February 2021 by Michelle F.
Good bye Bank of America! Helloooooo excellence! After months and months of trying to get the "courage" to leave the bank I've had since I was 8 years old (hehemmmn...42 years!!) I finally concluded my search for the perfect bank for me because...eureka! I have found it! First I'd like to say that the Culver City Employees Federal Credit Union (CCFCU) name can be a little bit confusing because it leads one to believe you must be an employee of Culver City. Thankfully, that's not entirely the case. The CCFCU joined forces with "Glendale Federal Credit Union" (GFCU) so all Culver City residents can also become members of the credit union. Why did I come to the conclusion that joining a credit union is the way to go? I'll do my best to be brief because it can be a bit of a rabbit hole to dig for the myriad reasons. Let's just say that my favorite reasons are: 1) NO MORE BIG BROTHER BANKING! 2) Fees are from $0 to reeeaaaallllly cheap (depending on your account type) compared, to a traditional bank, 3) Earn interest on a checking account! 4) It benefits my local community instead of CEO's who couldn't care less about me or my family 5) They offer all the personal banking services I would ever want including; debit & credit cards, loans, savings account and investment options, easy ATM access, friendly and accommodating staff 6) Walking distance from my home 7) Direct deposit Not only all of that, but since opening my accounts last month, I have already needed customer service and was AMAZED that: 1) I can chat with the bank manager, Arpi, through the mobile banking app. Arpi was quick, professional, knowledgeable and patient 2) There have been NO LINES when I went into the branch office in Culver City 3) I already feel like they know who I am because they treat me so kindly 4) I emailed questions with one of the staff, Aqeela, (who has been an absolute gift...since before I even opened my accounts) and she was patient, explained everything in detail and made me feel important and appreciated 5) I'm a member for life...even if I move out of the area! 6) My immediate family members can join, even if they don't live in Culver City 7) Travel discounts are available Now, I know what you're thinking....isn't there any bad news? There's got to be some negative feedback. Sadly, yes there is. Not enough to take away some stars, but more informational and to help you move forward with your eyes wide open and provide clear expectations. Namely... 1) It's been 15 days and I haven't gotten my debit card or checks yet (so don't cancel your old bank immediately) 2) The branch isn't open on Saturdays (but that's ok because I should be honoring the Sabbath anyways) 3) They don't have Zelle 4) They don't offer Business banking solutions YET (I'll be patiently waiting because I have 2 Business bank accounts and a business line of credit that I'll LOVE to bring to the credit union when they are ready!) 5) Photo deposits take 2-3 business days for funds to be made available (understandable though...they are a much smaller operation and probably can't afford for dishonest people to spend against bad checks. Also, I can make deposits a little earlier than usual to accommodate the delay) 6) Daily limit on photo deposits may be too low for people like me who only get paid once a month, instead of once a week or bi-weekly. This means I will have to go to the branch or the ATM, which cuts into the convenience factor. I hope they can take this into consideration and perhaps offer an exception once I've established myself as a loyal and worthy customer (I hope you're seeing this, Arpi ;) Anyhow, I HIGHLY encourage you to consider leaving your BIG BANK and switching all your banking business to GFCU to bolster our local economy and ditch the BANKING CARTEL! Our strength as individuals is our ability to spend our money and invest our money in companies we believe in. I am a very loyal customer once a business has
