4.11% APY High interest reward checking account with Liberty National Bank

December 5th, 2010 No comments

Liberty National Bank has a money in the bank offering for consumers nationwide through their best reward checking account coupled with a savings account under Kasasa.

The best checking account called Kasasa Cash has the following interest rates:

· 4.11% APY for balances through $10,000

· 0.50%% APY for portions of the funds above $10K

· 0.10% base rate when the account holder fails to meet the requirements

· Unlimited reimbursement of ATM surcharges every statement cycle

The companion Kasasa Saver offers the following best interest rates:

· 1.25% APY for balances through $25,000

· 0.50% APY for funds above $25,000

· 0.10% base interest rate

To enjoy the highest interest rates, the account holder must accomplish the following every cycle:

· Make 12 debit card purchases

· Set up a direct deposit or at least 1 automatic payment via ACH

· Choose electronic statements over the regular paper statements

If you are considering opening an account, should take note of the low set cap for the checking account but the interest rates and the savings account make this bank deal still attractive. You can a

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Citibank CD Rates Online

December 4th, 2010 No comments

The Citibank CD Rates Online is from the third largest and most reliable financial institutions in the nation. Citibank is the consumer banking arm of the finaical giant Citi Group. Citibank can trace its roots back to 1812 and the City of New York Bank.

The current Bank CD Rates from Citibank are as follows. For the 3, 4 and 5 month CD the APY is 0.15%. The 6 and 8 month CD the APY is 0.30%. The 7 month CD the APY is 0.45%. The 9 and 10 month CD is earning an APY of 0.40%. The 1 year CD is earning an APY of 0.50%. The 13 month CD is earning an APY of 0.65%.

The 18 month CD is currently earning an APY of 0.60%. The 2 year CD is also earning an APY of 0.60%. The 30 month CD is earning an APY of 0.65%. The 3 year CD is earning an APY of 1.01%. The 4 year CD is earning an APY of 1.15%. The best CD rates from Citibank are from their 5 year CD. This 5 year CD is currently earning an APY of 1.25%.

The minimum deposit to open a certificate of deposit account and receive these rates is $500.

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Home Equity Loan and HELOC Rates

December 2nd, 2010 No comments

If you’re in the market for a home equity loan or home equity line of credit, rates are still quite cheap.

Assuming you have the necessary home equity, you can snag a home equity line of credit (HELOC) for around 5.49 percent, according to Bankrate.com.

A HELOC is a line of credit that allows a homeowner to borrow up to a pre-determined amount set by the mortgage lender.

It works similar to a credit card in that you don’t need to pay interest on the total amount, or even withdraw or spend any of the credit line, but it’s available if and when you need it.

However, HELOCs are tied to the prime rate, meaning they are adjustable, and can change whenever the federal funds rate is adjusted up or down.

Meanwhile, home equity loans, which are generally fixed-rate second mortgages, are pricing at around 7.08 percent

With a home equity loan, you receive a lump sum and make monthly mortgage payments on the total amount borrowed.

Mortgage rates on both types of loans haven’t changed much all year, but remain near historic lows.

Keep in mind that these low rates are likely for borrowers with loan-to-value ratios of 80 percent and below – higher LTVs will be accompanied by higher rates.

Of course, you need excellent credit to qualify, but this is one way to avoid a refinance on your first mortgage while tapping into your home equity.

Save on Phone Bills With magicJack Phone Service

November 30th, 2010 No comments


About 6 months ago, I decided to drop my current VOIP provider and switch to magicJack’s Phone Service. For those of you that haven’t seen the commercials, magicJack is a telephone service that works through your computer over your high speed internet. All calls, local and long distance, are included in the annual price of $19.99. So you won’t ever pay any more than that no matter how much you call.

magicJack uses a device that plugs into your USB port on your computer. You then plug a regular phone into the MagicJack device and that is it. You then make and receive calls like a normal phone service.

You also get all the features of your current home phone included such as call waiting, caller id, call forwarding and voicemail.

When you sign up for magicJack you can choose an area code that you want your number to be in. They have a large offering of numbers in many different area codes. You c

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Categories: Bank Rates Tags: Phone Service, Service

Did Losing the World Cup Hurt the U.S. Economy?

November 30th, 2010 No comments

The economic and cultural impact of hosting a FIFA World Cup is significant for any nation, even one as developed as the United States. Aside from creating new jobs and generating billions of dollars in revenue for the lucky cities, hosting the quadrennial event also propels the metropolitan destinations into the global spotlight, making them a prime location for tourism and industry.

So when the U.S. was passed over for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids–which went to Russia and Qatar, respectively–it certainly stung. Given that Chicago was passed over not too long ago as a potential host for the 2016 Olympics, the U.S. has now scored nil on three tries as a suitor for major international sporting events. But despite the ego check, what exactly is the U.S. losing out on in terms of economic impact?

Monetary Impact of World Cup

The U.S.

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Categories: Bank Rates Tags: Cup, World Cup

Mortgage Jobs Halved Since Crisis Began

November 27th, 2010 No comments

In October 2005, before the mortgage boom turned to mortgage crisis, there were a record high 535,400 mortgage brokers, loan officers, mortgage underwriters, loan processors, and others working in the mortgage industry.

But just five years later, only 246,400 remain, according to government data digested by MortgageDaily.com.

The publication, which has its own Mortgage Employment Index, said 87,131 mortgage jobs were lost in 2007 alone, when scores of banks and mortgage lenders consolidated or folded entirely.

In the latest quarter, 3,216 mortgage layoffs were tallied by the website, worse than the 2,028 job losses seen a quarter earlier, but far fewer than the 5,401 recorded last year.

Mortgage job hirings also declined, from 2,768 in the second quarter to just 2,286 in the latest quarter – Chase, MetLife, and Neighborhood Assistance Corp. w

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5.25% APY Reward Checking Account at La Capitol FCU—Best Interest Rates in Louisiana

November 27th, 2010 No comments

Louisiana seems to be pooling quite a number of high yielding rewards checking accounts. The most attractive we have so far is La Capitol’s All Access Advantage Checking Account. This one earns up to 5.25% APY on balances of up to $5,000. If there’s one downside to this deal that’s keeping it from being the best checking account in the state, it’s the low cap balance. The rate drops dramatically down to 0.15% APY for balances beyond 5K.

You might want to compare this to one of the best rewards checking account in the same state, the Pelican State Credit Union’s reward checking account which earns a slightly lower 5.01% APY. However, the cap balance here is higher, pegged at $15,000. The La Capitol deal is better if you’re thinking of keeping no more than $5,000 in the account. For big funds, though, the Pelican State Credit Union’s deal is more attractive.

The terms you need to meet to earn the top yield are also quite steep. To qualify, y

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