First Tech Federal Credit Union

Been a loyal customer for a few years. Very nice people but if you account is compromised you are on your own. They take five business days to credit your account the funds stolen. They sent us new cards with the chips in them but never shut down my old card. They let hundreds get charged to the old card and will not correct it. Plus knowing I have a mortgage payment due they will not credit the stolen money for five business days after the stolen charges post to the account, causing my mortgage payment to be late. Do not open an account with them unless you are rich and don’t care if anyone steals from you.

First Tech is our bank we chose for our family when we got married. Great that it’s local, credit union, … Stuff like that. Anytime we need more checks, we can get them. Have use of any ATM.
Even went over recently to get a signatory thing done for another financial transaction we were working on, no problemo — they were able to help.
The only slightly annoying part is that it’s located in SLU — where traffic to and from can be a pain, and parking is a bit more of a pain…
In general, happy with this bank. :)

I’ve been a First Tech member for about 15 years now and have decided to no longer do any new business with them. First Tech used to be a GREAT credit union but they stopped acting like a credit union a couple of years before the big merger and they behave more like a bank now. With the recent change to their credit cards I decided that I just couldn’t put up with their incompetence any more. They shut down our cards for a day because they double applied charges during the switchover, once to Visa and once to Mastercard, which put us over our credit limit. Instead of fixing the problem on the spot when I called, I was told that I’d have to call in the next day even though I called during posted business hours. This isn’t the first time that First Tech has made changes to their systems and completely screwed everything up. Members (if you can really call us that any more) shouldn’t be guinea pigs for bad software. Is it asking too much to have them test their software before they turn it on?
I couple of years ago I got an auto loan from BECU. Since then I’ve been more than happy with BECU. What’s sad is that First Tech used to give the same kind of service that BECU gives me now. On my last call to First Tech I asked the phone rep if she was a First Tech member and she told me that she wasn’t. If the people answering the phones don’t think that First Tech is a good place to handle their money, why should I?

I used to love my bank but, after having my credit card number stolen 4 times in 2 ½ years, I’m done. The latest was because after their big push for adding secured credit cards, they failed to shut down my old one. That act of stupidity led to $ 1000 in charges and now I have to try to straighten it all out. Apparently it’s my responsibility to keep track of when the charges are posted and dispute each one. Why is that my problem. Good bye First Tech. I’ll be taking my mortgage with me!

From the first time I opened an account to the fact that they are there until 3 on Saturday, I can safely say I have never had a bad experience at First Tech Credit Union. The advantage of using smaller credit unions is that, they know your name and face. You are more than just some number on a screen and they truly make you feel appreciated. An added bonus is that if I have to make a trek into my branch near south lake union, there is so much to see and do coming an going. Not to mention, the best pie (pizza) that I have found in the state at Whole Foods on Westlake.

I have been a member with First Tech for 20 years.
I ended up going to the Seattle Branch yesterday, because someone somehow tried to use my card somewhere else. And First Tech contacted me right away, declined the fraudulent transaction and canceled my compromised Debit Card.
I made my way down to the Seattle branch and they made me a brand new Debit Card on the Spot. This branch doesn’t have a Coin counter, but the other local branches do and they don’t charge to use it! Bonus! I don’t know of any other free Coin Counters at any of the other banks or Credit Unions.

First Tech was great — First Tech Federal is not. First Tech Federal now has a $ 75 fee if you refinance your car and get a lower interest rate. Power to the people — Not!

I really like First Tech. They aren’t a bank and that’s a huge plus. I rarely need a branch and if I do I can go to several other credit unions closer to me. I can make deposits at several ATMs. Their phone tree sucks! Hands down, I hate calling them. Thankfully I rarely have to do that. The one thing they don’t do better than a «big bank» is wire transfers. I don’t have to do them very often, but when I do I cringe at sending the money to First Tech. They take way too long to post incoming transfers. It takes at least 4 — 5 hours or more. They almost missed posting one to my account. I had to call several times. (their phone tree is TERRIBLE and the phone line is always full of static) It was posted just before the bank closed for the day. They weren’t apologetic and didn’t generally seem to care what was going on. It’s really unnerving to have your money out there and know for a fact the transfer is complete from the sending institution and they haven’t posted it. They always state «they post them as they come in.» I do not believe them. It does not take 5 hours for a wire transfer to show up. This is the main area they need to figure out. I’ve never had an issue at another bank.

The staff here are really nice. I rarely go here but when I do they are never super busy on the weekends.

Overall — I am a fan of FirstTech. 4 stars for great rates, friendly service, convenient and useful enough financial products.
On the downside their online billpay product is rudimentary at best with very little feature support and investments in improvement. I was glad to have left the big bank I was formerly with but miss having a more usable billpay UI.

After watching the interest rates on all of my HSBC accounts plummet to 0.01% APY and having benefits slowly taken away from me over the years, I’ve finally made the switch back to a credit union. Of course, not all credit unions are alike, and while folks in the Seattle area seem to constantly sing the praises of BECU, I’ve actually found First Tech to have far better benefits overall.
One thing that I didn’t want to give up in my switch from HSBC was fee refunds at other banks’ ATMs, something HSBC offered with its now discontinued Online Payment Account. I also wanted to start earning respectable dividends again on my checking balance. First Tech offers both of these benefits on their Dividend Rewards Checking Account, and with a current APY of 1.78%, the dividends aren’t chump change on a larger balance. The only stipulation to earn these benefits is that you have to make at least 12 debit card transactions and 1 ACH transaction (like a direct deposit) per month. If you don’t, the rate dips to 0.05% for the month and you won’t be reimbursed for any foreign ATM fees for that month, but you can earn the benefits back in the following month.
As the name might imply, First Tech also seems to offer a better e-​banking experience than BECU and many other credit unions in the area. Online banking is robust, you can send secure messages back and forth through it, there are mobile banking apps for iPhone and Android (and Windows Phone on the way in Q1 2013 per their FAQ page), and you can e-​deposit checks using a desktop scanner or your phone’s camera. The only strange stipulation with e-​deposit is that you’re supposed to have your account open for a minimum of 90 days before being allowed to use it, but I asked nicely and was able to have it enabled within my first month.
One last really awesome thing about First Tech (and BECU as well) is that they take part in the CO-​OP ATM Network, a nationwide network of credit union ATMs that lets you make withdrawals *and deposits* at any member credit union’s ATM as if you were using your own credit union’s ATM. So it’s true that First Tech may have fewer locations than the more dominant BECU, *but* I use BECU ATMs to make both deposits and withdrawals without a hitch. In effect, it’s as if every credit union ATM is a First Tech ATM.
If I had to go through the application process with First Tech again, the only thing I would do differently would be to sign up in a physical branch location instead of online. The first time that I tried, I went through the online application process, was asked to e-​mail over copies of my driver’s license and a utility bill, did so, and received a confirmation that the documents were received, only to be asked for the same exact documents again a week later. The disorganization scared me and I told them to cancel my application at that time. Eventually, I came crawling back and had no issues with an online application the second time around, but I still ended up going into a branch anyway to get temporary checks printed. What’s more, the branch location is actually able to print a Visa debit card for you right in the branch, so you can get everything you need in one trip whereas I waited more than three weeks for the debit card that I originally requested during the online application process to arrive in the mail. Sadly, the APY on the account also fell from 2.54% to 1.78% between the first and second applications, but even so, most other banks still can’t come close.
As such, I had a bumpy start with First Tech, but I’m glad that I came back and followed through.

they don’t have enough locations to make it convenient for the average lazy consumer.
but the morning i went here, this is what they were offering:
free checking with
1. electronic statements.
2. 2.54% interest rate
3. minimum 12 debit transactions per month required.
not too shabby when most banks offer 0.1% interest on your savings account.

These guys are always really nice, even though I’m not a customer. I come here from time to time with my husband, and whenever I’ve had a question for them (like, where do I cash savings bonds?) they’ve tried to help me out, too.