Coastal Federal ranks highest for checking account interest rates in Meck

Coastal Federal Credit Union pays the highest checking account interest rate among all banks with locations in Mecklenburg County, according to a ranking released Friday by GoBankingRates.com.

Raleigh-based Coastal earned the top spot in the county with its 2.01 percent rate for its Go Green account. The account pays that rate for customers who use their debit card at least 30 times a month.

The website also said the average checking account interest rate in Charlotte is 0.18 percent, which is slightly higher than the national average of 0.17 percent.

But the rise in U.S. interest rates -- such as higher mortgage rates -- is not being felt in deposit accounts, the website says. Compared with a year ago, checking account rates have posted a decline of 0.02 percent.

On a national level, credit unions offer higher interest rates than banks on average, the website also found. The average among credit unions is 0.31 percent compared with 0.16 percent for banks. Community banks, though, pay the highest interest rates available in U.S. today.

Here's a look at the nine other banks that making up the top 10 paying the highest checking account interest rates in Mecklenburg County:

• Aquesta Bank, Flagship Checking, 0.85 percent
• BlueHarbor Bank, Neon Blue Checking, 0.85 percent
• CommunityOne Bank, eRewards, 0.8 percent
• Bank of the Ozarks, MaxYield Checking, 0.55 percent
• Fifth Third Bank, Fifth Third Preferred Checking, 0.46 percent
• Peoples Bank, Rewards Checking, 0.4 percent
• NewDominion Bank, First Rate Checking, 0.15 percent
• BlueHarbor Bank, Interest Checking, 0.1 percent
• Charlotte Metro Credit Union, Premier Checking Account, 0.1 percent