SEATTLE – Three years after certificates of deposit (CDs) had a “resurgence” in 2022 when interest rates jumped, savers are continuing to seek out CDs amid a changing rate environment and a yield curve that is beginning to reward longer-term investments, according to a new analysis.
The analysis, from CD Valet, a digital marketplace that features high-yield CD rates, examines activity during 2026 and found that most of the attention was on CDs of 12 months or less.
“Last year saw an increased interest in and demand for low-risk investment vehicles, with many turning to CDs to make the most of their savings,” Mary Grace Roske, head of marketing & communications, said in a statement. “While we saw high engagement with shorter-term CD offerings last year, we expect there to be opportunities in early 2026 around both short- and long-term offerings as the yield curve shows signs of a return to normal.”
According to CD Value’s review of the approximately 530 unique CD offers listed by its 60+ financial institution partners throughout the year, more than 57% of those offers were for one year or less, demonstrating strong consumer and financial institution preference for short-term commitments.
Remaining ‘Competitive’
Despite the three FOMC rate cuts in 2025, CD Valet’s partner offerings remained competitive, with more than 60% of partner CD offerings greater or equal to 4.00% APY, the company said.
“Consumer engagement activity echoed this trend. CDs with 6- and 12-month terms received the most interest, with each accounting for 24% of click-through and application activity,” CD Valet said. “Savers increasingly relied on CD Valet’s comparison tools, particularly the APY Checkpoint, to evaluate the competitiveness of rates.”
The company said its APY Checkpoint is a real-time tool that helps consumers instantly see how their CD rate compares against the market, based on the over 40,000 rates in the marketplace from more than 5,000 banks and credit unions nationwide.
Ongoing Uptick in Long-Term Rates
Meanwhile, CD Valet said its data also showed that for the first time in over a year, in December 60-month CDs saw the highest amount of APY increases compared to other standard-term CDs. Of all CD rate increases in December, 15% were for 60-month CDs. The CD terms with the second and third most APY increases were 36- and 24-month CDs, respectively.
“Following the three rate reductions by the FOMC last fall, we are now seeing institutions respond by rewarding savers for longer commitments when it comes to their CDs,” says Roske in a statement.
States With Highest Yields
CD Valet reported its intelligence tool revealed average CD APY trends by state. As of Jan. 5, Utah, Nevada and North Dakota were the three states with the highest average CD yields, based on CDs offers from financial institutions based in those states.
The company said to help savers identify the best opportunities in their area, CD Valet launched its Best CD Rates by State Map, an interactive U.S. map that highlights the top CD rates from banks and credit unions by state. Rates are updated automatically via a seamless API connection, ensuring the data remains current and accurate.
