Credit union members are not the only ones shifting deposits from term to liquid accounts.
Research firm Market Rates Insight found that in the fourth quarter of 2010, banking consumers kept placing their money in FDIC-insured deposits despite declining interest rates. The increases in deposit balances occurred only in liquid accounts, the firm discovered.
During the fourth quarter of 2010, total domestic deposits increased from $7.73 billion in October to $7.87 billion by the end of 2010. The increase in deposit balances was only in checking, savings and money market accounts, while CD balances declined, according to MRI. During the period tracked, checking account balances increased by $94 billion, savings account balances increased by $55 billion and money market account balances increased by $100 billion. Balances of CD accounts declined by $114 billion.
If economic uncertainty persists, deposit balances will continue to grow and shift to liquid accounts this year regardless of interest rates, said Dan Geller, executive vice president of MRI.
