Based in 2021, CD Valet is a searchable database of certificates of deposit charges created by John Blizzard via Seattle Financial institution, the place he has been President and CEO since April of 2014.
Although it was created via a single financial institution, it lists over 30,000 CD charges throughout the nation.
CD Valet’s energy is that it lists CDs throughout the nation, means that you can search by state and financial institution identify, and may filter primarily based on minimal time period (<6 months to 60 months) and most time period lengths, APY, and quantity. They cowl business banks in addition to credit score unions.
They may floor charges you might be unlikely to search out your self. For instance, do you know that the Lynchburg Municipal Workers FCU has a 78-month CD with a 6.50% APY? (as of 1/13/2026)
Most likely not. It’s a sixty fifth anniversary particular however membership is restricted to of us who stay or work in Lynchburg, VA.
You may say to your self – “who cares about an superior CD if I can’t get it?”
Proper now, there are many of us in Lynchburg who don’t find out about this CD. This can be the case for you too.
In Maryland, I discovered a Sign Monetary F.C.U. with a 4.24% APY 12-month CD that’s barely higher than the very best CD charges accessible proper now nationwide (at the moment an Alliant Credit score Union 12-month CD at 4.00% APY). I’m able to be part of Sign by donating $5 to their charitable basis and since I stay in Maryland.
You by no means know the place a excessive fee will likely be. Credit score unions are inclined to have barely higher charges than nationwide banks. Native credit score unions are inclined to have higher charges than nationally accessible credit score unions. And except you intend to lookup all of your native charges, you received’t discover them.
Desk of Contents
How I’d Use CD Valet
If I had been in search of a 12-month CD, that is precisely how I’d use it.
- Go to CD Valet
- Swap the search to Maryland
- Click on on All CDs
4. Assessment the CDs!
In some instances, seemingly the place CD Valet and the monetary establishment have a advertising and marketing relationship, you’ll see a inexperienced Open Now button. You possibly can click on on that to open.
If there isn’t that button, do a Google seek for the financial institution and open it immediately.
Who’s CD Valet For?
In the event you’re in search of the very best CD charges however don’t wish to (or don’t have the time to) do the analysis your self, CD Valet is an efficient instrument for the job.
In the event you’re saving a lot of cash, the place 0.25% to 0.50% bump in your yield makes a distinction, a fast test of CD Valet offers you confidence you’re selecting the correct financial institution.
It’s not for people who don’t wish to bounce via hoops as a result of lots of the highest charges will likely be from smaller credit score unions with strict eligibility guidelines. Even those that don’t have strict guidelines, like Sign Monetary FCU, you will have to make a small donation or be part of a company to achieve eligibility.
Additionally, when you’re not comfy with a non-name model financial institution (you received’t discover Chase, Financial institution of America, or Wells Fargo listed too extremely as a result of their CD charges aren’t nice), it’s additionally not a great tool for you.
Lastly, CD Valet solely lists the charges. You don’t work with CD Valet in any approach, you must go to the financial institution or credit score union on to open an account.
Is CD Valet Protected?
Sure, completely protected.
CD Valet solely lists charges and also you by no means open an account with them. In the event you register for his or her electronic mail record, you get weekly updates on fee adjustments and different information however you don’t set up a monetary relationship.
As for the establishments they record, CD Valet pulls within the BauerFinancial Ranking. This can be a score system from BauerFinancial, which is an unbiased financial institution analysis agency that offers every financial institution or credit score union 1 to five stars. 5 stars means it’s a “Superior” establishment that BauerFinancial recommends and 1 star means it’s troubled. I discover these rankings to be superfluous as a result of the monetary establishments are coated by FDIC or NCUA insurance coverage.
What you see on CD Valet is what you will notice on the financial institution or credit score union web site. CD Valet simply lists them in a single place so you possibly can examine them in opposition to others.
CD Valet vs. Raisin
One pure comparability is versus Raisin. Raisin is a monetary know-how firm that gives banking companies with greater yield via its accomplice banks. Once you view charges on Raisin, you’re seeing particular charges that they’ve negotiated with banks and credit score unions.
With Raisin, you open an account and truly deposit cash with Raisin. Raisin will get you entry to greater charges from their accomplice banks as a result of the banks want to safe extra deposits. Your cash is put with different Raisin clients and positioned in a pooled account on the establishment. You will have entry to it however you by no means have a relationship with the financial institution itself and also you get pass-through FDIC/NCUA insurance coverage.
✨ Associated: Learn our Raisin overview for extra.
With CD Valet, you’re employed immediately with the banks and credit score unions. CD Valet simply lists the charges. So while you wish to open an account, you must go to the financial institution and credit score union. The account will likely be in your identify, not pooled, and you’re a identified buyer to the establishment.
CD Valet vs. Different Websites
There are different fee websites however most of them focus solely on nationally accessible charges. They don’t drill down into state particular or into credit score unions.
Bankrate, which began as a fee itemizing service in newspapers, tends to solely record nationally accessible charges these days. You possibly can enter in your zip code nevertheless it’s not surfacing charges from small credit score unions.
I appeared for charges in 21045 (Columbia, MD) and it confirmed me:
That is what CD Valet confirmed for Maryland:
CD Valet confirmed me 4 credit score unions with greater charges than something on Bankrate’s record and it wasn’t till Sallie Mae Financial institution that the 2 lists matched.
For comparability’s sake, right here’s Raisin’s record:
As you possibly can see, CD Valet nonetheless comes out on prime when it comes to charges although you might argue Raisin makes it simpler to open an account with every financial institution when you’re comfy with FDIC/NCUA pass-through insurance coverage.
Is CD Valet Value It?
It’s an inventory of the very best charges and so they survey 1000’s of monetary establishments, it’s actually value a free peek to see if you may get a greater fee in your CDs.
Lots of the charges are barely greater than what you may get from on-line banks. For instance, my Ally Financial institution CD charges appear to lag what’s listed on CD Valet by round 25 foundation factors.
Whereas it could not make sense for me to open up a completely new account simply to get 25 foundation factors on a CD, somebody with loads of time and on a hard and fast revenue could discover it priceless to take action.
However you solely know what the best charges are if you could find a trusted supply for it and for me, that supply is CD Valet.
