--- title: "Issue 1" canonical: "https://anchor.is/techcu-rates/issue/1" publication: "TechCU Rates" publisher: "TechCU Rates" language: "en-US" guide: "https://anchor.is/techcu-rates/llms.txt" permalink: "https://anchor.is/techcu-rates/issue/1" issue: 1 description: "We have more rate data in this issue than any before it, and the main thing it proved is how little of it can be compared yet. Stanford posts 4.49% on 60-month used auto. We post 5.49%. That looks like a hundred basis points, and it isn't. The tier thresholds and fee structures underneath those two numbers don't match, so the subtraction doesn't work. HELOC margins over Prime gave us one clean comparison, because the index is public and several peers disclose their spread. The rest is observation without position. This issue maps every cell: what we collected, what's blocked, and what evidence resolves it." authors: ["Lorraine Stahl"] published: 2026-08-17 updated: 2026-08-16 articles: 36 --- # TechCU Rates > TechCU Rates exists to replace a recurring manual chore — opening competitor websites one by one, eyeballing posted rates, noting them in a spreadsheet, and repeating whenever someone remembers to — with a maintained, automated, and defensible competitive pricing record. The publication succeeds when the CFO walks into Monday's pricing committee having already read it, the Deposit Manager knows who repriced certificates this week, the Lending VP can answer whether a competitor's advertised auto rate is real, and Marketing has enough lead time on competitor promotions to respond before the window closes. If the report stops arriving, the institution reverts to partial coverage, irregular cadence, and pricing decisions made on stale or structurally misleading data. [Read on the website]() ## Issue 1 We have more rate data in this issue than any before it, and the main thing it proved is how little of it can be compared yet. Stanford posts 4.49% on 60-month used auto. We post 5.49%. That looks like a hundred basis points, and it isn't. The tier thresholds and fee structures underneath those two numbers don't match, so the subtraction doesn't work. HELOC margins over Prime gave us one clean comparison, because the index is public and several peers disclose their spread. The rest is observation without position. This issue maps every cell: what we collected, what's blocked, and what evidence resolves it. ### [Deposit Rates]() Normalized peer-set position on deposit products - [Standing Certificate Observations — Bay Area and Treasure Valley Candidate Markets]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 · Format: The Position Table First issue in the certificate observation series. Standing rates were collected at six standard terms across ten candidate institutions in the Bay Area and Treasure Valley. Peer cohort is pending approval, so no median, variance, or position summary is produced. All TechCU cells carry [V]: the rate page rendered without a confirmed California location state. Six of the ten candidate institutions show source-effective dates older than 30 days; two of those disclose no effective date. Promotional, bump-up, and nonstandard-term offers are excluded from the grid and tracked in the Promotional Register. - [Peer-Set Promotional and Nonstandard-Term Certificate Register]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 Stanford FCU posts an 8-month special at 4.10% APY, $100 minimum, new-money requirement. Disclosed application window closes **2026-09-14** — 30 days from collection date. Auto-renewal into 12-month at then-current standing rate. [Confirmed] Source: sfcu.org, effective 2026-07-27. - [MMA Condition Spreads Within Institutions Exceed Rate Spreads Between Them]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 Headline MMA rate range across the peer set: 315bps (Star One 3.45% vs. 1st United 0.30%). Condition spread within a single institution: 320bps at Patelco (3.25% qualified vs. 0.05% unqualified), 299bps at First Tech (3.00% qualified vs. 0.01% unqualified). The intra-institution gap is wider than the inter-institution gap. - [Four gaps between collected rates and publishable deposit position]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 Collection window: 2026-08-10 through 2026-08-15. First collection. Rate-page observations exist for candidate institutions across Bay Area and Treasure Valley markets. These observations carry individual confidence markers and collection timestamps but cannot produce peer-set medians, coverage ratios, week-over-week deltas, or normalized MMA yields. Four items are unresolved. ### [Loan Rates]() Effective rate position across loan products - **Two HELOC Margins Confirmed From Public Disclosures** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 Stanford FCU: Prime + 0.00% (6.75% standing APR). Patelco undiscounted: Prime + 0.50% (7.25%). Both derived from published disclosures at 80% CLTV without profile quotes. Missing: Stanford third-party fee amounts; Patelco relationship discount mechanism. [Confirmed] - **Four HELOC Peers Missing Margin or CLTV** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 Tech CU and Star One: 6.75% posted at 80% LTV; exact margin over Prime not printed. First Tech: stated profile assumes 50% HCLTV, not 80%. Provident: maximum CLTV is 70%. All four require 80%-CLTV quotes to normalize. [Verify] - **Used Auto All Terms Require Profile Quotes** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 All eight candidates publish floor rates only. Posted 60-month floors range 4.49%–5.625%, reflecting best-tier borrowers. No peer publishes a tier grid mapping a mid-prime profile to a term-matched APR. No approved comparison profile or peer roster exists. [Verify] - **New Auto Blocked by Tier and Definition Gaps** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 Same tier-mapping gap as used auto across all terms. Tech CU's 4.99% Idaho acquisition rate must be excluded from California comparisons (California floor: 5.24%). Patelco defines "new" as 2025+ model year; other peers' model-year definitions unconfirmed. [Verify] - **Thirty-Year Fixed Blocked Without Tech CU Baseline** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 Tech CU's mortgage tool requires borrower inputs before returning any rate. Without a Tech CU baseline, no position gap is calculable. Among candidates, LTV assumptions diverge: Patelco 60%, First Tech 80%, Star One unstated. Loan amounts also differ. [Blocked] - **Fifteen-Year Fixed Blocked by Same Structural Gaps** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 Same Tech CU input-gated blockage. Four peers posted identical 6.000% note rates, but APRs diverge from 6.035% to 6.283%, indicating material fee differences across packages. LTV and loan-amount mismatches unresolved. Same-day controlled quotes required. [Blocked] - **ARM Comparison Blocked by Structure Mismatch Across Peers** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 Candidates offer different ARM structures: Patelco 5/1, Provident 5/5, First Tech 5/5 and 5/6. These are not term-matched products and cannot be compared directly. Tech CU's ARM structure is unknown. Freddie Mac discontinued PMMS ARM rates November 2022. [Blocked] - [Loan Rate Observations — Inaugural Baseline, Bay Area and Treasure Valley Candidate Markets]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 · Format: Loan Position Table Inaugural loan-side collection covering HELOC, auto, and mortgage products at six candidate-peer institutions. No peer cohort approved, so no median, variance, or position summary is computed this issue. HELOC margin over Prime is the cleanest comparison available: candidate standing margins run +0.00% to +0.75% over Prime, currently 6.75%. Auto cells carry posted floors only, absent a fixed borrower profile. TechCU mortgage rates remain behind a quote flow. Four promotional or introductory rates documented, including TechCU's Idaho-market auto discount and HELOC intro offers from TechCU and Stanford FCU. - [60-Month Used Auto: Why Two Posted APRs Do Not Yield a Defensible Gap]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 · Format: Auto Gap Anatomy Stanford FCU posts 4.49% APR on 60-month used auto. Tech CU posts 5.49%. The difference is 100 basis points. The Loan Position Table carries both posted floors and computes no gap between them, because the two numbers do not yet support one. This piece works through six normalization dimensions — credit tier, relationship discount, LTV, vehicle eligibility, fee treatment, and APR construction — showing where the 100bps narrows, where it widens, and where public sources leave it indeterminate. Stanford's 1.00% Ambassador Loyalty+ discount moves the answer more than the other five combined. - [Macro Rates Through 2026-08-13]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 **Collection window: 2026-08-01 through 2026-08-15** - [Promotional Loan Inventory]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 Collection window 2026-08-01 through 2026-08-15. Prime held at 6.75% (H.15 confirmed through 2026-08-13). No promo-rate movement in this window is index-driven. ### [Rate Movement]() Who repriced, by how much, and why - [Rate Movement — Collection 2026-08-15]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 · Format: The Event Log No confirmed standing-rate repricing in the 2026-08-15 collection window. One candidate event — First Tech short certificates ↓25bps across the 3-, 6-, and 9-month terms — is logged [Verify], with prior values sourced from a search-index capture rather than a preserved rate sheet. Three promotional launches confirmed: Patelco 7-month at 4.25% APY, Stanford FCU 25- and 50-month specials at 4.20% and 4.30% APY. Tech CU standing rates fall 45–75bps below those promotional rates on the nearest comparable terms. First baseline collection across twelve institutions; week-over-week deltas begin next issue. - [First Tech / DCU Denominator Treatment]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 First Technology Federal Credit Union and Digital Federal Credit Union merged under a single NCUA charter effective 2026-01-01. The two divisions maintain separate rate surfaces with nonidentical pricing. On 24- and 36-month certificates collected 2026-08-15, the First Tech surface posts 3.25% APY; the [DCU surface](https://www.dcu.org/bank/certificates/regular-certificates.html) posts 3.00% APY. The gap is 25bps on the same legal entity. - **Standing Rate Status Across Six Observed Institutions** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 Collection window 2026-08-07 through 2026-08-15. TechCU: observed, baseline. Patelco: observed, unchanged. Stanford FCU: observed, unchanged. Star One: observed, unchanged, [Verify] (no effective date on page). DCU: observed, first endpoint. First Tech: observed, candidate ↓25bps, [Verify]. Provident: not collected. - **First Tech Short Certificates Signal Possible 25bps Drop** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 3-, 6-, 9-month certificates indicate ↓25bps vs. July 6 search-index capture. 12-month unchanged at 3.25%/3.50% (<$100k/≥$100k). Prior endpoint sourced from search-index cache, not preserved institution page. Not committee-grade without verification. [Verify] - **Patelco Certificates Flat at 3.00% Since 2023** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 3.00% APY, 3-month through 36-month. Effective dates range 08/01/2023 to 11/07/2025. Step-ups: 48-month 3.25%, 60-month 3.50%. TechCU position: +50bps to +100bps above Patelco at comparable terms. No standing-rate movement detected. [Confirmed] - **Star One Posts Three Certificate Terms Only** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 6-month 3.65% APY, 12-month 3.70%, 24-month 3.75%. No 3-, 36-, 48-, or 60-month products listed. $2,500 minimum, highest in peer set. Rate page carries no effective date. Comparability limited to three overlapping terms. [Verify] - **Patelco Seven-Month Certificate Posts Largest Promotional Spread** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 4.25% APY, new-money only, $250 minimum, no stated close date. Effective 2026-08-07. Headline spread vs. TechCU 6-month standing (3.50%): +75bps. One-month term mismatch applies. Largest promotional spread in current observation set. [Active — Confirmed] - **Patelco Thirteen-Month Promo Matches TechCU at Zero** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 4.00% APY, effective 07/01/2026, no stated close. Spread vs. TechCU 12-month standing (4.00%): 0bps. Promotional product against TechCU standing rate; one-month term mismatch. First surfaced this collection window. [Active — Confirmed] - **Stanford FCU Eight-Month Special Closes September Fourteenth** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 4.10% APY, standard and premium tiers. New-money, Stanford FCU membership required, $100 minimum. Spread vs. TechCU 12-month: +10bps; vs. 6-month: +60bps. Window 2026-07-27 through 2026-09-14, 30 days remain. [Active — Confirmed] - **Stanford FCU Mid-Long Specials at 4.20% and 4.30%** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 25-month at 4.20% APY, +45bps vs. TechCU 24-month (3.75%). 50-month at 4.30% APY, +55bps vs. TechCU 48-month (3.75%). Both new-money, Stanford membership required. Window 2026-08-10 through 2026-09-30, 46 days remain. [Active — Confirmed] ### [Promotions]() Competitor promotional rate activity, flagged weekly - **Patelco Posts 4.25% on Seven-Month Certificate** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 7-month share certificate at 4.25% APY [Confirmed]. Nonstandard-term special. New money only; $250 minimum; funds must originate outside Patelco. [New] — no end date posted; effective 2026-08-07; 8 days elapsed at collection. - **Stanford FCU Opens 25- and 50-Month Specials** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 25-month at 4.20% APY; 50-month at 4.30% APY [Confirmed — homepage; Verify cross-page reconciliation]. Nonstandard-term specials. $100 new money minimum; existing checking or savings required. [New] — deadline 2026-09-30; 46 calendar days remaining. - **Stanford FCU Eight-Month at 4.10% Separate Deadline** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 8-month certificate at 4.10% APY [Confirmed]. Nonstandard-term special. Listed on dedicated certificate page, not homepage — not synchronized with the 25-/50-month offers above. [New] — deadline 2026-09-14; 30 calendar days remaining. - **ICCU Runs Five-Term Promotional CD Ladder** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 Promotional rates across 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, and 60-month terms; 12-month headline: 4.15% APY [Confirmed]. Limited-time reprice. $500 minimum per term; one additional deposit permitted within 60 days. [New] — no end date posted; rate date 2026-07-20. - **Patelco HELOC Intro at 5.49% Through August** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 HELOC introductory rate: 5.49% APR for 6 billing cycles [Confirmed]. New HELOCs only; excludes fixed-rate and ADU lines; cannot combine with other discounts. [New] — apply by 2026-08-31; 16 calendar days remaining at collection. - **CapEd HELOC Intro Posts 3.99% Treasure Valley** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 HELOC introductory rate: 3.99% APR for 6 months [Verify — post-intro and profile conditions incomplete]. Up to 80% CLTV; post-intro range 4.00%–18.00%. [Verify] — no end date posted; labeled limited-time on institution site. - **Monterra Auto Refinance 4.75% Plus Cash Back** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 Auto refinance at 4.75% APR (as low as) [Confirmed] plus 1% cash back capped at $250. Limited-time reprice. Excludes existing Monterra loans and loans held by Monterra within prior 60 days. [New] — through 2026-09-30; 46 calendar days remaining. - **Monterra Balance Transfer 1.99% Fee Waived** — [Source]() — Published 2026-08-15 Balance transfer introductory rate: 1.99% APR for 12 months [Confirmed]. Standard 3% transfer fee waived during window; subject to credit approval. [New] — application window 2026-07-01 through 2026-10-31; 77 calendar days remaining. - [Competitor Promotions This Week]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 · Format: Competitor Promotions This Week Nine promotion cards this issue, all [New], collected 2026-08-15. Five are loan-side offers entering this section for the first time: Monterra's 1.99% APR balance-transfer rate (941bps gap, transfer fee waived), a Monterra auto-refinance campaign (49–99bps gap plus cash back up to $250), and three HELOC introductory rates across the Bay Area and Treasure Valley markets. Four certificate promotions previously tracked in Deposit Rates move here with full card structure and computed gaps. - [HELOC Intro-Rate Comparison, Bay Area and Treasure Valley]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 Six peer-set HELOC introductory offers are active or potentially active across TechCU's two markets. Headline intro APRs range from 3.99% (CapEd, Treasure Valley [Verify]) to 6.75% (Stanford FCU, Bay Area [Confirmed]). TechCU's 5.75% intro sits 26bps above Patelco and 24bps below Monterra among confirmed Bay Area offers. - [Certificate Promotion Status Update, Week of 2026-08-15]() — By [Lorraine Stahl]() · Published 2026-08-15 Provident's [Pick-A-Term](https://providentcu.org/products/savings-accounts/certificates/pickaterm) is the only prior-issue promotion showing a rate change. Short terms (3- and 6-month) moved to 3.75% APY from 3.50% APY (+25 bps). The 12-month moved to 3.50% APY from 3.30% APY (+20 bps). A 9-month term at 3.50% APY now appears on the page. No effective date is posted. The URL used in the prior issue returned a network error at collection, preventing direct comparison of page content. Status: [Verify]. ## More - [Publication guide]() - [Issue archive]()