Austin Federal Credit Union

I can’t believe AFCU has just one review! As good as these guys (gals) are, they definitely are your «neighborhood credit union,» and deserve the credit for serving the community quite well.
Despite being eligible for 0% from national lenders like Ally, etc., with our most recent vehicle purchase, we still decided to stick with AFCU. We now have three auto loans with them, and we’re very happy to stay.
Our reason? Personalized service, great rates, and here’s a lot to be said about having a real person you can talk to and converse with about loans, banking, etc. Compared to having to deal with the big banks, Rebecca and the other folks in Loans are always reachable, extremely knowledgeable, and have helped us through each «what’s the next step» question we throw back at them. Best of all, if we need to see them, we just walk into the ONE location and done! (Think, too… the overhead of one location versus many — which is evident in the savings we get compared to, say, Wells Fargo or even CapOne.)
Not that we ever really needed to come in any other time than joining the CU, as all our transactions with them are electronic. The homely, cozy feel of the bank lobby can be deceiving, as these loan officers and bankers always seem to work with high urgency! The loan application process is extremely easy (along with the questions), and decisions are rendered fairly quickly. They do all that in-​house. Maybe 1h tops, from loan app submission online to getting your signed loan documents.
As an added bonus, knowing our lender first-​hand gives us perks that I’m sure they do for everyone (pun on that AT&T commercial with VanDerBeek: «Right… no celebrity treatment here!»).
We get to do most everything on the phone and via email. Fantastic for a local bank. And great for those looking to structure deals on the fly in the 21^st century! Without all that formality and overhead and red tape.

I’ve been wanting to switch from a big bank to a credit union for years. Austin Federal is in my neighborhood, and was recommended by Mindy, so after checking out their website I decided to go there today to open an account with a rather large check that I received.
Upon entering the building, I noticed that it didn’t really feel like a bank. It was somehow a little homier and less sterile. The teller who greeted me was incredibly nice and set me up with an application, and the woman who actually opened the account for me was friendly and very accommodating. The whole process took about 15 minutes and I now have both a checking and savings account with the credit union.
A few things sold me on this place. First, it’s a local credit union close to my home and not a big corporate bank. Secondly, I can use a number of credit union ATMs and not get charged. Also, Austin Federal makes a point to purchase all their supplies and services locally.
The only reason that I’m giving them 4 instead of 5 stars is because all but $ 1,000 of the check I deposited is on hold for 10 business days. I know very little about banking, so this could be very common practice, but I wasn’t expecting it and found it to be a little inconvenient and excessively long, especially since the check I was depositing was from a large, local institution. If you’re going to open an account with them, I would maybe ask a few more questions about funds availability than I did, but overall it was a very good experience and I would recommend them.