When most national banks are barely offering 0.1 of a percent for a rate of return on savings, achieving rates ranging from 0.5 percent to as much as 1.25 percent is notable. Pacific Trust Bank is now offering exactly that kind of return. The high end of the rate of return is reserved for depositors putting into the bank more than $250,000. But even those with balances of only $25,000 can still realize 0.5 percent on their balances, which is far more than what is offered elsewhere. However, the minimum deposit is sizable; those with less than $25,000 can't participate and only new accounts will benefit.

Pacific Trust Bank (www.pacifictrustbank.com) is a community bank that is based out of Irvine, a Southern California city. Most of its branches are in the southern part of the state, with one or two branches now in Northern California. The bank has a long heritage dating back to 1941, and it now has 18 branches. The institution offers all of the traditional bank account types including checking, savings, CDs, money market accounts and business accounts.

So while Pacific Trust's savings account offering isn't viable for most average savers, it can be a good return opportunity for those with a large cash amount that needs a home with a better rate but still sits in a liquid cash format. Granted, 1.25 percent is nothing to get crazy about, but it's a far better position to be in than letting money value erode completely in a large bank account.