SECU Credit Union

I hate giving them one stars, HOWEVER they messed up. With out warning our local branch switch to computer tells (that mean no local humans to talk to while cashing a check, dep, etc).
They did this without warning to our area.

Worst Credit Union Ever!
This fee happy bunch are the worst. This is an actual transcript of my checking account with balance and charges. This is straight from my statement.
Date Merchant Charge Balance
⁵⁄₂₀ Mixed Bag $ 14.84 $ 75.39
⁵⁄₂₀ Artfully Elegant $ 37.10 $ 38.29
⁵⁄₂₀ Insufficient Funds Fee $ 30.00 $ 8.29
⁵⁄₂₁ The Olive Garden $ 37.16 -$ 28.87
⁵⁄₂₁ Insufficient Funds Fee $ 30.00 -$ 58.87
Why when my balance was 38 dollars was I charged a fee? Without that fee the charge to the Olive Garden would have NEVER sent my account negative. Remove the two fees and my account balance would be $ 1.13. NEVER insufficient!
These people are thieves avoid this credit union at all costs!

This big bank will charge you SIGNIFICANT fees – one called an «uncollected funds» fee, and I was charged eight (8) of them on one day, PLUS an insufficient funds fee because the uncollected funds fees made my account negative.
These are different from «insufficient funds» fees, but they still cost $ 30.00 EACH. They’re very easy to incur … if you deposit a check, you know that only a certain amount is «available». We all know this if we’ve ever had a bank account before. Well, if you go anywhere out of town and use any of their Allpoint/​Cardtronics ATMs, DO NOT rely on the «AVAILABLE BALANCE» written on the receipt – it is wrong and instead shows your «current balance».
Friday – deposited check; Sunday – withdrew from Allpoint/​Cardtronics ATM and got «AVAIL: $X00» dollars believing it to be true that the check had cleared; Monday (morning) – checked account balance on
site and a few hundred in «Available balance»; Monday (night) – EIGHT (8) UNCOLLECTED FUNDS FEES ($ 30.00 EACH); Tuesday (afternoon) – one (1) insufficient funds fee ($ 30.00).
And when you call the College Park branch, they don’t answer the phone. When I called the main SECU branch, customer service: (1) asked me for a copy of the receipt which I gladly provided; (2) offered to waive a few of the fees but not all of them after most of my day stressing out and worrying, because it’s my fault that I didn’t know that unless it says «available balance» on SECU’s site and ONLY on SECU’s site, you are getting a «current balance» from the Allpoint/​Cardtronics ATMs.
DO NOT TRUST SECU, go with Well’s Fargo – they actually TELL you about what «uncollected funds» charges are (several times) and give you the option when you open the account to opt out – and they make it CLEAR!
I can understand insufficient funds fees, but: (1) charging fees for payments that just happen to clear RIGHT at 11:59 PM the night before the deadline when they are REQUIRED to honor the deposit; (2) ALLOWING ATMs in their network to provide an «available balance» amount knowing that there is a difference between «available» balance and «current» balance that customers in-​the-​know rely on; (3) blaming customers for not knowing that «available balance» means one thing from an Allpoint/​Cardtronics ATM, and another from their ATMs; (4) charging eight (8) uncollected fees funds in one transaction on one night.
Consider yourself warned, these people are not good.

Credit Unions are, in general, pretty awesome.
They’re owned by the members (why you have to belong to a specific group), and they pass the savings along (rather than up the chain to an executive in a corporate suite).
I’ve belonged to 3 CUs in my life, SECU has been the best.
1)Easy to join: I did the paperwork online, mailed in the docs.
2)Easy to avoid fees: all banks are charging acct fees these days, at least the minimum req’s to avoid them are pretty easy at SECU — direct deposit, online billpay and e-​statements.
3) Modern systems: online access and billpay are simple and easy to use. They update very quickly… within minutes for a debit transaction.
4) ATMs: Chevy Chase bank lost me because their ATMs were frequently broken. The drive through ATM is modern and efficient — scans checks so you don’t have to enter in the amount, and can do a whole stack at once. And, with the Allpoint ATMs, getting cash at 7 – 11 or Exxon is free… there are plenty of those around!
5) Customer Service: phone reps are great… both for banking, loans or tech support. Don’t think I’ve ever waited on hold. Branch staff held the branch open late for me to finish with paperwork, and even made me a photocopy.
The insistence on deposit slips, even at drive up tellers, is a little irritating, and I do wish there were more if those fancy deposit ATMs… you can only withdraw at the Allpoint machines. But all-​in-​all, SECU’s pretty awesome…

Having an Android phone, I think it’s worth it to update to say that SECU’s website works on Android, iPhone, Blackberry and even non-​smart phones.
They also have an Allpoint app for Android, iPhone and Blackberry that can pinpoint Allpoint surcharge-​free ATM. For non-​smartphones you can text your location to 692 667 (MYCOOP) to find nearby ATMs.
If you have a POI compatible GPS (Magellan, Garmin, TomTom) you can download the database from the website to add ATM locations to your device. Have a Magellan and its super useful.

As a freshman in college, I decided my current method of handling my money was insufficient and I took my piggy bank to Chevy Chase Bank. While I enjoyed having Chevy Chase ATMs EVERYWHERE, I didn’t have any money in my account to withdraw, so those became useless. Not only that, but the student account used to have a $ 4 monthly service fee and I had to rush there once a month scrapping for $ 4 under couch cushions and in my car’s ash tray. When I began making money as a newbicle to the cubicle, I stuck with Chevy Chase b/​c the online banking was nice but I was constantly frustrated with all the different fees and customer service.
After a few months of this, I decided to switch over to Bank of America, primarily because I could get my picture on my check card. I found their customer service even more frustrating, fees confusing, their online banking system clunky, the wait times at the branches unacceptable, and the constant bombardment of advertisements annoying.
Growing tired of all that, I finally decided to switch to SECU, primarily b/​c it reminded me of my very first chat program, ICQ. At this point, you’re probably considering that old somewhat wise-​saying: a fool and his money are soon departed, but despite a completely moronic method of selecting a bank, I’m very happy with the results.
What I like about SECU:
1) They recently upgraded their Bill Pay system and the online banking system is on par with others I’ve used, if not better
2) You earn interest on your checking account, albeit minimal (0.20−0.35%)
3) I’m a Premier Interest Checking member. No, I don’t have $ 10,000 minimum balance in my checking account. Yes, I do use Direct Deposit, Online Statements, and active Bill Pay use, so there’s no minimum balance
4) Free box (or 2 for premier) of checks every year
5) Good CD and auto loan rates, though I’ve never taken out a loan from them
6) There aren’t very many ATMs, so I can’t get at my money. No ATM fees for All Point ATMs. For you students, there are SECU ATMs at UMCP and UMBC
7) Every time I’ve called, I’ve found the phone reps to be fantastic. The menu when you call the number takes quite a while but press 8 in the beginning to speak with a rep.
8) They’re either a not-​for-​profit or they seek to earn a reasonable profit to enhance the customer experience.
What I dislike about SECU
1) There aren’t very many ATMs, so I can’t get at my money. Yes, sometimes it’s a pro and sometimes it’s a con. My wife tends to think it’s always a pro in my case.
2) The lines can get pretty long for the branch and the drive thru.
3) The service is acceptable. Although the Columbia branch is smaller, I’ve found the customer service there to be exemplary.
For a good B&M banking experience, I recommend SECU.