These Two Big Banks Have Unveiled New Higher CD Rates, Despite the Fed’s Pause

CD Rates Are Mostly Marking Time—But These Two Banks Pay More Today Than Last Month

After cutting its benchmark interest rate three times in late 2025, the Federal Reserve has been in a holding pattern this year. It held rates in place at its January meeting and is expected to do the same in two weeks.

As a result, the best CD rates in the nation have largely been holding steady after drifting a bit lower at the end of last year. Certificates of deposit (CDs) continue to pay historically high returns—with offers as high as 5.00%—but this stagnant rate environment means any positive development on APYs is welcome and noteworthy.

Synchrony’s New 16-Month CD Offer

Synchrony Bank is one of the bearers of good news, having launched a new rank-worthy CD on Tuesday. For a term of 16 months, Synchrony is now paying 4.40%, which is high enough to rank 6th in the nation in our daily roundup of the best 18-month CDs.

Synchrony Bank is the 34th largest U.S. retail bank by assets. While it’s primarily known for providing private-label credit cards, it is also an online-only bank offering consumer deposit accounts.

A New 14-Month Rate from Marcus

Marcus by Goldman Sachs is also in the CD-boosting game lately. Last week it launched a new 14-month CD that’s paying an impressive 4.50% APY. It also raised several other rates on its CD menu, but the 14-month offer is the only one high enough to earn a spot in our daily CD rankings, landing it in 6th place of our 1-year round-up.

Marcus is an online-only bank operated by Goldman Sachs, the 5th largest U.S. retail bank by assets. Only Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo are bigger.

The Best CD Rates Still Come From Smaller Players

If you want to lock in the highest rate possible, better offers continue to be available at smaller banks and credit unions.

Though it may seem safer to stick with a brand-name bank, the truth is that your deposits at any FDIC-insured bank or NCUA-insured credit union are equally protected—covering as much as $250,000 in deposits per person, per institution. Federal coverage doesn’t vary based on bank or credit union size.

CDs also present an ideal opportunity for stashing cash, given a CD’s “park it and forget it” nature. Generally, you’ll meaningfully interact with your CD account just twice: when you open it and when it CD matures. While you’ll receive periodic interest credits and statements during the CD’s term, these don’t require action on your part, making it very easy to hold CDs somewhere other than your primary bank.

If you’re willing to venture to an institution that may not be quite as familiar to you as the biggest U.S. banks, our daily ranking of the best CD rates can lead you to at least 15 leading national offers—all of which pay more than Synchrony and Marcus. We also publish daily term-by-term rankings (linked below the graph), featuring the following leading national rates.

How We Find the Best Savings and CD Rates

Every business day, Investopedia tracks the rate data of more than 200 banks and credit unions that offer CDs and savings accounts to customers nationwide and determines daily rankings of the top-paying accounts. To qualify for our lists, the institution must be federally insured (FDIC for banks, NCUA for credit unions), and the account’s minimum initial deposit must not exceed $25,000. It also cannot specify a maximum deposit amount that’s below $5,000.

Banks must be available in at least 40 states to qualify as nationally available. And while some credit unions require you to donate to a specific charity or association to become a member if you don’t meet other eligibility criteria (e.g., you don’t live in a certain area or work in a certain kind of job), we exclude credit unions whose donation requirement is $40 or more.

For more about how we choose the best rates, read our full methodology.