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Best Online Savings & Money Market Account Rates 2025

Best Online Savings & Money Market Account Rates

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Safest Banks in United States - According to Texas Ratio

The safest banks in the United States based on FDIC data. The health of a bank is especially important if you have more than the FDIC insurance limit on deposit at the bank.

BestCashCow has sifted through data on all FDIC insured banks, thrifts, and savings and loans to find those with the lowest Texas Ratios. The Texas Ratio measures a banks's non-performing loans and real estate (usually foreclosures the bank now owns) versus the bank's equity and loan loss reserves. In layman's terms the Texas Ratio measures how much capital a bank has at hand to cover any potential losses from bad loans. The lower the Texas Ratio, the better, as it indicates the bank has more in reserve to cover losses. The closer the Texas ratio is to 100%, the less margin a bank has to absorb bad loans. If you look at the Texas Ratio of some recently failed institutions you can see that high numbers are bad:

Closed Bank Texas Ratio

Community First Bank 206.85%

North Georgia Bank 732.82%

American Trust Bank 571.69%

The average Texas Ratio for all FDIC insured banks is: 21.42% Many of the banks below have ratios so small they are practically zero.

Here are the banks with the lowest Texas Ratios:

Bank Texas Ratio State
The Bank of River Oaks .01% TX
Adams State Bank .01% NE
Security State Bank .01% TX
Applied Bank .01% DE
The National Capital Bank of Washington .02% DC
Adams State Bank .02% NE
Rayne State Bank & Trust Company .02% TX
The Farmers State Bank of Blue Mound .02% KS
Delta National Bank and Trust Company .02% NY
FDS Bank .02% OH

Most of these are small banks. So, let's look at banks with assets of over $1 billion dollars. We also removed banks that didn't primarily serve retail banking customers. So, while OptumHealth Bank was #1 on the list, we didn't put it there since it is primarily a provider of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

The banks with over $1 billion in assets that had the lowest Texas Ratios are:

Bank Texas Ratio State
Territorial Savings 0.15% HI
Sallie Mae Bank 0.41% UT
Glenview State Bank 0.61% IL
First Financial Bank, NA 0.77% TX
Yakima Federal Savings 0.78% WA
Nationwide Bank 1.00% MO
Cambridge Trust Company 1.00% MA
UMB Bank Colorado, National Association 1.04% CO
First Republic Bank 1.10% CA
Apple Bank for Savings 1.16% NY
Westfield Bank 1.22 MA

A low Texas Ratio isn't a guarantee the bank will not fail, but it's one indicator you can use to asses a bank's health. You can see the Texas Ratio for any bank and credit union in the United States by clicking on the bank name and then the Financial Overview tab. The tab also provides information on other key ratios such as Return on Equity and Capitalization as well as trends for those ratios and balance sheet information.


Finding the Right Real Estate Agent

After you've been pre-approved for a loan, the right real estate agent can assist you in making sure the rest of the process runs smoothly.

After you've been pre-approved for a loan, the right real estate agent can assist you in making sure the rest of the process runs smoothly. In the United States, real estate agents assist sellers in marketing and selling their property for the best price and terms. When acting as a buyer's agent they assist buyers by helping them purchase property at the best price and terms.

Real estate agents work for a broker either as an independent contractor or an employee. Some brokers are nationally franchised like Century 21 or Prudential. To earn the designation of a Realtor, an agent must belong to the local and State Board of Realtors and also be a member of the National Board of Realtors. These Realtors operate under a strict code of ethics and sponsor the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

Most real estate agents work for a flat fee or a commission (usually 4-6% of the purchase price) - or you could decide to use a discount broker who takes a lower fee in exchange for you doing the legwork (e.g., finding a property, setting up financing, etc.). The real estate commission is subtracted from the seller's proceeds. This commission is then divided between the broker and the real estate agent representing the seller, and the broker and real estate agent representing the buyer.

What does a real estate agent do?

Should you decide to work with a real estate agent from the start you should expect them to:

- Determine how much house you can afford including a down payment.

- Help you calculate your monthly payment.

- Explain the different types of financing that are available to you.

- Help you find the right house which meets your needs.

- Arrange appointments for you to view several homes.

- Assist in helping you make an offer and negotiate the deal.

- Prepare the sales agreement and handle the close.

Most will want you to enter into an exclusive Buyer's Agent agreement which specifies the term of representation, commission structure, and duties. You can usually switch agents at a later time if you're not satisfied with their performance. You may also elect to choose one from the Internet or do your own house-hunting or research online.

How to pick the right real estate agent

The best way to find a real estate agent you're comfortable working with, is to ask friends and family who have recently used one to buy or sell their home. Check with the State Board of Realtors or the Better Business Bureau to review an agent's background. Call the broker's office or visit their website to see how long the real estate agent has been licensed with that broker. How many transactions has the agent handled in the past year? Have they all been sales transactions or purchases? Stop by the office to see how the support staff treats you.

After all, the entire home buying process can take months to complete. You'll want to pick someone you feel comfortable working with from start to finish. Once you pick a real estate agent let them know what type of lender you're planning to use, or if there is someone else they can recommend.

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Municipal Bonds And The Alternative Minimum Tax

Municipal Bonds are known to be tax advanaged vehicles for investing money, but that tax advantage sometimes does not extend to individuals subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

Municipal Bonds are known to be tax advanaged vehicles for investing money, but that tax advantage sometimes does not extend to individuals subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

The AMT was originally created to prevent millionairres from using deductions and other accounting tricks to avoid paying income taxes. It does this by in essence, creating a seperate tax code with its own rules and less generous deductions. When the AMT was first created in the 1970s, it only applied to a few thousand indivuals with high incomes but because it is not indexed to inflation, it now applies to millions of people.

A brief issued by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) (No. 4, April 15, 2004), concludes:

"Over the coming decade, a growing number of taxpayers will become liable for the AMT. In 2010, if nothing is changed, one in five taxpayers will have AMT liability and nearly every married taxpayer with income between $100,000 and $500,000 will owe the alternative tax. Rather than affecting only high-income taxpayers who would otherwise pay no tax, the AMT has extended its reach to many upper-middle-income households. As an increasing number of taxpayers incur the AMT, pressures to reduce or eliminate the tax are likely to grow."

How this Impacts Municipal Bonds

Amongst the many items that can no longer be deducated in the AMT include interest on private activity municipal bonds. These bonds arevtypically municipal bonds that are issued to fund private projects like sports stadiums and hospitals as opposed to public projectsl like schools, roadwork, sewer systems, etc.

While it's easier to recognize and spot a private activity munis when purchasing individual bonds, this becomes much harder when purchasing a municipal bonds mutual fund or a muni etf where many different bonds are packaged together.

In response to this, many financial companies have created AMT free funds and ETFs. They generally pay a lower rate but remove any chance of the revenue qualifying as income under the AMT.

If you are unsure about your AMT status or the AMY status of a certain fund or ETF, be sure to consult your tax or investment advisor.

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