USE Credit Union

I have been a member of USECU since i moved to California in 1991. Although they have closed a lot of branches, and i have to go to Berkeley from Oakland for person to person banking, I am very impressed with their service. I have some complicated transactions they were able to mitigate and they also offered me pre-​approval for a car loan that was helpful
It’s a fulfilling experience for a bank

I feel this branch went above and beyond with regards to helping me set-​up a new checking out. It’s true they don’t have a lot of branches, but with mobile banking, you don’t really need to go in. You can instantly get access to checks you deposit over mobile banking (after one month of having an acct with them). You can go to a lot of different locations to withdraw money and if you use their website, you can find more local options for branch services/​atm deposits. So far so good here!

Still stuck here. Having a single location makes it really hard to bank here and customer service still needs improvement. I avoid going into the branch at all costs.

Love this place. I mostly use the app for mobile banking but when I do go into the branch, the staff are always so welcoming — I really feel like I get personalized attention.
Also, after a terrible 5 month torture session trying to get a home mortgage with a different lender (not USE), I ended up working with Patrick Ignacio at USE for my mortgage lending needs. He was very responsive, thorough, and got my loan approved quickly.
My only complaint is that my wife and I have a joint account but she can’t log in individually for online banking. She has to use my username and password which is just slight a slight bother.

I made the switch to Credit Unions years ago, but this one is better than wither of the 2 I tried previously. The staff are always super helpful and friendly. I have been with USE for 2 years now and have yet to have anything but positive experiences inside at the counter. The only negative I can think of it that the ATM ran out of cash a couple times, once due to it being the height of the Xmas shopping season. Other than that I can’t complain.

Got there right before closing and they wouldn’t let me in. Had a rental car and it’s hard for me to get to Berkeley from Oakland. Poor customer service!

There is little doubt that USECU is better than a conventional bank. That said, their rates are not particularly good (loans, fees, etc.) in comparison to larger credit unions. Additionally, the lines are frequently long at the Berkeley branch and their rules and restrictions are overly onerous and seemingly designed to protect/​benefit the institution, not the client. We are leaving them after 15 years of holding accounts and mortgages with them. The staff is nice, but the overall service, efficiency, and value is not there.

The staff in fun and friendly! The general location of this Branch is also great! Very close to the University and lots of places to eat!

K,
Went in to USE (scary name) CU on Shattuck several times to open an account. The people there were rude and not helpful so I decided to try to open a checking account with them on line, but no dice. Long story short, a lot of time was wasted for nothing, $ 200 was sitting in an account that didn’t exist, and I had to go back to the Shattuck location for another dose of rude attitude and I still don’t have a place to bank at.

Tellers are OK but there’s a big turnover; desk employees seem to have a bad attitude. I had a confirmed appointment with one of them to open an account. I was 5 minutes early for the appointment but was rudely told by this employee she had to go to lunch but another employee who would be back from lunch at the appointment time would take care of me; I waited 25 minutes but no one showed up to help me; by this time all «desk» employees were gone; I saw a couple of them casually chatting for several minutes on the sidewalk outside. There was a line for the tellers and the manager was busy with a customer. I had to get back to work and my parking meter was running out so I left. And this was the third time i had to go there to open an account. It USE’d to be a good bank some 15 – 20 years ago but seems to have become USEless.

I’ve never USEd the credit union as a credit union, but I have USEd the sidewalk ATM on the west side of Shattuck Avenue. As far as ATMs go, it’s USEful. I’ve never really felt unsafe here, and that’s because the security guard is often outside. As always, it’s best not to form a line, especially since there’s really nowhere to stand.
Quick tip for credit-​union people who can use any credit-​union ATM surcharge-​free: the Patelco farther north on Shattuck has both a sidewalk ATM and one inside the building – wait a second, I’ve never actually been inside USE Credit Union, so maybe they do as well? I guess this review isn’t as USEful as I thought it would be.
I’ll be sure to do further research and post an old-​school update.
UPDATE: 8÷1÷15
=============
Sorry this has taken me so long. I’ve used USE’s branch services on many occasions, and it’s great. They’re a little crazy with their ID requirements – how exactly is an expired driver’s license any less identifying than a valid one? – but maybe that’s not up to them. It’s pleasant inside. The tellers are all very nice, and so is the security guard. It feels like a small version of an old-​school bank, except that there’s nothing old school about it. It’s just the right temperature and just the right amount of visible security, and even when there’s a three-​person line – and that’s the absolute longest I’ve ever seen the line get, even at lunch hour – it never takes very long to get your business done. Unless your only form of ID happens to be an expired driver’s license.

Friendly, honest staff. I find their fees to be much more reasonable than Wells Fargo, Bank of America, etc.

these guys are great. been with them for over 20 years. I do bank with other banks too. BOA when I’m unemployed and I use the ATM card by BOA issued by EDD; I just don’t like BOA; Well’s Fargo for my mortage but I only go there once a month; I like this bank the best since they know me by name. Yes, they have overcharges, but that’s my fault for not looking at my account and overspending. So i get overdrafts about 3 or 4 times a year but i’m moving volumes of money in and out of the account so it’s bound to happen. The credit card interests are a bit high though so I’m transferring the balance to a lower interest card with discover. But I do like their convenience.

I use this credit union to access my Golden One account, so I can’t comment on fees.
They are very friendly but looked slightly understaffed for 4pm on a weekday. After waiting for a while for the one teller available, the transaction went pretty quickly. They didn’t put me through all the BS that some other banks do when you want to make a withdrawal and they didn’t try to sell me anything, which I greatly appreciated.
Tip: When deposit envelopes are out, press «3» on the ATM outside and it will shoot out blank ones.

Berkeley student here, my parents have been with USE for a while so I was sort of born into this credit union.
But anyways, the employees are always super helpful and nice. I didn’t know anything about banking procedures upon moving up here, and they always helped me out and were never impatient or anything. Hell, the security guard even opens and closes the door for me whenever I go.
The facilities are nice, and they aren’t in the business of making money. Sure everything isn’t free (the world just doesn’t work that way), but the employees usually try to save me money by making sure I don’t get charged for anything I don’t need.

DO NOT APPLY FOR A HOME LOAN WITH THIS BANK
This bank is very dishonest and shady. I was approached by a teller to apply for a loan saying if we can’t give you the best loan we’ll pay you $ 750. I met with Patrick Ignacio and Richard Ruiz both said it wouldn’t cost anything to apply for a loan. The only fees would be the home appraisal and the approved loans processing fees. I was told they would need a credit card number for the appraisal. My house was not appraised because I cancelled the application.
I withdraw my application after Mr. Ignacio lied about the interest rate offered. Mr. Ruiz (branch manager) supported Patrick’s lie, it felt like a scam. Their supervisor was sent an email and called Mr. Cole never responded. The assist loan officer Jill Fumia was called she never responded they all went into hiding and never responded to my emails or phone calls.
Two months later my credit card was charged a $ 500 cancellation fee for the loan. I was never told about a cancellation fee, nor was it in the good faith estimate. Again I call the branch, Ms. Fumia, and Mr. Cole without a response.
I have owned multiple homes and always shop for the best rates. I would never agree to a cancellation fee, it would be foolish and wasteful to do so.
They were not authorize to use my credit card for unknown fees. They never told verbally or in writing about a loan cancellation fee. I’ve filed a complaint with the State of California Dept of Financial Institute, and my credit card company.
Don’t be fooled by the friendly demeanor, it’s part of the scam.

I’ve never been so satisfied with a bank. Every time I go in, I feel like I’m walking into Cheers; the tellers all know me by name and seem genuinely happy to see me. It makes my day every time. They have given me a credit card that is specifically to build my credit– my limit is how much I choose to put in as a security deposit. To top it all off, they deposited $ 50 into my account just for joining. My advice? Take your money out of the big bank you belong to now and switch to USE.

Welcome to «Gotcha» Banking.
Three months ago they secretly decided to change all of the free checking accounts into «membership checking», which has a $ 5.95 fee on the last day of every month. Their website is cleverly designed to show you only the transactions since the first day of the current month by default, so unless you happen to log in on the last day of the month you’ll never notice that they’re stealing your money.
SCAM, SCAM, SCAM.
Closed my account today.

My parents have been long time members and I’ve used this bank on and off.
Overdraft fee’s suck but EVERY bank has them and its a way for them to make money. Best thing you can do is have the money pulled out of your savings or credit card b/​c then you don’t get the 28 $ fee.
I like the tellers. I’ve dealt with several different ones and I’ve had nice rapport with all of them.
No problems with this bank for me :)

This review is based on my few experiences of cashing my checks. I have my account with Safe Credit Union, and they are only located in the valley, so I have to rely on other credit unions for my banking needs. I’ve been given no slack on cashing my check. They don’t act like I’m bothering them or rag on me to switch. The inside is beautiful. Parking can be a bit rough and you have to pay the parking meter. I park a couple blocks away because I’m cheap and don’t mind the exercise. Each teller has a great attitude and always provide a friendly conversation. I would open account if there were more branches. The great thing about being apart of a credit unions is that all 7/​11s ATMs are free.
Like I said in the beginning, I do not hold an account at USE. I only cash my checks here.