PenFed CDs have competitive interest rates. The rates on CDs are competitive with online-only accounts. The longer you can invest the money in the CD the higher the interest rates you will earn. CD terms range from six months to seven years.

All accounts, other than CDs, have a low opening balance of only $25. The more you invest in the money market account, the higher interest rates you will earn. However, you are only required to have $25 to open an account with PenFed.

PenFed offers CDs designed to save specifically for education costs. These CDs only require $500 to open instead of $1,000. The education CDs range in term from one year to seven years. The interest rates earned on these CDs are competitive with other CD accounts.

Only the checking account has a monthly maintenance fee. The fee is low and is easy to waive. The fee is waived by having a daily balance of $500 in the account. Having a direct deposit into the account of more than $500 each month will also waive the fee. The savings account and money market accounts do not have a monthly fee.

To open a CD, PenFed requires $1,000. The CD terms vary in length from six months to seven years. The longer you can invest your money in a PenFed CD the higher interest you will earn over the CD term. The interest rates on these CDs are competitive with other online-only CDs.

The interest rates for PenFed savings, checking, and money market accounts are not competitive. The rates are low. Those interest rates are competitive to your typical bank rates. Online only accounts offer much higher interest rates for these accounts.

To earn the highest interest on the PenFed checking account, a daily balance of $20,000 to $50,000 is required. If you do not have at least $20,000, you will earn much lower interest rates. Any amount earns interest. To get the highest rates, your daily balance must meet the requirements.

PenFed only offers one checking account, savings account, and money market account. This does not allow you to find the account that best fits your needs.

Read the full PenFed Credit Union review.

Interest rates on Merrick Bank CDs offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CDs. They are much higher than other brick and mortar bank rates.

Merrick Bank offers personal credit cards. They offer a Secured Visa credit card specifically to build or rebuild customer’s credit. They also offer a Platinum Visa for customers who have better credit. Each credit card comes with Zero Liability for Unauthorized Use and account alerts.

Merrick Bank is an online account. Once you are approved to open a CD everything else for your account is online or on the mobile app. You can deposit or withdraw money from the CD during the grace period or at maturity.

The Merrick Bank 12-month CD term offers competitive interest rates. The interest you earn is credited to your account each month. You can watch your money grow. You can withdraw money from your CD during the grace period or once the CD reaches maturity.

To open a CD through Merrick Bank requires a large sum. The 12-month CD requires $25,000 to open the account. The opening deposit must be one transaction. Deposit money electronically through a linked bank account.

When applying for a CD with Merrick Bank, you must qualify. Each CD is carefully reviewed. Acceptance to open a CD is based on the person's credit. If you do not meet the set criteria, you cannot open an account with Merrick Bank. If you receive an offer in the mail, you are eligible to open a CD.

After you apply for an account with Merrick Bank, you will receive a letter in the mail. This will inform you if you qualified for an account or not. The letter takes two to three weeks to receive. If after the allotted time you have not heard from Merrick Bank, you can call customer service.

Merrick Bank offers a limited amount of personal deposit accounts. Only one 12-month CD is available. They do offer personal credit cards and lending options. This bank helps customers build or rebuild their credit. To open an account, you must qualify.

Read the full Merrick Bank review.