Live Oak Bank CDs: Secure growth for your savings

When you’re looking for a CD, a primary concern is safety. Given the threat of inflation looming over today’s economy, one element of safety has to be earning enough of a return to give you a chance of keeping up with rising prices.

Live Oak Bank CD rates offer you competitive returns from FDIC-insured products. With a minimum investment of just $2,500, they are also readily available to a wide range of customers.

Current Live Oak Bank CD rates and terms

CD rates are subject to change at any time; however, a recent review of Live Oak CD rates revealed them to be highly competitive across the full range of CD lengths. That makes it worth checking out the latest rates when you’re ready to open a CD.

Personal CD rates at Live Oak Bank

Personal CDs are available from Live Oak Bank with a minimum deposit of $2,500 and a maximum deposit limit of $250,000. Their rates consistently outperform the national averages, offering notably higher annual percentage yields across all term lengths. For example, their shorter-term CDs, such as the 3-month and 6-month options, provide returns that are significantly above average, while their 12-month CDs also maintain a competitive edge in the market. This makes Live Oak Bank a strong choice for savers seeking attractive rates on a variety of CD terms.

You must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident with a valid Social Security number to open a personal account at Live Oak Bank.

Live Oak Bank Business CD rates

Live Oak also offers Business CDs for the following types of organizations:

• Corporation
• Limited Liability Corporation
• Sole Proprietorship
• Partnership
• Limited Partnership
• Professional Corporation
• Association
• Non-profit

As with their personal CDs, Live Oak Bank business CD rates are higher than the national averages across the full range of CD lengths. Whether you’re looking for short-term options like three or six months or longer commitments up to five years, Live Oak consistently offers competitive annual percentage yields that surpass typical market rates. This makes their business CDs an attractive choice for organizations seeking to maximize returns on their deposits while benefiting from the security of FDIC insurance. Business accounts must be opened by U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a valid Social Security number, and up to four additional authorized signers can be added, all of whom must also meet these eligibility requirements.

How Live Oak Bank CD rates compare to competitors

As the recent snapshot of Live Oak Bank CD rates shows, they are clearly better than the national averages for all CD lengths. In fact, Live Oak’s CD rates are competitive with some of the top rates in the nation.

Live Oak Bank vs. National CD rates

Compared to national averages, CD rates at Live Oak Bank offer rate advantages ranging from about half a percent for 24-month CDs to more than two percentage points for 6-month CDs. In fact, their rates for shorter-term CDs like 6-month and 12-month options are often more than double the national average.

While that’s a significant advantage, when choosing CD rates, you should also consider the benefit of locking in a rate for a longer time. Depending on your needs and what you expect to happen with interest rates generally, you should choose the rate that offers the best combination of current yield and potential future advantage.

Comparison with other online banks

Online banks often offer a rate advantage over the national average, and some banks stand out more than others. Here’s a look at how Live Oak’s 12-month CD rates stack up with some of the highest rates in the country:

12-month CD rate comparison

All rates as of 12/3/2025 except for the FDIC industry average, which is as of 8/18/2025.

Since bank rates change all the time, these advantages may fluctuate. On any given day, you may not get the absolute best rate. The key is to choose a bank or credit union with highly competitive rates rather than just settling for the average.

Compare additional rates

Features and benefits of Live Oak Bank CDs

There’s more to CDs than just their rates. Here are some other reasons to consider Live Oak Bank CDs:

FDIC insurance protection

As an FDIC-member bank, Live Oak Bank offers federally-insured deposits. CDs are among the bank products insured by the FDIC. This insurance guarantees your deposits in the event of a bank failure. FDIC insurance covers up to $250,000 for individual accounts and $500,000 for joint accounts. The amount insured is based on your total deposits in all accounts at any FDIC-member bank.

Online account management

Live Oak Bank offers the convenience of online access through your computer or mobile app. You can also contact a live representative for 12 hours a day every business day.

Interest payment options

To help meet your cash flow needs, Live Oak Bank offers you a choice of how your CD interest is handled. You can either have it reinvested in the CD or automatically disbursed to you each month.

Understanding Live Oak Bank CD terms and conditions

CDs require you to commit money for specific periods. Therefore, when signing up for any CD, it’s especially important to know what rules may apply.

Early withdrawal penalties

CDs require a commitment for a specific term. For example, if you invest in a 1-year CD, you generally have to keep your money in that CD for a full year. Otherwise, you’ll be charged an early withdrawal penalty.

Often, those penalties are higher for longer-term CDs. That’s the case at Live Oak Bank. For CDs of less than two years, the penalty for taking money out early is the equivalent of 90 days’ worth of interest on the CD. For CDs of two or more years in length, the early withdrawal penalty is 180 days’ worth of interest.

Adding co-owners or beneficiaries

A joint account is one where more than one person has full access to the account. This includes making deposits, withdrawals, and changes to account preferences and settings. Once an account is started at Live Oak Bank, you can add a co-owner to the account if you choose. All account owners must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a valid Social Security number.

You can also add beneficiaries to your Live Oak Bank account. A beneficiary is someone who is entitled to the assets in an account in the event of the owner’s death. A beneficiary of a Live Oak Bank CD must be a U.S. citizen or qualified as a charity or non-profit under Internal Revenue Service regulations.

Strategies to maximize returns with Live Oak Bank CDs

CDs have different interest rates according to the length of their terms. So how can you get the best returns out of your CDs? It’s not as simple as just picking the CD with the highest interest rate. Some strategies can help you get the most out of your CDs.

CD laddering with Live Oak Bank

CD laddering involves putting your money into a series of CDs with different maturity dates, instead of investing all of it in one CD.

This accomplishes a couple of things. It can make some of your money available at regular intervals. So, even though your money is committed to CDs, some portion of that money will become accessible as each of those CDs matures.

This is helpful if you expect to have needs for cash at different times in the years ahead. You can invest in CDs with term lengths that match those future needs.

Additionally, investing in CDs with varying maturity dates allows for regular reinvestment opportunities. This helps hedge against changing interest rates. If rates rise, you’ll soon be able to invest some of your money at those higher rates. If rates fall, some of your money will benefit from having locked-in rates for longer periods.

When to choose different CD terms

If you anticipate a specific need for the money, you can choose a CD term that matches when you expect that need to come up. More generally, if you have reason to believe rates will rise, you may want to keep CD terms shorter so you’ll be able to reinvest your money sooner. In contrast, if you’re concerned that rates will fall, you may want to lock in today’s rates with longer-term CDs.

Any CD strategy should be informed by the current rate structure of CDs. This may make some CD terms more attractive than they would normally be.

Frequently asked questions about Live Oak Bank CD rates

What is Live Oak Bank’s current CD rate?

As of 12/3/25, Live Oak Bank’s CD rates range from 2.00% to 4.00%.

Is Live Oak Bank FDIC insured?

Yes, eligible deposits at Live Oak Bank are insured by the FDIC for up to $250,000 per depositor.

What is the minimum deposit for a Live Oak Bank CD?

The minimum deposit for a Live Oak Bank CD is $2,500.

Can I open a Live Oak Bank CD for my business?

Yes, a business can open a Live Oak Bank CD as long as the account’s authorized signers are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with valid Social Security numbers.

Conclusion and next steps

You need your money to be safe, but safety alone is not enough. Your money needs to work for you by earning a highly competitive interest rate.

Live Oak Bank offers a variety of insured CDs with competitive rates, providing a secure way to grow your savings.