Recent news reports have trumpeted how savers are getting their clocks cleaned as CD and online savings rates continue to drop. So many people use the giant monster mega-banks for the sake of convenience and they keep getting larger all the time. But small community banks and credit unions have grown in number as people seek banking with a personal touch. Some smaller banks and credit unions now offer a new oddball checking account that pays up to 6 percent interest APY. They can afford to pay out such a handsome return because the account is, in essence, subsidized by merchants.

Usually called the Maximum Earnings (ME) account, this account can take deposits up to $25K. Stipulations include that you must do direct deposit and at least 10 signature-based debit transactions each month. That's where the retailers come in. Merchants pay exorbitant fees whenever you run a debit transaction as a credit card and sign for it. So the bank, in essence, rips off the merchant and then passes along a part of the bounty to you. This thing could go on for a while until retailers can break the Visa and MasterCard cartel. SmallEnoughToCare.com is one specific website Clark has found that offers the ME account.