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Top CDs Today, May 15, 2025

Top CDs Today, May 15, 2025

Trader From HellEducation16 hours ago5 Views

Key Takeaways

The top nationwide rate on an 18-month certificate fell today from 4.50% to 4.40%. The new leader in that term is Quorum Federal Credit Union.
CD shoppers still have nine choices for snagging the top overall rate of 4.50%, ranging from a 3-month offer from PonceBankDirect up to a 13-month CD from Elements Financial.
Alternatively, you can grab 4.40% from PenAir Credit Union on a 21-month guarantee, locking your rate until early 2027. Or you can secure a rate between 4.28% and 4.32% for 3 to 5 years.
While the Fed isn’t yet ready to resume rate cuts, reductions are ultimately expected in 2025. So locking in one of today’s top CD rates is likely smart in today’s uncertain economy.

Below you’ll find featured rates available from our partners, followed by details from our ranking of the best CDs available nationwide.

A 4.50% Rate That’s Yours To Keep Until Summer 2026

The best CD rate in the nation continues to be 4.50%, and you have plenty of ways to lock that in. The shortest option with that return is a 3-month certificate available from PonceBankDirect. Then, six institutions offer 4.50% for terms of 6 to 9 months. At the longest end, Elements Financial will guarantee its 4.50% APY for 13 months, which would secure your return until June 2026.

Yesterday, CD shoppers had an additional 4.50% option, with an even longer 18-month rate lock. But that offer has evaporated, leaving Quorum Federal Credit Union as the 18-month term leader with a rate of 4.40%.

To view the top 15–20 nationwide rates in any term, click on the desired term length in the left column above.

All Federally Insured Institutions Are Equally Protected

Your deposits at any FDIC bank or NCUA credit union are federally insured, meaning you’re protected by the U.S. government in the unlikely case that the institution fails. Not only that, but the coverage is identical—deposits are insured up to $250,000 per person and per institution—no matter the size of the bank or credit union.

Consider Multiyear CDs To Guarantee Your Rate Further Into the Future

For a rate lock you can enjoy for almost two years, PenAir Credit Union is paying 4.40% APY for 21 months, promising its rate until February 2027. Or, stretch your guarantee further by taking a slightly lower APY of 4.32%, available for 30 months from Genisys Credit Union.

Savers who want to stash their money away for even longer might like the leading 4-year or 5-year certificates. You can lock in a 4.28% rate for 4 years from Lafayette Federal Credit Union. In fact, Lafayette promises the same 4.28% APY on all its certificates from 7 months through 5 years, letting you secure that rate as far as 2030.

Multiyear CDs are likely smart right now, given the possibility of Fed rate cuts in later 2025, and perhaps also in 2026. The central bank lowered the federal funds rate by a full percentage point last fall and could restart rate cuts in the coming months. While any interest-rate reductions from the Fed will push bank APYs lower, a CD rate you secure now will be yours to enjoy until it matures.

Today’s Best CDs Still Pay Historically High Returns

It’s true that CD rates are no longer at their peak. But despite the pullback, the best CDs still offer a stellar return. October 2023 saw the highest CD rates push briefly to 6%, while today’s leading rate is down to 4.50%. But compare that to early 2022, before the Federal Reserve embarked on its fast-and-furious rate-hike campaign. The most you could earn from the very best CDs in the country ranged from just 0.50% to 1.70% APY, depending on the term.

Jumbo CDs Beat Regular CDs in 4 Terms

Jumbo CDs require much larger deposits and sometimes pay premium rates—but not always. In fact, today’s best jumbo CD rates only out-pay the top standard rate in four of the eight CD terms we track. That means it’s smart to always check both types of offerings when CD shopping, and if your best rate option is a standard CD, simply open it with a jumbo-sized deposit.

Institutions are offering higher jumbo rates in the following terms:

Meanwhile, in the 6-month and 1-year terms, the top standard and top jumbo CDs pay the same rate of 4.50% APY.

*Indicates the highest APY offered in each term. To view our lists of the top-paying CDs across terms for bank, credit union, and jumbo certificates, click on the column headers above.

Where Are CD Rates Headed in 2025?

In December, the Federal Reserve announced a third rate cut to the federal funds rate in as many meetings, reducing it a full percentage point since September. But in its announcement last week, the central bank has opted to hold rates steady at all three of its 2025 meetings to date.

The Fed’s rate cuts last year represented a pivot from the central bank’s historic 2022–2023 rate-hike campaign, in which the committee aggressively increased interest rates to combat decades-high inflation. At its 2023 peak, the federal funds rate climbed to its highest level since 2001—and remained there for nearly 14 months.

Fed rate moves are significant to savers, as any reductions to the fed funds rate push down the rates that banks and credit unions are willing to pay consumers for their deposits. Both CD rates and savings account rates reflect these changes to the fed funds rate.

Time will tell what exactly will happen to the federal funds rate in 2025 and 2026—as tariff activity from the Trump administration has paused the Fed’s course as policymakers await clear data. But with more Fed rate cuts possibly arriving later this year, today’s CD rates could be the best you’ll see in a while—making now a smart time to lock in the best rate that suits your personal timeline.

Daily Rankings of the Best CDs and Savings Accounts

We update these rankings every business day to give you the best deposit rates available:

Important

Note that the “top rates” quoted here are the highest nationally available rates Investopedia has identified in its daily rate research on hundreds of banks and credit unions. This is much different than the national average, which includes all banks offering a CD with that term, including many large banks that pay a pittance in interest. Thus, the national averages are always quite low, while the top rates you can unearth by shopping around are often 5, 10, or even 15 times higher.

How We Find the Best CD Rates

Every business day, Investopedia tracks the rate data of more than 200 banks and credit unions that offer CDs to customers nationwide and determines daily rankings of the top-paying certificates in every major term. To qualify for our lists, the institution must be federally insured (FDIC for banks, NCUA for credit unions), the CD’s minimum initial deposit must not exceed $25,000, and any specified maximum deposit cannot be under $5,000.

Banks must be available in at least 40 states. And while some credit unions require you to donate to a specific charity or association to become a member if you don’t meet other eligibility criteria (e.g., you don’t live in a certain area or work in a certain kind of job), we exclude credit unions whose donation requirement is $40 or more. For more about how we choose the best rates, read our full methodology.

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