First Tech Federal Credit Union

Totally frustrated. After over 10 years of being a customer, they stopped sending me my debit card. I had to call to get one. Then they didn’t send me the PIN. Called again. Had to wait 10 – 14 business days to get a PIN — totally ridiculous — and got the PIN for my husband’s debit card not for mine. I needed this for my upcoming trip to Iceland where I need to access an ATM. Called them again from Europe to request an urgent delivery for the right PIN, spoke to 3 representatives incl. a supervisor and they said I had to pay $ 20 and would get it in 3 – 5 business days which is way too late. And oh by the way I have to call again during normal business hours…(well that would be in the middle of the night where I am. I asked them if they couldn’t talk among themselves and not me having to place international calls to 3 people again at 3am my time. That wasn’t possible I was told. Totally ridiculous… how can this be called taking care of customers…

Generally quite happy with first tech but they fall short in 2 major areas. First their app could really use an update to use biometrics like Amex and Fidelity. Not a big deal most of the time but when you need to do something quick in a confined space while traveling it makes your credentials susceptible to shoulder surfing. Not great. The other area they fall short in is international wire transfer. They take 3 or 4 calendar days (2business days) to confirm transfers resulting in wide fluctuations in exchange rate. It’s akin to a brokerage firm that takes 3 or 4 days to execute a trade. Very slow and tough to make smart transactions. Some of the delay is due to regulatory disclosure policy but much of the delay is also due to this institutions efficiency (or lack there of) in processing the disclosure. To add insult to injury the currency converter they partner with charges a 3% fee (that’s on top of the $ 40 wire fee). This is very expensive and can add up to tens of thousands of dollars over the course of several transactions in overhead charge. (Eg a modest transfer of $ 10,000 can cost $ 300 in overhead charges on top of $ 40 fee, $ 3040 overhead for $ 100k, and so on.) A reasonable converter only should charge 1% or below. In fact that’s what I’m paying when I don’t use first tech — close to 0% fee! Whoever brokered this deal really did a terrible job. I’m sure collectively it has and still is costing members millions on a regular basis. That’s a LOT of money being mishandled and wasted it’s careless, sloppy, and unprofessional. They should be ashamed. So there you have it. It’s ok for VERY basic banking needs but there’s a lot of room for improvement. For some that need to wire frequently, the overhead fee may be compelling enough to switch banks to save a truck load of money. When’s the last time you paid $ 1000s in annual fees at Bank of America, Chase, and other commercial bank for responsibly using/​transferring your money? Right, probably never.

Worst financial institution I’ve ever dealt with. Had my ATM card skimmed there twice. The second time the thieves even managed to plant a video camera *inside* the enclosed foyer so they could view people keying their pin numbers into the machine. (Management didn’t notice the camera or the skimmer for a couple weeks!) Also, phone customer service over the years has been tepid, at best. I really don’t feel like First Tech has my financial back anymore, and that’s a shame. Given this, I recommend USAA or BECU now — never First Tech. Good Luck!

A good bank, but always long waiting lines

Horrible experience with our mortgage. Had to extend multiple times for our purchase. Low initial rate ended up being higher and our payment went up. on and on. Won’t do this again. Ill do more research and go with not only the best deal but the best service as well. In this case the «best deal» ended up being 3^rd or 4^th best.

We have been members of this Credit Union for more than 10 years. Before we were with banks that dinged us with fees for no reason. The last bank we left before coming to First Tech was Bank of America. They made me come in to close my account. A VP talked to us asking us why we were leaving. I told them that their fees for such a good customer as us was unconscionable. He said, all you have to do is ask and we will reduce your fees. WTH???
First Tech is staffed by caring, sharp people who go out of their way to provide the best customer service possible. We have had a mortgage with them, a business loan, and our accounts. I would recommend this credit union to anyone.

Our experience with FirstTech began with a mortgage re-​fi in 2013.
Prior to that, and over the years, we had worked with many lenders and brokers on purchases and refinances. In every case, the were slow, sloppy, expensive, or otherwise difficult to work with in some way.
In contrast, our experience with FirstTech was — by far — the smoothest, most straightforward, no-​hassle, no-​worry transaction we’ve ever done. Not only that, the loan programs, fees, and rates were all top-​notch as well.
I worked in the banking industry for a few years and I was around it for most of my life. I know how challenging it can be to do this type of work and do it well. To be friendly on top of that is exceptional.
We have continued to have positive experiences with both the online/​mobile systems and the FirstTech staff at this location.
There are a couple quirky things. The environment is pretty casual if you’re used to a bank (or even BECU) and you can’t change your PIN without coming to the branch. But everyone we’ve encountered has been friendly and helpful and I love that I can deposit checks from my phone without being charged a fee.
So far, so good. I would definitely recommend FirstTech.

I’ve had accounts here since 1994 when I started at Microsoft. Microsoft may be a distant memory for me, but not First Tech. I’ve run three auto loans through them, and two re-​financings — the most recent closing a week ago.
They have changed a lot (but so have I!). They are still solid. They don’t have a lot of local branches, but I do my banking almost exclusively online anyway. The folks at those branches are friendly and have always been exceedingly helpful. My wife has always had similar comments. They take care of relatively small but helpful things, such as free notary services and certified checks.
During the refinancing, the loan officer always got back to me, using email and their secured email. She answered all the questions and there were no surprises. Their rate and fee were highly competitive. The refinancing never required a visit to a First Tech branch or the title company’s office — very smooth!
Their web site did have a very rough period during the recent merger, but it has been fine for several months now.
In the meantime, Bank of America and Chase seem intent on trying to invent and wrestle every possible fee out of me (though I will say the BoA QFC branch in downtown Redmond has very friendly people). I think credit unions really deserve our support.

Tired of getting jacked with outrageous fees by your for-​profit corporate bank? You know, that mega-​bank that received hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars and gives giant, undeserved bonuses to their useless executives? Join a credit union.
I’d give First Tech five stars except that they don’t have a single branch in Seattle. Boo! However, they’re part of a nationwide network of credit unions, so I can actually do my banking in Seattle. You can open an account online, but I prefer a little human contact so I drove over to the east side today to open an account. The customer service agent who helped me was super-​friendly and setting up my new accounts only took about 20 minutes. I walked out with a new debit card in my wallet (already activated and ready to use) and a big grin on my face.
Next stop: my local Chase branch, so I can empty my accounts and tell their crooked, thieving executives to stick it where the sun don’t shine!