BankShout provides periodic surveys of the best savings rates that are available on a national basis. The following annual percentage yields (APY) are for U.S. national and Internet banks. Yields are current as of Friday, April 30, 2010.

Two banks remained tied atop our survey for the best annual percentage yields for online savings and money market accounts. Discover Bank and Capital One Direct Banking are separately offering 1.35% APY on their respective online savings accounts. Discover’s minimum deposit is $500, while Capital One requires a minimum of $2500.

Just below Discover and Capital One on our list are five banks that are all offering 1.30% APY. Dollar Savings Direct, based in New York, as well as Nationwide Bank, both require minimum deposits of $1000. American Express Bank, FSB, advertises no minimum balance requirement. Colorado Federal Savings Bank requires at least $2500 to receive the 1.30% APY deal, while newdominionDirect.com’s deal is good for deposit amounts of $3000 or more for the same yield.

Ally Bank, like all the banks listed above, also held its online savings rate steady from earlier in April. Ally is offering no minimum deposit and a 1.29% APY on both its money market and its online savings account.

In contrast to certificate of deposit yields, which have been falling, savings account rates have largely held steady throughout the month of April. This is a curious trend that seems to signal banks want to attract depositors through the flexibility of savings accounts, which are generally considered easy to withdraw from, as opposed to the more rigid terms of CDs. BankShout will be watching this trend closely throughout the month of May.