Why are CD, Savings and Checking rates still so hard to find? Today I found: • 5.00% checking • 9.00% promotional certificate • 4.42% 25 month CD None came from institutions I'd ever heard of. Why?

That question has been stuck in my head since rates started dropping. A few months ago I stumbled across United Fidelity Bank paying 4.20% on a CD when my Capital One was maxing at 3.70%.

Ever heard of them? Me neither. And that's what bothered me so much.

There are over 8,500 banks and credit unions in the United States, yet every time I searched for the "best CD rates," I kept seeing the same 10 or 12 institutions.

Where are the other 8,500?

Maybe there's a small community bank trying to attract deposits by offering 5.00% while everyone else is paying 3.50%.

Maybe there's a credit union with an amazing rate, and you spend 10 minutes going through the process only to find out you don't meet their qualifications for membership.

Six months ago, I decided to see if there was a better way.

That project became allAPY.

One decision was made on day one, and it will never change: Banks will never be able to buy a better ranking. They earn their position based on the rate they offer...there's no other way to win.

• No sponsored results.
• No pay-to-play.
• Free for anyone searching for better rates.

Today feels like the first real milestone of allAPY. The first nationwide crawl just finished.

• 8,105 financial institutions processed
• 100% of the institutions in the database mapped to their official websites
• 3,267 institutions currently publishing deposit rates online
• Thousands of rate pages discovered and indexed
• And...the first live rate database is beginning to take shape

What were some of the results? Here are four opportunities I'd never heard of before...

• Trailhead Credit Union — 5.00% checking
• Peoples Choice Federal Credit Union — 4.00% checking
• Southland Credit Union — 9.00% promotional certificate (up to $1,000)
• Genisys Credit Union — 4.42% 25-month certificate

There's still a lot of work ahead, but today felt like the day this stopped being an idea and started becoming something real.

Everyone deserves to see every opportunity.

Information creates opportunity. Hidden information creates missed opportunities. My goal is simple: make those opportunities visible.

I'd love to hear from people who've had the same frustration.

If you could change one thing about today's CD and savings rate websites, what would it be?