Certificate growth at CUs noted by Wall Street Journal

NEW YORK (10/15/08)--Investors are turning to certificates of deposit (CDs), and term share certificates--especially at credit unions, according to a Tuesday article in The Wall Street Journal.

Term share certificate deposits at credit unions nationwide have risen an estimated 4.8% so far this year, according to data from the Credit Union National Association, the paper said.

There has been a $57 billion increase in the total amount of revenue held in CDs and term share certificates of $100,000 or less during the past few months, according to Federal Reserve data, the paper indicated.

The primary motive for investors moving more into CDs and term share certificates is security because they offer a way to insure investors' money, the paper said.

Certificate investors also have been prompted by the new $250,000 federal insurance limit [at credit unions and banks], said John Nersesian, managing director of Nuveen Investments in Chicago.

The yield on an average one-year CD now is 2.56%, and the average five-year CD yield is 3.38%, according to Bankrate.com.

courtesy of cuna.org