United States Senate Federal Credit Union

I wish I could give USSFCU a 3 ½. Four stars seem like too much, but 3 is too little. I agree with everyone that the on-​line banking is really not up to par; however, the personal customer service I have received over the 20 years that I have been a member has been exceptional. I cannot imagine a big bank doing what USSFCU has done. When I first bought my house 10 years ago, I mistakenly allowed the big bank that held the mortgage access to my account to automatically withdraw the mortgage. Well, with the very first payment, they withdrew two payments instead of one. When I called the big bank to correct this, they acknowledged the error but said that it would take 10 business days for the correction to be made because the payments were in the «universe.» I then called USSFCU; and they told me that was incorrect, and it is possible to stop a payment in process; and to give them 10 minutes. Well, 10 minutes later I received a call that the second payment had been returned to my account; and that I would not have any negative fees.
This is just one example of the excellent service I have received over the year. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t love it if their on-​line banking could catch up with the times. It seems that since the update, every time I try to login now, it takes two attempts; and I really should need to take a whole course to figure out how to set up my home page so that it makes sense.

I have read six mediocre to poor reviews on the USSFCU today and they make me sad. I’ve been banking there since I was a teenager and my dad worked up on Capitol Hill. I now live about 45 miles away from there and have obtained a home mortgage and three auto loans from them. Since I’m not a hop, skip and a jump, I’ve transacted all loans and mortgage via e-​mail and fax. I have NEVER had any problems with them as far as service, attitude or experiences and I feel that their rates are competitive. I am not an employee nor affiliated with them in any manner other than just as a satisfied customer. I feel that the prior reviews, while reflective of those individuals experiences, do not paint a truly accurate picture of dealing with USSFCU. Sign me Satisfied! :-) My ONLY complaint, which is what keeps me from rating them five stars, is that I have a Senate Visa card and made my payments at a local CU until four months ago when the CU stopped accepting payments. The closest CU where I can now go and pay on my card is 23 miles away. Wish one were closer.

I’ve had a personal acct since 1978, loved the staff’s help when I called on the phone, but I opened a business account a few months ago and it is PRIMITIVE; i was hoping to get away from my expensive financial advisor, so needed to replace Merrill Lynch business account. If corportae clients pay me by check, the SCU holds the check for up to 10 business days before I have access to the funds – UNACCEPTABLE. Today, a check for $ 9500 deposited today has $ 200 available now – and I don’t know how long it will be before the rest of hte money is released. So I just called the credit union at 1:19 pm on Weds Oct 23, and I hear «it’s closed” – what? why? So I pressed 1 to connect with the outside credit union support – some umbrelaa group in Oklahoma, and the (nice) guy said «it’s supposed to be open, I don’t know why their message is they’re closed.» It looks like I’ll have to find some other business bandking support, the SCU is so disappointingly primitive. Bill pay receipts don’t cite the account number (I have 2, so need to track them), yes, the website is AWFUL… so too bad because like another reviewer says, the staff you get on the phone are mostly great. (Though one told me I couldn’t be a sole proprietor LLC, but my accountant said «yes, you are.)

When dealing with the people on the phone (Conrad, Starr, Patricia, handful of others) they’re great! When trying to do online banking, it is horrendous. Jack Henry and Associates is an awful vendor and they’re making the whole Credit Union look bad. Too bad b/​c the aforementioned folks are great.

Your mattress is a better option.
Interest rates in comparison to other local credit unions are just plain awful. I’m on the savings side of the equation saying this. Don’t even think about the loan rates, they’ll make your stomach turn.
Want to participate in your credit union? Too damn bad. They mail things out way late and are deliberately dismissive and obfuscating if you try and run for the Board.
Want to bank on a weekend? Too damn bad.
Want starter cheques? Too damn bad.
Want an ATM without fees? Too damn bad. You get a whopping 2 – 3, which are way out of the way or behind tight security. Good luck experimenting and seeing if they honour their credit union consortial agreements.
Want rewards? Too damn bad. I just had 700 points expire with no warning. Instead of just reinstating them, I get a lecture about how I should have checked the balance, and then a 15 minute dialogue about how to access that balance online. Surely the average person should be able to navigate that sort of maze, yes?
I work in IT, as does my husband, and it took us both in excess of 2 hours to initially log on to their website after they outsourced it. I had to go into the branch in person during the week to get it sorted out. Just like we were on our own to figure out how to redeem awards points.
I have never, ever been treated so poorly by a financial institution. Considering that I had Key Bank wreck my credit while I was aboard thanks to pretend fees, this is saying something. I was able to straighten that out with them easier than I interact with the people at USSFCU.
If I wanted crummy service paired with high fees and crap hours, I’d bank over at Capital One. At least they have ATMs absolutely everywhere. Credit unions are meant to treat you far better than the average bank. I am just stymied at how very similar they conduct themselves as a non for profit. It’s just crazy.
The one tiny silver lining is that they are absolutely paranoid about securing your information. On traveling abroad, I’ve had my debit card rejected a few times. I’d rather that happen than to have my identity stolen.
But seriously, bank elsewhere. There are way better options, and I’ll be moving my account shortly.

I have been a member of the USSFCU since 1990. Since then, I have also joined two other credit unions. I also have accounts at Chase and Wells Fargo, as well as several online banks, including Charles Schwab Bank, ING, and Virtual bank.
With the US Senate Credit Union’s recent (2012) outsourcing of its online banking to an outfit called Jack Henry & Associates, I can say that definitively, without a doubt, that the USSFCU has the WORST website. As I don’t live in a state where the CU issues mortgages, and I don’t have a car loan, I view the CU’s worth in terms of its banking services. With this iteration of the website, is is no longer worth joining, AT ALL, and I will probably close my account.
The USSFCU online banking website is unbelievably dated – in terms of aesthetics, features and technology. Passwords have a maximum length of only 10 characters. This is strangely limiting. Worse, when the transitioned this to Jack Henry, they made you create a new password, AND, in order to log in the first time, you had to figure out that your old password was truncated at the new character limit! When you transfer money from one account (say savings) to another (such as checking), there are drop-​down menus for you to choose which accounts. When you select the account, it triggers a new https request from the server, and the site is very slow (in keeping with the «dated» design theme, I guess), so you may not notice that a new request was sent, and start entering the date and then the dollar amount of your transfer, only for the page to eventually refresh in response your earlier account selection/​https request, and the data you entered is lost.
Remember Netscape? AOL? Using the Internet in 1997? Think hard, you’ll get the idea. They got rid of the grey page background, but…
USSFCU’s online banking is an unmitigated disaster.

**3.5 STARS**
I belong to a credit union therefore rely on other credit unions when needing to make a desposit/​withdrawal, etc. That credit union, however, must be part of the exclusive «CU NETWORK». The Senate Federal Credit Union is not a participant. I don’t understand the point of being a credit union if you aren’t willing to help out your fellow CU members. BOO.
So I got a check from this girl who was taking over my room in my old group house. The check was for $ 700 and I needed the cash ASAP. To ensure she had funds, I called over to check what she had available. The staff member who answered the phone was super kind and ensured me if I came in to cash it, it would clear.
So I walk over to the Hart building in the sweltering summer heat. I walk in and am completely confused by the layout. I stood in the middle of the CU looking like a lost child. Having only 60 minutes for lunch, I had no time for a long wait. EVENTUALLY… someone came to my assistance.
The teller I had was rude and took about 20 minutes to process my check. She wanted to know why I wanted to cash such a large check and I responded it was none of her business. I showed her the proper identification to prove the check was for me and yet I was still met with resistance. Then she told me she only had twenty dollar bills. IT’S A BANK. HOW ARE YOU OUT OF MONEY. Oh the agitation.
Bottom line is I got my money. It took forever but at least I walked away with something!