At the end of last year I found myself banking at a new bank…  the interesting thing to consider is that I copied down the interest rates for my savings account at this bank at the time, which provides for a nice point of comparison.

Here is a quick table of the interest rates back then compared to today.  Mind you, this is only after 3 months time…

Balance Dec 2007 Feb 2008
Up to $1k 2.05% 1.26%
Up to $5k 3.11% 1.31%
Up to $10k 3.49% 1.76%
Up to $25k 3.63% 1.86%
Over $25k 4.26% 2.01%

I can only imagine how low rates are at the big retail banks.

The interest rates to be earned on cash have been cut in half in barely a quarter’s time.  I read in a news article today that the same bank has put thousands of HELOCs on hold (HELOC = home equity line of credit) due to fear of falling real estate values that back the credit. 

The flip side is that you can still get higher rates from the online money market accounts…  ING Direct (3.4%), HSBC Direct (3.55%).  They’re down significantly from previous rates (~5% for HSBC), but not quite as dramatically as retail banks.

And if you’re not too particular (or have complete faith in the FDIC insurance) you can also go to E*Trade for 4.1% rates.