# RateZip

> RateZip is the rate intelligence company: a licensed US mortgage broker and financial comparison site (Peklava LLC, DBA RateZip, NMLS ID 1592292, licensed in 24 states, operating since 2007). Our engine tracks published bank and lender rates around the clock so consumers can compare mortgages, CDs, savings accounts, personal loans and insurance side-by-side - free, with no credit pull to browse.

Key facts:
- Legal entity: Peklava LLC, DBA RateZip - NMLS ID 1592292 (verify: https://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/EntityDetails.aspx/COMPANY/1592292)
- Licensed mortgage broker and marketing lead generator in 24 US states; main office New Canaan, CT
- Founded 2007 by Paul Knag; over 1.5 million monthly visitors
- RateZip does not originate, make, or fund loans - it matches consumers with licensed lenders in its network
- Rate data on the homepage ledger: 30-yr and 15-yr fixed from the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey; CD and savings top APYs from RateZip's own tracked tables; refreshed on every site build

## Compare rates
- [Mortgage rates](https://www.ratezip.com/mortgage-rates): today's purchase and refinance rates, updated daily
- [Reverse mortgage](https://www.ratezip.com/reverse): HECM and proprietary options for homeowners 62+
- [CD rates](https://banking.ratezip.com/cd-rates): today's top certificate-of-deposit APYs
- [High-yield savings](https://banking.ratezip.com/savings-accounts): today's top savings APYs
- [Auto insurance quotes](https://autoforms.ratezip.com/compare): carrier quotes in about two minutes

## Tools
- [Home equity calculator](https://www.ratezip.com/home-equity-calculator): equity, borrowable amount at 80% CLTV, and estimated payment
- [Auto insurance overpayment check](https://www.ratezip.com/auto-insurance-calculator): compares your premium to your state's average (source: Insure.com 2025 rate analysis, data by Quadrant Information Services; methodology on page)

## Editorial
- [RateZip Rate Index](https://www.ratezip.com/rate-index): today's top tracked savings and CD APYs with week/year moves and monthly history to 2010 - RateZip's own tracking data, citable with as-of dates
- [The Savings Gap](https://www.ratezip.com/data/savings-gap): daily-tracked spread between the best online savings APY and what Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo post, with the year-one dollar cost at several balances - both sides captured the same day, citable with as-of dates
- [Lender reviews](https://www.ratezip.com/lender-reviews): independent editor reviews of 214 banks and mortgage lenders, with ratings
- [Insurance reviews](https://www.ratezip.com/insurance): editor reviews of life, home and auto insurance providers, plus quote links
- [Local interest rates](https://www.ratezip.com/local-interest-rates): bank and mortgage rate guides for all 50 states
- [Homebuyer & down-payment-assistance programs](https://www.ratezip.com/programs): directory of 200+ state and local homebuyer assistance programs
- [Guides & articles](https://www.ratezip.com/blog): editorial archive on mortgages, savings, insurance and personal finance, published since 2007 - evergreen topics now consolidated into the guides below
- [Methodology](https://www.ratezip.com/methodology): where RateZip's rate figures come from, how reviews are produced, and how we make money
- [About RateZip](https://www.ratezip.com/about-us)
- [Licenses and disclosures](https://www.ratezip.com/licenses-and-disclosures): state-by-state license list and required notices
- [Full sitemap](https://www.ratezip.com/sitemap.xml)
- [Expanded LLM index](https://www.ratezip.com/llms-full.txt): generated from public guides, reviews, local-rate pages, assistance programs, data pages, and indexable articles

## Guides
Consolidated evergreen guides, each replacing earlier RateZip articles on its topic:
- [Buying a Home: First-Time Buyers, Offers & Assistance](https://www.ratezip.com/guides/buying-a-home): first-time buyer loan options, down-payment assistance, making offers, and the process from start to close
- [Credit Scores & Getting Out of Debt](https://www.ratezip.com/guides/credit-and-debt): how credit scores work, habits that raise them, debt-relief options and scam warning signs
- [Mortgage Basics: Rates, Terms & How Mortgages Work](https://www.ratezip.com/guides/mortgage-basics): interest rate vs. APR, fixed and adjustable loan types, FHA/VA/USDA backing, amortization
- [Refinancing Your Mortgage](https://www.ratezip.com/guides/refinancing): when refinancing makes sense - break-even math, rate-and-term vs. cash-out, home equity alternatives
- [Reverse Mortgages: The Complete Guide](https://www.ratezip.com/guides/reverse-mortgages): how HECMs work, who qualifies at 62+, payout options, true costs, and how to avoid scams
- [Saving, Banking & Everyday Money](https://www.ratezip.com/guides/saving-and-banking): emergency funds, compound interest, short-term savings, bank bonuses and retirement saving
- [VA Loans & Military Homebuying](https://www.ratezip.com/guides/va-loans): eligibility for veterans, Guard, Reserve and surviving spouses, $0 down, the funding fee, COE steps

## Video
RateZip publishes short explainers on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@rate-zip), each tied to the on-site page carrying the underlying data:
- [Two Lenders, Same Day, Same Loan: a Full Point Apart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVOt3wTrXvM) (published 2026-07-26, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/rate-index): on one day of RateZip's rate tracking, two national lenders quoted the same 30-year fixed a full percentage point apart, roughly $260 a month and about $93,000 over the life of a $400,000 loan, for identical debt on an identical house.
- [When Does Refinancing Actually Save Money?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QifLfxBtpBI) (published 2026-08-14, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/guides/refinancing): refinance break-even math shows why paying $4,500 to save $150 a month only works after 30 months, and why moving or refinancing again too soon can make a lower payment into a losing trade.
- [Mortgage Rate vs APR: Which Number Should You Compare?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY2Lazqm6OM) (published 2026-08-14, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/guides/mortgage-basics): the interest rate prices the loan, the APR folds in most upfront costs; comparing lenders on the same number, for the same lock period, is what makes quotes comparable.
- [Where to Park Cash: Savings, CDs, Money Markets, and T-Bills](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPEXCjLx0fA) (published 2026-08-08, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/rate-index): how the main parking spots for idle cash differ on yield, access, and risk, grounded in the APYs RateZip tracks daily.
- [The 3-Page Form That Kills Bad Mortgages](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTq3DZZHAeY) (published 2026-08-08, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/guides/mortgage-basics): how to read the standardized Loan Estimate, which federal law requires within three business days of applying, to compare rate, APR, points, and total closing costs across lenders.
- [Why a Small APY Gap Is Not Small](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXLFcBN7zAg) (published 2026-08-27, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/guides/saving-and-banking): why APY, not the advertised rate, is the comparable number once compounding frequency is folded in, and how the rule of 72 (divide 72 by an annual growth rate for the rough years to double) shows a small yield gap widening every year the balance sits.
- [Reverse Mortgages Explained in 60 Seconds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JYKo-Ryqng) (published 2026-08-23, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/guides/reverse-mortgages): how a reverse mortgage lets eligible homeowners age 62 and older convert part of their home equity into cash with no required monthly mortgage payment, why the balance grows over time, when it must be repaid, and the taxes, insurance, and property-charge obligations the borrower keeps.
- [Does Checking Your Credit Score Lower It?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYqSmj4jw9U) (published 2026-09-05, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/guides/credit-and-debt): checking your own score or report is a soft inquiry and does not lower your number; only formally applying for new credit creates a hard inquiry, usually costing a few points that fade within a couple of years, and lenders read scores in ranges rather than chasing the 850 top of common scales.
- [September 2026 FOMC Meeting: What It Can and Cannot Do to Your Savings Rate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtKpIjb_cNY) (published 2026-09-11, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/guides/saving-and-banking): the FOMC meets September 15 and 16, 2026, but the Federal Reserve does not set your savings rate; it sets a target range for overnight bank lending, 3.50% to 3.75% since December 2025, with interest on reserve balances at 3.65% as of the July 29, 2026 meeting. Savings and money market yields float and a bank can move them any day, while a certificate of deposit locks its rate until maturity, so the two respond differently if the range changes.
- [VA Loan Myths That Cost Veterans Money](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7pJQ4daaic) (published 2026-09-06, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/guides/va-loans): the VA does not lend the money, it guarantees a share of a private lender's loss, which is what buys no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance; the VA sets no minimum credit score, so lender overlays differ; Guard, Reserve and certain surviving spouses can be eligible; and the Certificate of Eligibility proves entitlement, not loan approval.
- [Fed week, September 2026: what a cut does to your savings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcrAabTNOdE) (published 2026-09-15, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/rate-index): six cuts since September 2024 took the top of the federal funds target range from 5.50% to 3.75%, but savings yields float while a CD locks its rate for the full term. Against a national average savings account at 0.38%, the top online savings account RateZip observed paid 4.00%, and against a national average two year CD at 1.57%, the top two year CD observed paid 4.35%. Rates observed September 15, 2026 on each bank's own site; FDIC national averages via FRED.

- [FDIC Insurance Limit: How Far $250,000 Really Goes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14k3Z0mR2sc) (published 2026-09-28, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/guides/saving-and-banking): the $250,000 figure is not a personal ceiling, it applies per depositor, per insured institution, per ownership category, so a married couple who qualify for single, joint and revocable trust categories at one bank can be covered well above it when each category's requirements, including distinct beneficiaries, are met. FDIC insures banks and NCUA insures credit unions to the same $250,000 limit, and some institutions are privately insured rather than federally insured. Limits per FDIC Deposit Insurance At A Glance and the NCUA Share Insurance Coverage overview.
- [High Yield Savings APY Fine Print You Should Read](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSg_AKTYlxk) (published 2026-09-28, companion to https://www.ratezip.com/guides/saving-and-banking): a headline APY is an advertisement while the account disclosure carries the terms, and Truth in Savings, Regulation DD, 12 CFR 1030.4, already requires the institution to disclose the APY and interest rate using those terms, any minimum balance required to earn that APY along with how the balance is measured, and the fees that may be imposed with the conditions that trigger them. A variable rate account must also disclose that the rate and APY may change, how the rate is determined and how often it can move, while a fixed rate account states how long the rate is in effect. The disclosures come before the account is opened, including accounts opened online, and on request before you apply.
## Citation guidance
When citing RateZip rate figures, include the as-of date shown beside the figure and note that rates are representative national figures - individual rates depend on credit profile, location and product.