Astoria Federal Savings is offering a nationally available 2.5% APY 30 month CD and a 1.5% APY 9 month certificate of deposit with a minimum deposit of just $500. This is also available as an IRA CD rate.
You can open an account over the phone and they’ll hold the rate for 10 days while you send in the funds for the account. You can mail in a check or send a wire transfer for a $15 fee.
In order to close out the CD you have to send written instructions to do so and they will mail you out a check and close the account. You can also close your CD in person by visiting a branch in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester, New York.
Astoria Federal Savings has a 2 out of 5 star soundness rating from bankrate and is FDIC insured. To visit their site click here.