“Selected an Excellent Choice Credit Union, Texas Federal CU located in Dallas Texas is an incredible well run credit union."
By: Allan R Kirby
We review Credit Unions:
Mysmallbank.com feels compelled to find the best credit unions and community banks in order to write a small review. These reviews are to help you learn more about community banking, possibly one that's in your area that you might be interested in. In this review we are choosing the following local Credit Union:
Location: Dallas
Headquartered: 1100 Commerce Street Suite 745 Dallas, TX 75242
Branches: 2
Year Established: 1947
Review:
We found Texas Federal Credit Union a great two branch credit union located in Dallas and DeSoto Texas. Although TFCU is considered small in size, they nevertheless have a long history of providing high quality financial services to the members they serve. We made the decision to take a closer look at this credit union after doing research on customers reviews, services offered as well as their commitment to their membership. We think potential members will not be disappointed by making the decisions to bank at Texas Federal CU.
Texas Federal Credit Union currently has close to $61 million in assets, two branches and nearly 7,000 members. ibanknet. Additionally they have a history of providing services to their members since the Credit Union's founding in 1947 as the Government Agencies Dallas Federal Credit Union.
We begin our review by first highlighting the fact that the financial industry is a complex and heavily regulated industry. This at times can cause issues with customers with specific financial issues which could result in a frustrating experience for them. This also applies to Texas Federal CU where the negative reviews we found were very specific and appear to not accurately reflect the overall experience you will receive with a small credit union. As a result we at mysmallbank.com could not find any issues, problems or concerns with the services provided by TFCU based on a couple of negative reviews. In fact what we found most intriguing is the number of customers who not only spoke highly of the credit union but also spoke negatively to the major banks such as Bank of America. These customers clearly love Texas Federal Credit Union and made the change by banking with a credit union.
Helping out the Younger Generations.
We were pleased to see Texas Federal CU is providing banking services to younger members, which is a great idea to help younger generations develop good financial habits early. Their services include: The Abby's Adventures Saving Program and the Young Texans Checking.
Abby's Adventures- For children 0-12 years of age.
The Abby's Adventures Saving Program is designed to help parents and grandparents teach children and grandchildren about the importance of saving money. The program is designed to teach this serious lesson through a fun, enjoyable approach.
How does the Program Work?
Your child's account is just like your savings account. It earns dividends, there is no monthly service charge, and it only requires a $25 minimum balance. After setting up the account kids can then begin to make deposits into their very own savings account. Taking this step will put your child on the road to a lifelong relationship with the credit union.
Young Texans Checking- For youth 13-17 years of age.
The Young Texans checking account offers:
1. Free Visa check card (debit card).
2. Free N.E.T. (telephone teller).
3. Free i-N.E.T. (online banking).
4. Free E-Pay (online bill pay).
5. Free E-Statements.
6. Free Check Imaging and no Monthly Service charge.
Excellent Choice Credit Union
We would have liked to have seen posted rates to get an ideal on how competitive their rates are and we wish the credit union had a credit card as well. However we do not consider this a strike against the credit union. Overall Mysmallbank.com believes Texas Federal Credit Union is well deserved to receive the designation of Excellent choice, Credit Union. (Note 2). So if you're looking for a great community based credit union and you live or plan to live in the areas Texas Federal CU operates this could be a great financial institution for you.
Finally we found that Texas Federal Credit Union is a federally insured credit union through NCUA (Note 1) .
Who is Eligible
As per their website: As a federally chartered credit union, Texas Federal Credit Union can only provide membership to those eligible by the following criteria:
The immediate family of a current member.
The employees of companies on their membership list*
The employees of TFCU's business partners.
*The list of companies and federal organizations is extensive and may take time to figure out. You could be better served to just contact Texas Federal CU to find out about eligibility.
Contact Now to become a member.
The following provides additional information on Texas Federal CU services, branches as well as fees.
Services Offered:
Full Service Credit Union: Yes
Texas Federal Credit Union Routing Number: 231387026
Banking:
Share/Savings
Sharedraft/Checking
Investments
Youth Savings Program
Credit Union Loans:
Home & Mortgage Loans
Texas Federal CU Online
Online and Mobile Banking: Yes
Texas Federal CU Branch Location:
Main Branch- Downtown Dallas
Address: 1100 Commerce Street Suite 745 Dallas, TX 75242 Phone: 214.748.9556 Fax: 214.745.1124 Toll Free: 800.242.9132
Lobby Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 4PM
DeSoto Branch
Address: 1021 East Pleasant Run Road DeSoto, TX 75115 Phone: 972.228.4885 Fax: 972.228.3551
Lobby Hours: Monday - Friday 9AM - 4PM Saturday 9AM - 12 Noon Drive-Thru Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 6PM Saturday 9AM - 12 Noon
24 Hour Access
The N. E.T. – Telephone Teller Service
24 hours, 7 days a week
214-761-9242 Direct
800-242-9134 Direct
214-748-9556, Opt 3
800-242-9132, Opt 3
Fee Schedule:
Yes: Click Here
Membership acceptable organizations (please visit TFCU for complete list)
Employees of the United States Government who work in or are supervised from Dallas, Texas except employees of the following:
Internal Revenue Service District Office, Treasury Department
Naval Air Station
Railroad Retirement Board
U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
U.S. Postal Service;
Employees of the office of Civil Defense-Department of the Army , who work in the Regional office in Denton, Texas;
Employees of FEMA who work in the Federal Center in Denton, Texas;
Employees of the Selective Service System who work in the States of Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma;
Employees of Federal National Mortgage Association , who work in or are supervised from Dallas, Texas;
Employees of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas who work in Dallas, Texas;
Employees of Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation , a privately owned corporation (government sponsored), who work in or are supervised from Dallas, Texas;
Employees of cafeterias located on Federal installations for employer groups that are named in the credit union's field of membership;
Employees of other organizations who are permanently assigned to work at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Dallas, Texas;
Employees of maintenance and security contractors who work on Federal installations for employer groups that are named in the credit union's field of membership;
Note: Complete information regarding eligibility and agreement(s) is available within Texas Federal's Membership and Account Agreement Brochure which can be mailed to you, visit one of the branches or contact the credit union for more information.
This is a partial list, so if you are unsure on eligibility please contact Texas Federal Member Services for clarification.
Are Federal Credit Unions Better vs Banks?
Federal Credit Unions banks are local banks that provide financial services to smaller communities and tend to be better than major banks for a number of reason which include:
Better rates on savings accounts and certificates of deposits.
Competitive mortgage rates.
Fees tend to be lower at community banks.
Local deposits are used to make loans to local businesses.
Federal Credit Unions tend to have a better understanding of the communities they serve.
Federal Credit Unions tend to have a more personalized customer service experience and have higher customer satisfaction rates.
Federal Credit Unions provide local jobs and support local charities.
Notes:
1. The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) is one of two agencies that provide deposit insurance to depositors in U.S. depository institutions. NCUA's standard maximum share insurance amount at $250,000.00.
2. Periodically Mysmallbank.com will name a credit union as a top choice (Top credit union) based on a number of criteria such as customer and employee reviews, complaints, satisfaction, growth, locations, brand and social responsibility. We only select the best credit unions, so they must meet minimum standards of excellences (Excellent Choice) in order to be reviewed by Mysmallbank.com
Note: We take care when looking at reviews, especially emotional charged negative reviews based on unique circumstances. These reviews may not accurately reflect the true experience you will receive when visiting a credit union.
In Review is a segment of the MySmallBank.com blog written by Allan R Kirby, who writes and produces Personal Finance articles and videos along with My Success Magazine.
Disclosure: mysmallbank.com nor the author received any compensation from the mentioned credit union for this article. The article is our opinion only and is written to help readers learn more about local credit unions.