 1.61%.
Membership
Traditionally, Credit Unions have always been strict on their membership, opening its doors only to those who live in the same community or works in certain companies. Luckily, State Department FCU is making membership easy for all. Initial membership is open to those who are employees of the Department of State or any one of the organizations listed in their website. However, if you are not affiliated with any of them, you can easily become a member of SDFCU by joining the American Consumer Council or ACC. When opening your account at SDFCU, just choose ACC on your application and you will immediately be part of the council. There are no hidden fees or charges to join the organization.
About State Department Federal Credit Union
SDFCU was first chartered in 1935. Now, 76 years later, the credit union has grown to accommodate over 67,000 members worldwide. It currently has $1.8 billion in assets and is federally insured by the NCUA.




Today the Dow dropped 634 points or down 5.55% to 10,809. This is the lowest the Dow has been since 2008 and comes after the week of the US debt ceiling hike and downgrade of the US debt from AAA to AA+ by S&P.
Looking for the best Certificate of Deposit (CD) rates to get your money growing at the early parts of the year 2011? Looks like banks from all over America are here to help you earn money out of money.
There have not been many changes to the top CD Rates in the past few months. Most banks have either lowered their short-term and long-term rates or stayed steady. Nothing has changed which can either mean one of two things. The US economy is holding steady or banks have mixed emotions on what will happen next. The Fed has stated they will step in and ‘do something’ if the US economy begins to falter. As long as the Fed keeps interest rates near zero percent, CD rates and mortgage rates will continue at their low levels.
With the US economy in a rut it seems like no bank is willing to challenge 

