Business Notes Banks

When the Kentucky Wildcats and the Louisville Cardinals take the court in the N.C.A.A. college playoffs next week, many basketball fans will have money riding on the games. But not all of them will have placed their bets through bookies. Some Kentuckians are making their wagers through Citizens Fidelity Bank & Trust in Louisville.

As a promotional gimmick, the bank is offering unusual six-month certificates of deposit: their interest rates are tied to how well the Wildcats and the Cardinals do in the N.C.A.A. tournament. For a minimum of $500, a customer can buy a Wildcat CD or a Cardinal CD that offers a base interest rate of 7.5%. If the chosen team makes the playoffs, the rate will bounce to 7.7%. That seems a sure bet with either team, since Kentucky was ranked No. 5 and Louisville No. 13 in the latest Associated Press poll. For , each game the team wins, another .1 percentage point is added to the rate, and a national championship brings a .2 bonus. The maximum possible rate is 8.5%.

The latest line from the bank has the Wildcats as the slight favorite. While 166 people have bought Cardinal CDs, 175 fans have put their deposits on the Wildcats.