Chances are, you've seen or heard commercials promoting that Nationwide “is on your side” for insurance. But did you know they offer online bank products as well? Nationwide Insurance is an affiliate of Nationwide Bank. Although insurance products and services aren’t guaranteed by the FDIC or any federal agency, Nationwide Bank financial products like CDs are FDIC insured. And, right now, they’re offering some of the most competitive rates on the market for CDs and money market accounts.

The Nationwide money market account currently earns a 1.05% APY on all deposit amounts, but you must have an opening deposit of $1,000. Additionally, if you don't maintain a minimum $1,000 daily balance, an $8 monthly maintenance fee will be imposed. This account is best suited for people who don't need to access their money frequently. Although you do get two free non-Nationwide Bank ATM transactions per month, it will cost you $1.50 per ATM transaction thereafter. If you use a private ATM kiosk, you may still be charged a fee from the ATM owner, even if it’s one of your two free transactions. However, if you're looking for a stable place to store your deposit while still maintaining some liquidity, this could be a good option for you.

If you're willing to sacrifice liquidity for a higher interest rate, you may want to check out Nationwide’s CDs. These CDs only require a $500 minimum deposit, and have flexible terms ranging from three months to five years. A 12-month CD will earn you an even higher interest rate than the money market account: 1.15% APY up to balances of $99,999.999, over $100,000 earns 1.20%. If you can invest your money for even longer, you can earn up to 2.35% for a 60-month CD (or 2.40% for balances over $100,000).

Not sure if you can part with all of your savings for 5 years? You may want to try CD laddering, a technique I discuss in this previous BestCashCow article. If you ladder correctly, you should be never more than a year away from getting some of your funds. It can help you earn higher interest rates by taking advantage of rates offered by longer-term CDS, while getting you access to your money on a staggered rolling basis.

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We’ve all noticed how hard it is to earn a good APY on a secured deposit, like a CD, in today's market. Some of the best CDs available barely offer 2% APY, and most other accounts offer much lower. However, if you're looking for a secure place to store your money while earning one of the most competitive rates available, you may want to check out OneWest Bank’s online CDs.

OneWest Bank is Southern California's largest retail banking and lending institution, but you don't have to live in Southern California to open one of these CDs. If you're looking for something very short-term, you can open a three month CD at a 0.70% APY. Of course, the longer-term the CD is, the more interest you earn. For a three-year CD, OneWest Bank offers 1.80% APY, or you can earn 2.55% if you open a five-year CD.

While you are unable to withdraw your principal without penalty, you can withdraw available interest at any time during the term of the CD with no penalty whatsoever. If you find you have to cash out of your CD entirely before the CD maturity date, there is a sliding penalty scale based on how long you've held the CD.

All OneWest Bank CDs require a minimum deposit of $1,000. Interest is compounded daily and paid monthly, quarterly, or at maturity. If your balance falls below $1,000, there will be no interest earned. As such, this product is best geared towards people want a secured place (subject to FDIC limits) to store money while earning one of the best APYs available for CDs on the market today.

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The Mid-Western states tend to have the highest average CD rates but we've found some Northeast Banks offering relatively attractive 5-year CD rates. Attractive nowadays are yields slightly under or above 3% APY for a 5-year CD. That rate may seem unappealing, but it's not so bad when you consider that the average 5 year CD rate is around 2.25%. With a little shopping you can find an online or local bank paying significantly more.

Below are several banks in the Northeast that stand out for their rates:

• Signature Bank, located in New York, NY is offering a 3.04% APY CD with a $5,000 minimum balance. Signature is a $11.7 billion bank with 23 branches. Financially, the bank has a 5.27% Texas Ratio, far below the 24.44% national average (lower is better).
• North Shore Bank, located in Peabody, MA is offering a 3% APY 5- Year CD with a $1,000 minimum balance. North Shore is a $450 million bank with 8 branches in Massachusetts. The bank has a Texas Ratio of 2.07%, far below the 24.44% national average.
• Union Savings Bank in Danbury, CT is offering a 60 month CD at 3.00% APY with a $100,000 minimum balance. Union is a $2.4 billion bank with 28 branches and a Texas ratio of 26.52%.
• Harmony Bank in Jackson, NJ is offering a 60 month CD at 3.00% with a $1,000 minimum balance. Harmony has $91 miillion in assets and its Texas ratio according to BestCashCow is reported at 0%. The bank was established on September 2, 2008 and may not have enough delinquent loans yet to have a Texas ratio above 0%.

In most states and local areas, a little bit of research will yield a rate from a sound bank well above the national average.