Emigrant Bank, sponsor of the popular EmigrantDirect American Dream Savings Account ,increased their interest rate to 4.80% APY this morning. This makes their rate one of the most competitive in the country. Rates have consistently been rising for months now, but even we are a bit surprised by this increase. Emigrant seems to be wanting to replace Ben Bernanke, the new Chairman of the Federal Reserve, by raising rates even before the Feds next meeting. This implies that competition is stiff among the online banks. We still expect the Fed to stop raising rates soon as the fine line between protecting against inflation and shifting the economy into a recession is probably being approached. Investors should take advantage of these high, insured rates while they can.