The Presidential Bank CDs have low opening required amounts. Each of the CD terms require $1,000 to open. You must keep this balance of $1,000 in the CD to earn interest on the account.

There are a good variety of CD terms available through Presidential Bank. The terms range from 30-days to five years. There are a total of eight CD terms offered. You can apply for the CD terms online or through the mail.

All Presidential Bank CD terms offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CD accounts. Their rates are much higher than typical bank rates. Presidential Bank interest rates are not tiered. Any amount over the required opening balance earns the competitive interest rates. The short-term CDs offer interest rates competitive with other online short-term CDs.

Presidential Bank customers can choose how to receive interest earned from CDs. You can have the interest mailed to you in a check each month. You can deposit the interest into another Presidential account. You can also send the interest to an external bank account.

The early withdrawal fees for Presidential Bank CDs are high. For terms from 30 to 60-days, the fee is 30 days of interests on the withdrawn amount. For CDs from 90-days to 182-days, the fee is three-months of interest on the withdrawn amount. The fee for one-year CDs is six-months of interest on the withdrawn amount. Two-year CDs require 12-months of interest. The five-year CD requires 24-months of interest on the withdrawn amount.

The grace periods for Presidential Bank CDs are shorter than other similar online CD terms. The 30-day CD only has a grace period of one business day. The other CD terms have a grace period of seven days. Each of these grace periods start the day your CD reaches maturity.

Presidential Bank has nine branch locations in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. If you do not live by a branch location, there are limited ways and times to contact customer service. You can reach a representative through phone, mail, or email. Their hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

To close your Presidential Bank CD, you must notify customer service in writing of your decision. They must receive the notification of your plans to close the CD before or during the grace period. You can take the document to a branch location or mail it in to customer service. But, notification in writing is required to close the CD.

Read the full Presidential Bank review.

The opening required amount for PenFed CDs is low. Each standard and IRA CD terms only require $1,000 to open. The education CDs only require $500 to open. You can open the CDs online or in a branch location.

There are a good variety of CDs available through PenFed. They offer nine standard CD terms from six months to seven years. Their IRA CDs and educational savings certificates terms range from one to seven years.

Each CD term with PenFed offers competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CDs. The standard, IRA, and education CDs interest rates are competitive. They are higher than the typical bank interest rates.

There is more than one way to choose how to receive interest payments earned from your PenFed CDs. You can have the money added to the CD or another account. You can choose to have the money sent to you in a check. You can receive the interest earned monthly or when the CD matures.

To open a CD with PenFed, you must first become a member of the credit union. If you have or are currently serving in the military, you can become a member. Living in certain areas or being a member of set organizations qualifies you. If you work for the U.S. government or other organizations, you are eligible as well. If you do not meet any of these requirements, you can pay a $5 fee. Once you are a member, you can apply for accounts.

PenFed offers standard CDs, IRA CDs, and educational CDs. Members can only open standard CDs online. To open the other types of CDs, you must visit a branch location or contact customer service. All the standard CD terms are available to open online.

The standard PenFed CDs do not offer an interest rate guarantee. If you open a CD and the interest rates increase shortly after, your interest rates will not increase. The PenFed standard CDs offer competitive interest rates.

The early withdrawal fees for PenFed CDs are high. If you withdraw money early from a six-month CD, you will lose all your interest. For CD terms longer than six-month the fee is all interest earned if withdrawn in the first year. After the first year, the fee is 30 percent of what would have been earned if the CD had reached maturity.

Read the full PenFed Credit Union review.