A small bank in suburban St. Louis now has the best three-month CD rates.

FortuneBank, which has a single branch in Arnold, is paying 1.25% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000.

That's less than half of the 2.55% APY TotalBank was paying when the Miami bank jumped to the top of our rankings of three-month CD rates last June.

Even though that return fell to 1.85%, then to 1.65% and finally 1.40% in mid-January, TotalBank continued to offer the best deal for an incredible seven months as other banks cut their rates even faster.

But when it lowered its rate to 1.10% APY on Feb. 1, TotalBank fell out of our rankings.

That was still quite a run. Most banks offer the best rates in the country for a few weeks. Maybe a month.

Four banks are tied for second place, with each offering 1.14% APY on nationally available three-month certificates of deposit. As of Feb. 5, they are:

Nexity Bank, headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., and with four banking offices in Georgia and North and South Carolina. A $1,000 minimum deposit is required.

UFB Direct, requires a minimum deposit of $8,000. CDs sold at this Web site actually come from Waterfield Bank, which has a couple of full-service offices in Carmel, Ind., and Germantown, Md.

Golf Bank, based in Mountlake Terrace, Wash., has 38 branches in Washington, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. A $10,000 minimum deposit is required.

Excel National Bank, a single-location bank in Beverly Hills, Calif., requires a $10,000 minimum deposit.

Use our database of CD rates to compare these rates with the best deals from scores of other banks.

By Carolyn Siegel

Interest.com Associate Editor