Whatcom Educational Credit Union is headquartered in Bellingham and is the 7th largest credit union in the state of Washington. It is also the 178th largest credit union in the nation. It was established in 1936 and as of June of 2017, it had grown to 301 employees and 89,992 members at 13 locations. Whatcom Educational Credit Union has an A+ health rating.
Membership in Whatcom Educational Credit Union is open to anyone who lives, works, attends school, or worships in the state of Washington and to their family of current members.
I haven't had much experience with credit unions before WECU, but I wish I had. The overall experience is that they're not trying to milk me for money, which is something I've felt when faced with overdraft fees or other monthly fees from other banks.
My wife and I have a joint checking account with WECU and we use it all the time. It has all the modern conveniences you'd expect from a checking account from a bank but without the fees. There are a lot of locations in our area, so if we need to take out cash for the taco truck its on the way ( and we go a lot ). I have direct deposit, and automatic bill pay. So what I'm getting is a easy, modern checking account without monthly fees. What else could I ask for?
Oh, and their overdraft fees are only 16 dollars. That's HALF of other popular banks. I mean it really boils down to this: I'm putting away my money and I don't someone leeching fees from me. That shows me that they really dont care about your inconvenience or about your money.
So yeah, if you can have a WECU account or some other credit union in your area, sign up.
I originally switched from a big national bank chain (Bank of America) to this smaller local credit union/bank because they don't charge a monthly fee, which I was getting slapped with when banking with BOFA. I have banked with my current credit union for 5 years now and am very happy with them. They have no-fee atms, which is great if I need to get money out of another account. If I overdraw on my checking account, then they automatically take any extra out of my savings account, instead of just slapping me with an overdraft fee. Even if I do get an overdraft fee, it is one of the smallest fees I've ever had to pay, just $14. They are also very understanding and eager to work with you. One time I didn't know that I had overdrawn on my checking account and I didn't have any backup money in savings. I made several purchases and was charged the $14 fee multiple times. After seeing my statement, I called them and explained the situation. They went ahead and cleared all of my overdraft fees and just charged me the one time. Overall I am really satisfied with this credit union and don't see myself switching anytime soon.
Always verify rates and promotions with the bank or credit union. We are not Whatcom Educational Credit Union; we are a rate comparison website and cannot provide official rates or promotions.