Online Savings Account...

USAA and ING are both great! Good luck!

 

I started saving with ING Direct in 2004 and continued until today, actually. Their online savings rates were the best around for a while, but they seem to have stopped caring about staying competitive with other online savings accounts. I now have my short-term savings at FNBO Direct, the online part of First National Bank of Omaha. From what I can find, they offer the best rate going right now: 3.5% APY on any balance. (I was recently with Countrywide... they offer 3.4% APY on balances over $10k)

A local bank offering online service is similar, but "Online Savings" are generally at institutions with fewer brick-and-mortar branches. They offer higher rates of interest, and are mostly just savings accounts. (There are online checking accounts... I had an ING Electric Orange checking account, too.)

I looked into HSBC, but according to their website they're offering 3.25% APY as of today. Where are you seeing that you get 3.75%

I think he was talking about ING Electric Orange, which is their online checking account that earns 1.74% APY. It's not a bad account, especially if you don't write many paper checks. I can tell you a LOT more about it if anybody's interested.

 

because i lied and accidentally looked at the 6 month online cd haha im sorry about that :/

 

I use both USAA and HSBC Direct for high yield savings accounts. USAA has better customer service and options, but HSBC has consistently had higher APR rates for their savings account. I have had both for many years now and trust both with my money, and they are both FDIC insured. If your wife is looking for a bank with a branch she can go to, I have used Navy Federal Credit Union http://www.navyfcu.org/for many years also. They are very convenient, NCUA insured (the credit union version of FDIC), have a number of North Carolina locations, have all of their services available for online or phone access, have great customer service, and offer ATM charge rebates for using your ATM card at any ATM. They also have great rates for car loans, mortgages, and credit cards. However, their savings accounts do not have a good return rate, which is why I don't use them for any large amounts of savings. Their membership is now available for all branches of the military.