Discover Bank has a new promotion aimed at savers who don't want to tie up their money in certificates of deposit when they're afraid they'll be laid off.

The online bank owned by Discover credit cards will allow customers to withdraw part or all of their money -- including the interest they've earned -- without penalty if they're laid off.

Savers simply have to provide Discover with a layoff notice or paperwork showing they've applied for unemployment benefits.

To be eligible, customers must open or renew a CD of 12 months or longer before Dec. 31, 2009, with a minimum deposit of $2,500.

Interest rates are the same as on CDs without the penalty-free early withdrawal.

Discover is currently paying a respectable 2.20% APY on its 12-month CD, which is more than a full percentage point above the national average of 1.16%.

Here's where to compare that with the best CD rates from dozens of other banks in our extensive database.

By Carolyn Siegel

Interest.com Associate Editor