University Credit Union

If this isn’t the most useless financial institution that has ever existed, it’s right up there. Outdated technology (really?! I can’t pay by phone without physically bringing in a blank check, which of course obviates the need for paying not-​in-​person?!), very high fees (I once had a 99-​cent overdraft. UCU submitted the payment three times in one day at a $ 34 fee each time), and terrible customer service (lecturing me about financial responsibility when I called to see what was going on in the situation above is really quite disrespectful) combine to make me unable to use them as my primary bank no matter how much I believe in the idea of credit unions. I hate to say it but Chase has provided me with consistently better, more ethical, more convenient, and lower-​cost financial services than UCU has managed to in 13 years of working with them.
A crying shame, especially now that I have other credit-​union options that actually remember their mission.

This financial institution has seen better days. Over the years its service strategy has slowly shifted from what one might expect of a credit union to something that more resembles a bank. Less meaningful human contact, lack of accountability with institution errors, more fees and penalties, and higher fees and penalties make me wistful for the time when credit unions were a solid way to manage your money while participating in a community.

I have been banking with UCU, since I was a law student at UCLA. They serve both Bruins and LMU students/​staff/​faculty and their families. This is the headquarters, but they have branch locations on both campuses.
The service is generally very friendly and helpful. Their loan rates and interest earnings is better than average. The parking large is huge and the area is safe.

I’ve been with UCU since 2006. So far, so good. I really appreciate the personal touch. It feels like a «throwback» to yesteryear, when you could call a bank and actually speak with a human. A nice and helpful human. One such person comes to mind: Sam. Sam is a Financial Services Specialist and he went above and beyond for me. I asked for his help late on a Friday afternoon (I know, I’m a jerk) and when some people would have already been celebrating the weekend, Sam gladly hustled and got the job done with no complaints. Sam is a great example of the type of first-​class customer service you receive at UCU. Thanks Sam! And thanks UCU! Keep up the great work!

If I could give MINUS STARS, I would. I’ve had a regular account with UCU for over 25 years. This month, I received the usual monthly statement with an ending balance of «0.00.» The line above it was a withdrawal of the entire amount in my account without my knowledge. Who made the withdrawal? University Credit Union! The transaction description said, «Withdrawal to be Escheated to the State.»
When I called this afternoon, I was told the reason for their action was «inactivity!» INACTIVITY! They claim this provision was in the agreement I signed on to 25 years ago. I would have thought I’d get a special notice before they took such drastic action, but I received nothing other than the monthly statements. And on the call today, they weren’t even polite about telling me I have no money. To me, this is tantamount to robbery. I will never deposit my money with University Credit Union. And by the way, UCU is NOT affiliated with UCLA or any other university.

Well I have been in this credit union since I worked for UCLA about 25 years ago and I rarely used their service this past many years but I always notice it to be good but this past year or 2 I noticed that it is not as good as it was.
I live now in SouthBay, so I think its time to move on to a different credit union near me.

They charge you fees for no reason. Don’t know why they do this and won’t reverse them. I feel like I was just been rob. Go here if you want to feel that. Don’t know how they are still in business.

Credit unions are known for great customer service right? Not at this one. They are stuck in an era without technology or basic common sense. I wanted to receive a copy of my original auto loan documents. I called and was told I would receive the information within one week. It never arrived. So 3 weeks later I called again and guess what? Now they want to charge me $ 2 per page and claimed I never called and no one at the credit union would ever just agree to send me out documents without a charge. When I asked if I could just have it faxed or emailed instead they said it can only be sent in the hard copy mail. Today I needed my online login information reset. Guess what? The only way to obtain your username is if they fax you a recent statement. Yes, it is 2014 and they can only fax you this. It can’t be reset online or over the phone after verifying your social security number, mailing address, and other identifiable information. They really are stuck in the stone ages. Get with it.

I have been a member for 25 years. I love the small business feel and have gotten to know the tellers over the years. It’s not like a big bank where the young tellers turn over regularly. I’ve had a car loan and did a re-​fi on my mortgage that was so easy. I’d recommend UCU to anyone who asks. They take care of members and so convenient to have them in my neighborhood. Go Bruins!

Yes it can take a couple of days for your deposits to posts, but their interest rates and service more than make up for it.

I can’t imagine why anyone would _​not_​bank at a credit union at this point. We really need to support local, ethical businesses, and leave the banksters who cost our country and our wallets untold fortunes. How can you bank at Bank of America, Chase, and other enterprises that stole people’s mortgages, manipulated rates that bankrupted municipalities and pension funds, and who even knows what else?
That said, even though I’ve been using credit unions since the mid-​1990s, UCU has pretty much burned me right out. They recently started a policy that international wire transfers — essential for my work — can only be place _​in person_​. My old FCU still allows me to do it by fax. UCU claims it’s a federal law, which is not true. The federal law simply says that I have to be informed of the exact nature of the final wire transfer, and sign a document that I am informed of it. I wouldn’t mind the extra hassle half as much if I wasn’t being misinformed.
Another time I made a wire transfer to a major company in Uganda, and UCU’s umbrella agent kicked it back. UCU’s banker told me it was because Uganda was on the State Dept’s watchlist. This is crazy, because Uganda is a major US ally. I had to spend a week following up, until finally they acknowledged that this was not the case.
Recently, I hoped to get scans of some deposits I had made, and was informed that it would cost $ 10/​check. At my old FCU deposit scans are clickable in your deposit history.
If you don’t think you’ll ever need these types of services, perhaps you’ll do alright at UCU. If you ever might, try another credit union.

Service at the branch in Westwood was good when I opened my account. ELECTRONIC BILL PAY SUCKS!!! I deposited funds for some bills I was paying via bill pay on the same day and incurred 4 nsf charges (2 from the bank and 2 from their bill pay service who is an outside vender) because they processed the transaction at 6:45am. When I brought it to there attention that the deposit was made that day at 9am they simply said too bad :(I pleaded with her to reverse at least one of the charges because banks generally settle account transactions at the end of the day (Wells Fargo gives you till 8:59 am the following day) No luck, so I am looking at close to $ 200 combined costs of this mistake. F. U. UCU!

I love my credit union. They are not as slick as a mega bank and they can be slow but they are super cheep and free ATMs at 7 – 11

The staff at UCU are top notch! If you want great service, and people who actually care about you and your needs, the UCU is the perfect credit union for you.

A bank where nobody greets you is ALWAYS a bad sign! They have a greeter who is always talking to someone, but certainly never a customer. Conversations carry yet they are the kind that do not involve your business. Their MC has great rates, the real reason why I joined this Credit Union. Perhaps, the reason why they don’t care about their customer-​they come for the rates not for the non existant customer service.

Banking with them is like traveling backward in time. Deposits can take a couple days to be available. Want to make a purchase over one thousand dollars on your debit card, for a computer or maybe you’re broke down on a highway? Nope. Not going to happen. That’s too much. They literally tell you that the bank wouldn’t be able to sustain the losses if they allowed their customers to withdraw more than one thousand a day.
So let’s consider what you cannot pay for with your own money if you bank with them: a new transmission, a computer, a nice new surfboard, a shopping spree or perhaps buying an engagement ring. You can’t use your own money to buy any of these things with the debit card they give you. And they correctly admit that this has nothing to do with Visa policy. It’s their own policy that they will not make any exceptions for, no matter what.
So why bank with them when you’ll need another bank anyway? If you’re thinking you’ll use UCU to avoid corporate greed, think again: they essentially require that you also have a credit card or have an account elsewhere in order to access your own funds.
Go ahead and bank with them. They should have some posts out front to tie your horse to when you arrive to deposit your bag of coins.

I’m not a member, but my credit union is based out of town, and UCU’s co-​op ATM is my preferred spot. They recently upgraded to the kind that take a stack of checks instead of an envelope so deposits are even easier. The branch always has parking available in their lot.

First I’d like to say, «Goodbye and F**k you Chase!» *ahem* Now I’d like to say, «Hellooooo UCU! What’s good??» Yeah, I did it… made the switch over :)! I got fed up with Chase’s fees and even though they are posted at every corner, I’d rather hunt for a 7 – 11 and get my cash at the ATM machines! Just make sure its part of the Co-​Op network for no fees.
This branch is small, clean, organized and the staff are very helpful and friendly!!! Um, HELLO I always see more than one teller at the window, unlike other bank institutions. What would make this place sweeter if ya’ll had a drive-​thru banking… haha a girl can only wish: D.
Shoot, I even sponsored my Sister and now she is a UCU Member :)!!
Kudos to ya!

I’m so happy that I moved to UCU.
As others mentioned, it’s smaller, so you get more personalized service. And you get all of the same services you get at a big bank… online banking… debit cards… etc. Don’t worry about there being fewer ATMs than a big bank… you can use any ATM that is part of the Co-​Op network for free (so just about any credit union, 7 – 11 ATM, and a few other places as well).
I moved all my bank accounts here from Chase, and just refinanced a Bank of America loan. I have yet to have a bad experience here.

I’ve been a member for over 7 years ever since I left BofA and WaMu (remember them?) and am generally a fan. This is a fairly lengthy review because I feel like choosing the right bank can make a big difference in your overall happiness, hah.
PROS: Great rates on credit cards and loans. Overall good customer service, especially over the phone (I’ve had to do some weird transactions like recalling a payment to a loan, and it’s never been a problem), and in the loan department (the guys I dealt with for my car loan and credit app were great, esp considering I only had average credit at the time). Can use 7−11s and other credit union ATMs without a fee.
CONS: The website is outdated, it feels stuck somewhere in the mid-​2000s. Savings rates are on the low side. it would be nice to have a more accurate ATM locator, I’ve gone to some using the locator only to find nothing there. In-​person customer service can be spotty — once had to deposit a check signed to me and my dad and I never did get the approvals even though I had my dad’s license with me! The biggest con is for in-​person deposits it can be a hassle to get over to the westside to use their ATMs; if you use another approved ATM the deposits take forever to post so I don’t even bother doing that anymore.
Summary: Recommended, with caveats. It really does feel like an old-​time neighborhood bank. They’re understanding and make allowances for you being human (the aforementioned loan payment recall, they’ve waived late fees when I told them I would be a day late on a payment due to a payroll mistake). However, the flip side is that you deal with some annoyances due to the smallness, like the in-​person deposits. Right now I’d never consider taking a loan out with anyone else besides UCU due to their rates and service; but do hold the majority of my savings in an online bank for better rates.