Weekly Rate Deal - CIT Bank and Its 1.15% APY 12-Month Achiever CD

Over the past nine weeks we've gone mostly local in search of the best places to put your money. This week, we're going virtual and are shining the spotlight on CIT Bank. The bank offers a line of competitive CDs with the best among them their 12-month Achiever CD, which boats a 1.15% APY. That's the top cd rate for that term according to the BestCashCow rate tables. Not only is it a good rate, but the CD has some flexibility. If CD rates go up you have the opportunity to bump up your rate and your deposit amount once over the term of the CD.

I don't expect rates to rise over the next 12 months so I would normally discount this option. Banks usually provide it in return for a low starting rate. But in this case, the 1.15% APY is a great rate, so you aren't giving up anything for the flexibility.

In addition to this competitive 12-month CD rate, CIT also leads the online CD Rates in the following terms:

One disadvantage is the relatively high minimum balance required to get the rates. The 1-year Achiever CD has a minimum balance of $25,000 but it increases to $100,000 for the other terms.

CIT Bank operates exclusively online so if you want these rates you'll have to open them via the Web. The good news about that is that these rates are available nationally.

CIT Bank was founded in 2000 and has approximately $7 billion in assets, up from $2.8 billion in 2006. The bank's Texas Ratio of 9.18% is well below the national average of 21.06% (lower is better). The bank is a subsidiary of CIT Group, a publicly traded company founded in 1908 that provides financing and leasing capital to more than a million small and mid-sized businesses. The company trades under the symbol (NYSE: CIT).

If you don't want to open an account online, then check out the best CD rates in your local area.

Previous Weekly Rate Deals

• December 12, 2011 - Citizens State Bank of TX Offering 2.85% IRA CD
• December 5, 2011 - Digital Federal Credit Union Offering 2.86% APY CD - Nationally Available
• November 29, 2011 - Community First Bank Offering 2.78% APY 60-Month CD
• November 21, 2011 - Premier Federal Credit Union Offering 2% APY on 24-Month CD
• November 14, 2011 - Institution for Savings of Newburyport Offering 3 Year CD at 2.50% APY
• November 7, 2011 - State Savings Bank of Rake, IA Offering 3.82% APY FIRA
• October 31, 2011 - First Choice Bank Offering 2.80% APY 5-Year CD
• October 24, 2011 - First National Bank of St. Ignace Offering 12-Month Flex CD at 1.51% APY
• Oct 17, 2011 - Weekly Rate Deal - Navy Federal Credit Union Offering 3% APY 12-Month CD
• Oct 7, 2011 - Farmers & Traders Bank Takes Weekly Rate Deal for 3% APY 60-Month CD

Check back next Monday for a new bank deal. Email any deals you know about to ratedeal (at) bestcashcow.com. Feel free to also share them below. If you're a bank and have a great deal not listed on BestCashCow, register for access and add the deal to the site.