CD, Savings & Money Market Rates & Fees

Market: San Francisco & Oakland

Every rate below was read from the institution's own published rate sheet, with the date it was confirmed and the conditions that earn it. Credit union share certificates and bank CDs are the same product class — fixed-term deposits, NCUA-insured at credit unions and FDIC-insured at banks, both to $250,000.

Best 12-month certificate (CD) rates in San Francisco & Oakland

Standard, openable certificates at published base rates — no new-money requirements, no introductory teasers. Where an institution publishes a higher relationship rate, it appears in its own column with what earns it. Promotional rates are listed separately with their conditions.

CD rates by term in San Francisco & Oakland

Standard openable certificates at each institution's published rate for the term shown. A dash means no published standard rate at that term.

Highlighted cells are the best published standard rate at that term in this comparison. Locally, Tech CU owns the 12-month (4.00%), matched online by Capital One; Marcus pays 3.95% at 6 months and 3.80% at 5 years online.
** Stanford's row shows standard rates; Loyalty+ Partners and Ambassadors earn +0.50% on certificates (4.00% at 12 months, 4.15% at 5 years), and an 8-month special pays 4.10% for all members. Also published at other terms: Redwood's 12–17-month certificate pays 4.00% with an active Redwood checking account(3.10% standard — the * row shows standard rates; its relationship rates run 0.65–1.10 points higher, for example 3.75% at 6–8 months); 1st United's 36- and 60-month certificates carry a one-time rate-bump feature (verified live Aug 5, 2026 — all five of its grid cells match its published sheet exactly); San Francisco Federal CU's 13-month special pays 3.50% against its weak standard ladder; Fremont Bank's short promos (4-month 3.35%, checking-linked) sit far above its standard book.
*** Fremont's certificate rates vary by balance; the $2,500-minimum column is shown — its 1-year pays 1.50% at $50,000 and 1.75% at $100,000+. Its Premier CD pays 3.15% but requires a linked Premier Checking account holding $50,000+ with a $1,000 monthly direct deposit.

Liquid, jumbo & IRA certificates

Liquid (no-penalty) certificates. Technology Credit Union is the only local institution in this comparison publishing them: 3.65% APY at 3, 4, or 5-month terms, $1,000 minimum, with penalty-free withdrawal flexibility. Online, Marcus's 11-month No-Penalty CD pays 4.00% (its 7-month pays 3.75%) and Ally's No-Penalty CD pays 2.70%.

Jumbo certificates ($95,000+ minimum). Technology Credit Union's jumbo ladder pays the same as its standard ladder at the core terms — 4.00% at 10 and 12 months, 3.75% at 24 to 60 months — so the jumbo minimum buys rate parity, not a premium. Most institutions in this comparison publish no jumbo rates at all.

IRA certificates. Technology Credit Union's IRA certificates pay the same rates as its standard ladder above. For other institutions, IRA certificate rates typically match the standard grid.

Interest & rewards checking

High-yield savings rates for San Francisco & Oakland savers

Savings rates depend on the balance you hold and the conditions you meet. “Whole balance” means every dollar earns the stated rate.

Money market rates in San Francisco & Oakland

Checking & everyday fees in San Francisco & Oakland

From each institution's published fee schedule: monthly service fee on the primary consumer checking account, overdraft, returned-item (NSF), and out-of-network ATM. "$0" means no published fee for that item on that account.

Full tier tables, as published

For tiered accounts, the summary above shows the headline; these are the complete published ladders. In a whole-balance account every dollar earns the rate of the tier the total balance lands in; in a split-tier account each slice earns its own rate.

Patelco Credit Union — Money Market (whole-balance tiers; requires a Patelco checking account)

Technology Credit Union — High-Yield Savings (split-tier; requires a qualifying Tech CU checking account)

Technology Credit Union — Money Market Plus (whole-balance tiers)

A +0.10% rate boost applies at $50,000 and up with a Tech CU checking account and $100 monthly direct deposit.

Golden 1 Credit Union — Money Market (whole-balance tiers)

Which account does what

Every product on this page is a place to keep money. They differ on three things: whether you can take the money out whenever you want, whether it pays you interest, and whether you can spend from it directly. The pattern is consistent — the less access you need, the more you earn, with one exception. The last column states what an institution typically asks of you before it pays the higher rate.

All of the above are federally insured to $250,000 per depositor — by the FDIC at banks, by the NCUA at credit unions. The protection is equivalent.

How to read a rate

The same headline number can mean very different things depending on how the institution applies it. Four structures appear on this page.

APY (annual percentage yield) is the number to compare, not the dividend or interest rate. APY already includes the effect of compounding, so it reflects what a balance actually earns over a year.

Banks, credit unions, and the rest

The tables above mix several kinds of institution. They differ on who may open an account, whether there are branches, which federal agency insures the deposits, and who ultimately owns the place — and that last one is usually what explains the rate.

Common questions

What is the best 12-month CD rate in San Francisco or Oakland?

As of the verification dates above, the best standard 12-month certificate rate in this comparison is 4.00% APY at Technology Credit Union. Stanford Federal Credit Union reaches 4.00% only with a Loyalty+ Partner or Ambassador relationship (standard: 3.50%), and Redwood Credit Union reaches it with an active checking account. Provident Credit Union follows at 3.40%. SF Fire's 7.23% headline is a 90-day promotional rate on the first $3,000 only.

What is the best savings rate in San Francisco?

The strongest local savings headline is Technology Credit Union's 4.00% APY on the first $5,000, with a qualifying checking account. SoFi pays up to 4.50% online, but only with SoFi Plus membership and only up to $20,000.

What is the best money market rate in San Francisco?

Redwood Credit Union's Premier Money Market at 4.00%–4.15% APYleads this set, but it carries qualification requirements; its unqualified account pays 2.00%–3.15%. Without conditions, Ally pays 3.00% online and Patelco's checking-linked tiers run 2.50%–3.25%.

How current are these numbers?

Each row carries the date its rate was read from the institution's published rate sheet. Rates change without notice.

What is the difference between a CD and a share certificate?

Nothing meaningful in how the product works. A share certificate is what a credit union calls a certificate of deposit: a fixed rate for a fixed term, with a penalty for early withdrawal. The two differences are who may open one — a credit union requires membership eligibility, often just living or working in the area — and which agency insures it, the NCUA at credit unions and the FDIC at banks, both to $250,000.

Should I use a savings account or a CD?

It depends on when you need the money. A savings account pays less but lets you withdraw any time. A CD pays more but locks the money for the full term, with a penalty for taking it out early. A high-yield savings account or a liquid (no-penalty) CD pays most of the CD rate without the lock.

Why is a checking account paying more than a savings account?

Rewards checking accounts pay high rates to encourage everyday use, but they cap the balance that earns and require monthly activity — typically a set number of debit card purchases plus online banking. The high rate applies only up to the cap, and only in months you meet every requirement.

Why is the highest advertised rate not always the highest return?

Because the conditions attached to it change what it pays. The highest advertised numbers in this market are introductory or capped offers — real, but earned only on small amounts or short windows. For most balances, the best effective return comes from the best whole-balance or standard-term rate, not the biggest headline.

Is my money as safe at a credit union as at a bank?

Yes. Bank deposits are insured by the FDIC and credit union deposits by the NCUA, both to $250,000 per depositor, per institution, per ownership category, and both backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. The agency differs; the protection does not.

Can anyone join a credit union?

Not automatically — each one defines a field of membership. Most commonly it covers anyone living or working in a set of counties, which makes joining straightforward for local residents. Others are tied to an employer, a school or an association, and nearly all extend membership to family members of existing members. Joining usually means keeping a small balance, often $5 to $25, in a share savings account.

Are online-only banks and banking apps safe?

An online-only bank with its own charter is FDIC-insured exactly as a branch bank is. Banking apps differ: many are technology companies rather than banks, and the deposits sit at a partner bank that provides the insurance. That partner bank is named in the account agreement.

What is the difference between a bank and a credit union?

A bank is owned by shareholders and operates for profit. A credit union is owned by its members and is not-for-profit, so earnings return to members as higher deposit rates, lower loan rates and lower fees. Credit unions require eligibility to join, called a field of membership, and their deposits are insured by the NCUA rather than the FDIC, at the same $250,000 level.

What is a money market account?

A deposit account that pays more than standard savings and usually raises the rate as your balance grows. You can withdraw, often with some monthly limits, and some money market accounts include limited check or card access. It suits larger balances you want to earn on while keeping access.

What is a liquid or no-penalty CD?

A certificate that still runs for a fixed term, but which you may close early without the usual early-withdrawal penalty once an initial lock of roughly a week has passed. The rate is usually a little below a standard CD of the same term, and withdrawals are normally all-or-nothing rather than partial.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from the issuing institution's own published rate sheet, rate page, or fee schedule — never from third-party aggregators. Standard openable products at base rates are compared like-for-like; promotional, new-money, new-member, and relationship rates are shown with the conditions that earn them. The date beside each row is the date that figure was confirmed against the institution's published source.