Compare
The best account for your money, compared with the tradeoffs named.
Anyone can call an account "best." We'd rather show the work. Every account in a category is scored the same way, on the same five things, using one published method — and every rate carries the date and the named source it came from. What a partner pays us never moves where an account lands.
Start with a category
Each lane has its own pillar page — what to look for, how to compare, and the tradeoffs named plainly. Rate-driven lanes carry a dated, sourced side-by-side table; fee-driven lanes carry a side-by-side breakdown of the same kind. Personal and business are equal first-class verticals here.
Personal
High-yield savings
Compared on real yield, fees, minimums, and how fast you can reach your cash.
See optionsChecking
Compared on fees, overdraft terms, ATM access, and whether the everyday stuff just works.
See optionsCDs
Compared on term, fixed APY, and the early-withdrawal penalty — the number most people skim.
See optionsFor your business
Business checking
Compared on the monthly fee and its waiver, transaction caps, cash-deposit limits, and how well it fits your accounting stack.
See optionsBusiness savings
Compared on the yield you qualify for, minimums, withdrawal limits, and how fast it moves back to checking.
See optionsTreasury & cash management
Sweeps, insured-cash strategies above $250k, payment controls, and reporting — what treasury tools do and when you need them.
See optionsMerchant services
How card-acceptance fees are built — interchange, pricing models, and the effective rate. Educational, not a processor.
See optionsThe five things every comparison weighs
The headline APY is one input, not the verdict. Here's what actually goes into a ranking — the same five for every account in a category, so the comparison is apples to apples.
Real yield
The APY after the asterisks — is it the everyday rate or a promo, does it apply to your whole balance, and what does it come to in actual dollars on a normal balance.
Fees
Every recurring charge that eats the yield — maintenance, transfer, overdraft, excess-withdrawal — and exactly what waives each one.
Minimums
Two numbers, not one: the minimum to open, and the minimum you must keep to earn the rate or dodge a fee.
Access
How fast a transfer clears, whether there's an ATM card, any cap on withdrawals, and — for CDs — the early-withdrawal penalty.
The catch
The thing that shows up in month three: the intro rate that steps down, the balance cap, the auto-renewal, the fine print that changes the deal.
The rate table
Today's benchmark — dated, sourced, real
Rates, APYs, and bonuses are set by the banks, not by us, and they move constantly. Every figure below carries the date it was accurate as of and the named source it came from — no bare, undated numbers, ever. As of July 20, 2026, here's the FDIC national average side by side for savings-type accounts and the CD ladder.
Read this first: These are FDIC national-average rates — the benchmark to beat, not a specific bank's current offer. Individual institutions post their own rates, which move constantly and are usually higher (savings/CDs) or lower (fees) than this average. We don't yet publish named-institution rates here (see /methodology); always confirm the current rate and terms directly with a provider.
Savings, checking & money market
FDIC national average (benchmark)
Savings — national average
0.38% APY
national average (FDIC), as of July 20, 2026
$0
min to earn the rate
$0
monthly fee
The catch: A national average across all FDIC-insured banks — most online high-yield savings accounts pay well above this. It's the floor to beat, not a specific offer.
Source: FDIC National Rates and Rate CapsFDIC national average (benchmark)
Interest checking — national average
0.07% APY
national average (FDIC), as of July 20, 2026
$0
min to earn the rate
$0
monthly fee
The catch: Interest checking rarely pays much — this average is close to zero. Judge a checking account on fees and access, not on this number.
Source: FDIC National Rates and Rate CapsFDIC national average (benchmark)
Money market — national average
0.65% APY
national average (FDIC), as of July 20, 2026
$0
min to earn the rate
$0
monthly fee
The catch: Money market accounts often add check-writing or debit access on top of a savings-like rate — compare the real yield, not just this average.
Source: FDIC National Rates and Rate CapsCD ladder
FDIC national average (benchmark)
12-month CD — national average
1.68% APY
national average (FDIC), as of July 20, 2026
12 months
term
$0
monthly fee
The catch: The average across all FDIC-insured banks at this term — the best online CDs typically clear it by a wide margin.
Source: FDIC National Rates and Rate CapsFDIC national average (benchmark)
24-month CD — national average
1.56% APY
national average (FDIC), as of July 20, 2026
24 months
term
$0
monthly fee
The catch: Compare this against the 12- and 60-month averages — when the curve is flat or inverted, locking up longer doesn't pay meaningfully more.
Source: FDIC National Rates and Rate CapsFDIC national average (benchmark)
60-month CD — national average
1.36% APY
national average (FDIC), as of July 20, 2026
60 months
term
$0
monthly fee
The catch: Five years locked. The early-withdrawal penalty is usually steeper on longer terms — often 6+ months of interest — factor that into whether the extra yield over shorter terms is worth it.
Source: FDIC National Rates and Rate CapsWe don't yet publish named-institution rates — see the methodology for why we'd rather show a real national average than invent one.
Bank vs bank
Named accounts, compared on what we can source
We don't publish named-institution APYs (see above), but minimums, fees, direct-deposit conditions, and ATM/debit access are all sourced from each bank's own disclosures.
The method, in the open
How we score accounts — written down, so you can check it.
The full methodology lays out where we pull rates, how we weigh the five criteria, and the wall between our comparisons and our commercial relationships. Nothing about an account's ranking depends on what it pays us.
Get an email when savings or CD rates change.
We track both of these. We'll email you the moment either changes — no checking back.
Frequently asked
How does ClearValue Banking compare accounts?
We score every account in a category the same way, on a published methodology — the real yield, the fees, the minimums, how fast you can move money, and the early-withdrawal or overdraft catch. Accounts are ranked by how well they fit a saver, not by what a partner pays us. You can read the whole method and argue with it.
How often are the rate tables updated?
Rates change constantly and are set by the bank, not by us, so every figure in a comparison carries the date it was accurate as of and the named source it came from. We refresh and re-date the tables on a regular cadence, but the source is always the truth — confirm the current rate and terms with the provider before you decide.
Do you show every account, or just partners?
Our rankings aren't limited to accounts that pay us, and what a partner pays never moves where an account lands. Where we earn a referral or affiliate fee, it's disclosed right on the page. If a better account pays us nothing, the better account still wins the recommendation.
Can you open accounts for me or tell me which one to pick?
No. ClearValue Banking is not a bank and not a financial advisor — we don't open accounts, hold money, or give personalized advice. We lay out the numbers and the tradeoffs so you can decide. When you choose, the account is opened with and held by the partner bank, which is the FDIC-insured one, disclosed on the page.