Credit Unions?

[kengwen]

Anyone want to recommend (or recommend against) a credit union in the bay area? Details appreciated!
I am in love with San Francisco Fire Credit Union, but unfortunately I don't qualify to join them, so looking for someplace else...

Comments

[ravan]

Good: Patelco, Premier One (formerly SJCU). I have accounts at both of these. Premier One is where a lot of SJPD banks.
OK: Technology CU
Bad: CEFCU. They charge you for bill pay unless you use your *debit card* to buy *stuff* once a month. Valley CU merged by this hoity toity outfit who tries to social engineer you into spending money frivolously.

[haruhiko]

Any opinions on San Mateo Credit Union or First National Bank of Northern California?

[arethinn]

I am a member of Provident which is based in San Mateo County. A few years back Commonwealth CU which is based further south in San Jose traded some of its more northerly branches in places like Sunnyvale to Provident so having been a member of Commonwealth, I de facto became a member of Provident instead. I was happy with Commonwealth at the time and have been satisfied with Provident as well.

[ertla]

I'm presently looking around for an alternative to First Tech federal credit union. This outfit has big bank syndrome, in a milder form. They were formed out of a merger between Addison Avenue FCU and a single state outfit called First Tech credit union. They kept the Addison Avenue _federal_ credit union status, and its customers, and precious little else. Addison Avenue credit union was a rename of the excellent Hewlett Packard Employees FCU; I'd been a happy member/customer for more than 15 years by the time the merger happened.

The justification for the merger was pretty much that "bigger is better". I started having visions of Wells Fargo immediately, and doubly so when I found that the First Tech people got to vote (govt requirement, I guess) and the Addison Avenue people did notThe "merger" played out like an acquisition - a sloppy one. As an example, they discontinued the phone number printed on the back of our credit cards before those credit cards were replaced. You can imagine the fun that ensued when I got a call from a

[erinmack]

I've been a member of Redwood Credit Union for ten years now, & love them - but I joined while living in the North Bay, where there are several branches, & then moved to San Francisco, where there's one branch. Now I'm living in the East Bay, so I always use the Patelco branch in downtown Oakland for branch services - one of these days I'll actually make the switch.