Yesterday, BankingMyWay pointed how most of the good deals on CD rates were coming from small banks and community credit unions.

Case in point – Consumers Credit Union, located throughout Illinois, now has a 16-month CD rate of 2.75% APY and a five-year CD rate that returns 3.50% APY. Down the scale, the credit union has some good deals as well. The nine-month CD comes with a healthy 2.50% APY. The minimum deposit for the Consumer Credit CD’s  - at $250 per deposit – is fairly low for relatively higher rates.  Better yet, the credit union has a significantly more flexible early penalty program – at 120 days of earnings versus a rough industry average of 180 days.

Sign up for the Consumer Credit deal requires an application fee (you can apply online) of $5.

Credit Cards
Back to the credit unions for a good deal on a bank credit card transfer – this one at Pentagon Federal Credit Union.

The credit union, which as $13 billion in assets and almost 890,000 members, has a good recent history of credit card deals. It already offers a cash-back Visa credit card with 5% cash back, and $2 cash-back for supermarket purchases – a clever move when so many cash-strapped families are looking to save a few bucks on the groceries.

But perhaps the better card deal is Pentagon Federal’s credit card transfer offering. The credit union is offering a 2.99% APR for the entire life of the transferred card balance. The program was only supposed to last through May, but a quick check of the Pentagon Federal web site reveals it’s still being marketed prominently on the site.

With offices all over the country, finding a Pentagon Federal office isn’t too difficult to find. But you can also apply online for the card deals – but you will have to join the National Military Families Association if you or a family member doesn’t belong to the U.S. armed forces.

Bank Checking
Community National Bank has a nice rewards program called Community Rewards Checking. There, you can find a 4.51% APY for balances up to $25,000, and an ATM refund program that gives back $10 in non-bank TAM transaction each month. You’ll have to make 12 charge card purchases each month to qualify.

There’s no monthly service charge and all you need to open an account is a $25 minimum deposit. You can also apply online at the bank’s web site.

Mortgages
Mortgages seem to be popping up over 5% as Treasury Bond yields creep back up again. But we found at least one mortgage lender  - AimLoan.com – that is still pushing 30-year fixed mortgage rates under 5%. AimLoan has a 4.625% rate on its 30-year mortgage loan, with under $2,000 in fees and 1.575 discounted points.

As usual, the loan is only available to borrowers with great credit scores – 700 and above – and has to be a conforming loan, i.e., under $417,000 for the entire loan bundle.

— For more ways to save, spend, invest and borrow, visit MainStreet.com.