A friend suggested this credit union to me back in 2020, and I got a really good rate for my first car with a 20k credit line. The loan was for 5 years, and I paid it off exactly on time with absolutely no past due payments, delays, or issues. Naturally, I was very satisfied and recommended them to all of my friends for years. ​This year, I decided to upgrade to a 2023-2026 model car. Nothing has changed negatively in my life; I work at the exact same business and make even more money now, so I was 100% sure everything would go smoothly to get another 20k credit line. ​I applied and was initially approved instantly. Shortly after, they requested my tax returns and S-Corp documents. I promptly provided everything, showing that I make more than 170k a year individually with a household income around $250,000. I have no active credit lines and my rent is $2,850. Guess what happened next? My credit line was declined. The reason they gave was "excessive obligations in relation to income," which makes absolutely no sense given my financial reality. ​Thank you guys for being so kind and fair to your loyal customer! I will definitely not be recommending you to anyone else. read more

they went into my account lied and said i signed a paper to change my account a certain way which saul looked it up and agreed i didn't so my account was suppose to be changed back this is going on since saturday it is now wednesday sfpd will be here and i will be pressing fraud charges if my account doesn't get fixed today read more

SF Fire Credit Union - Banks & Credit Unions Near Me - San Francisco, California

I don't usually write reviews, but I am stuck here, waiting for estimated 30 minutes once again, because their ATM is always broken. Their supposed network ATMs do not accept deposits. I'm stuck here, trying to do a basic transaction (cash deposit) in line with a full house of other people and dogs. Here at the end of February, it will be March in two days, but the Christmas decorations are still up. Lots of folks full of mucus, coughing without covering their mouths, so bring an N95 mask, for your own health and safety. You would think firefighters/paramedics/EMTs would care more about public health and safety, but nah. Think again. Last time I was here, the (30's-40's white male) bank staff worker who took my deposit was super rude, but I forgot his name. I will update my review if the customer service is bad here again today, but still waiting, so haven't talked to any employees yet. You sign in to wait in line via a touchscreen. If the wait is more than 5 minutes, you should be allowed to leave your phone number to be texted, instead of having to sit here for half an hour with sick people coughing at you. read more

SF Fire Credit Union - Inside the Stonestown Branch of SFFCU - Banks & Credit Unions Near Me - San Francisco, California

The staff are always very helpful. I highly recommend SF Fire Credit Union. Convenient location next to Stonestown Mall in SF.

I've been a member of SF Fire Credit for almost 20 years. It's mostly been good, with a few ups and downs. A few years back, they had a management change or something and did a full revamp of their website and app. And... it did not go well. They cancelled all of my scheduled transfers and took their own damned sweet time re-enabling my ability to recreate them. But overall, they have been a good credit union. And their site/app fubar is long enough in the past that it would have lost them only the single star... ... until yesterday. That is when I found a letter from SF Fire in my mailbox. And they've totally re-worked their fee structure from almost nothing... basically: "Don't write bad checks and there'll be pretty much no fees or fines." to a new structure that massively penalizes those of us who actually are honest, not crooks, and don't write bad checks. Basically to appease the type who DO with bogus checks, they announced in the letter that I would be punished LESS for doing so (And I have NEVER written a bad check in my life, with SFFire or any other bank. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of checks I write in any given year these days.). BUT... I guess in order to make up for those fines, they have added new fines and penalties to all sorts of other services... money orders, notary services, higher prices for checks, and a whole slew others. But most egregiously, and the deal-killer that now has me looking for a new CU, are the ATM/Debit changes. No-fee ATM usage is gone. And falling VERY FAR into the category of: "Oh, HELL no!" is a new 1% fee for usage of my DEBIT CARD if I travel! No-fee ATM withdrawals were actually the selling point that got me off BoA into SFFire in the first place. Being a local CU and therefore not having a national ATM network was a major concern for me. And the zero-fee withdrawals was a big part of convincing me that I could use a CU instead of a bank. So that's already a big pain point. But the extra percentage on my debit card usage... I'm not sure if that includes using it at the ATM as well, but I would presume so... is beyond the pale. It's especially appalling because few, if any, of my credit cards fine me for traveling and using their cards; and I know that debit transactions are cheaper to process than credit. So... yeah. SF Fire Credit had a good run. But now they just want to be a regular bank with all of the fees on, and contempt for, their customers that being a regular bank entails. I'm leaving the second star because they've never ripped me off or been unhelpful when I've had to call or go in for anything. And if you're retired in San Francisco and never plan to leave for any reason, I guess it's still a good option for you. But the new fee schedule is a deal-killer for me. read more

Two tellers on a Saturday afternoon 45 minute wait for a simple transaction. Really need to provide SERVICE or all of these folks waiting will move to Redwood Credit union read more

SF Fire Credit Union - Banks & Credit Unions Near Me - San Francisco, California

I am writing this review after receiving outstanding and professional service from a number of credit union staff - Hassan, Genie, Erik and Ashley. I had a big problem with a ridiculously short turn-around time, and the team went way out of their way to help get me through it. I've worked with several financial companies over the years, and SFFCU's work has been the best I've had. Each individual was professional, courteous, responsive, and understanding. I recommend them highly! read more

Things are improving. The call center is still problematic but the training has improved and responsiveness is much better. I do have resentment after applying for one of their cheap VISAs that they require for overdraft protection. It requires a hard pull, and due to my temporary income situation it should have been obvious to the CU rep that it would fail their current requirements, (SO WHY NOT JUST SAY THAT?). I was only looking for $1,000 or so just to backstop rounding errors and such on my checking. But the representative took my info, didn't say a word and put it through the credit bureau- I am now paying for her idiocy with a two year penalty on my FICO score. I've never been rejected for a credit card in over 40 years, my FICO is well above 800, and my own damn credit union didn't protect me here. Deposits at any affiliated CU branch anywhere along with free withdrawals. And 12 free withdrawals per month at any ATM in the world with a refunded fee plan is great for travel. They AREN'T NCUA insured by the government, they use a private insurer. This has me a bit on edge, as 2008 and other fallouts from capitalism have repeatedly shown us the "fast and loose" way private banks and insurers operate. This Credit Union apparently has a HUGE portion of assets tied up in Real Estate, I've moved much of my money to an FDIC insured bank with higher interest for now. Especially after they borked my credit score. read more

I've been a member at SF Fire Credit Union for 8 years now. Overall my experience has been very good. They are open on Saturdays which is a big plus. Their location at Stonestown mall is convenient and it's easy to find parking at the mall. I mainly use their online banking to pay bills and also their debit card when traveling to draw out money. No hidden charges, interest rates on loans aren't the best but decent, service is always good over the phone and in person. I've dealt with other banks in the past and had bad experiences with extra hidden charges and mistakes. I've found that those problems don't exist with most credit unions which includes SF Fire. read more

Awesome place ! Especially for someone like me who needs a helping hand when it comes to my finances and opportunities involving banking . WAYNE from the California branch is especially kind and helpful and I'm my opinion, he's a great example of the friendly service provided by Sf fire credit union ! I'm personally very grateful for there several branches and awesome staff. I plan on being a proud member for life ! read more

All around customer service has gone down the drain. It used to be the best! I visited the Stonestown office last week and no happy faces. I was assisted by a teller who did not know what she was doing and now I'm having issues with my account because she did not notate the transaction or my account correctly. I'm also having another issue because someone I spoke with in June did not notate the account as well. They really need to step up their game with training and customer service. read more

Gotta love being treated like a 2nd class citizen at the bank. If your not an official member but your bank is grouped with them you have to wait in a separate line. I was here for over 25 mins while person after person went who were in the "members" lane went. My bank doesn't do that to your members when they visit. I hate this new "addition" read more

I've been a longtime member but am fed up. I'm closing my accounts. I always loved this credit union and recommended it to others. The best thing about it was their customer service. I could always get someone on the phone within 2 minutes and they were helpful and service-oriented. ATM visits were free, and there were multiple ways to deposit checks: mail or phone. Whatever way you used, the funds were available immediately. The online system was old, but totally worked. All that has changed in the last year. Now you can only deposit checks by phone; if they can't read the photo of your check, you're out of luck. Worse, the funds are no longer available immediately. The entire online system was redesigned and it's been impossible to access since. I had to set up all my accounts again, my husband was locked out of our joint account for months, and our recurring transfers from other banks were all cancelled. This all resulted in some very challenging bill-paying for a couple months, and two returned checks. The worst part is that the customer service, which used to be incredible, has gone down the tubes. Now no matter what time of day you call you have to wait for 15-20 minutes because "we are experiencing high call volumes." Messages sent to their online help center are never acknowledged or replied to. And the agents are no longer service-oriented. I just called to alert them to the fact that they'd charged me an overdraft fee twice for the same returned check and the agent told me smugly: "that's part of banking." She offered to refund it as a "one time courtesy, but know that if this ever happens again we will not be refunding it." I've been a customer for the better part of a decade and usually keep my accounts in 4 digits. The only reason I had a returned check was because a) deposits are no longer available immediately and b) I can no longer link my accounts or do automatic transfers. So my math was off by a few dollars on paying my PG&E bill this month, and my bank charged me *twice* for the overdraft fee. And next time that happens, I'll be out of luck? Yeah, there won't be a next time. Bye. read more

After years of banking with Wells Fargo and LOATHING the experience (endless charges for 'banking') I finally decided to take the plunge and look for a new bank. PROS Super friendly staff Easy online banking with a mobile app Small local credit union I get calls when anything remotely suspicious happens We get a set amount of ATM withdrawals monthly (some users abused the privilege of unlimited withdrawals, so now users have a fixed number, I never exceed the fixed number of monthly withdrawals) I love SF Fire and have been happy for the few years I have bee banking with them, my only beef is that they are not FDIC insured. They are insured, just not FDIC. read more

The tellers here are unfriendly and unhelpful. The place is stuck in the 90s with how they operate. Definitely choose a different CU, or at least go to a different branch. I've had better experiences (although not much better) at Mint Plaza. read more

What can I say. The best decision I made in my young adult life. I been a member for 25 years now and never had a problem. Great customer service. read more

I ordered a new computer on my debit card (NOT credit card). Waited a month for it to be custom built. Today I received an email from SFFCU that the charge had been attempted, but needed approval. I responded to the email as instructed, approving the charge. I then received a text that the charge needed my approval. I responded as instructed, approving the charge again. I THEN received a text that I needed to call right away. I did so. After providing some information, I was told that my debit card was cleared to use - but that the computer charge had been declined. Um - say what? The financial activity company couldn't assist me further, so I called SFFCU directly. I was told that my approval had removed the 'suspicious activity' hold, but the charge had been declined anyway because of a spending limit. On. My. Own. Money. The person on the line had to ask if I was still there after I went dead silent, to which I responded, 'I am, I'm just trying to be mindful of my language right now.' Done with them. I'll have a new bank by the end of the month. read more

Big fan of credit unions and have banked here for about seven years and it's a nice place. We like that have there's a good app, the free coin star machine and they have decent rates. The security guards have always been alert, courteous and make contact to greet and acknowledge us when we walk in and out. More often than not, they'll open the door when we enter and exit as well. We feel that the actual credit union customer service has decreased over the years. Especially the tellers. Online contact is still good but we remember the times when employees would reach out to help us and anticipate what's necessary and helpful. Currently, it's a good day if the teller is just new. A usual day is a very lack luster, burnt out retail clerk who's going through the motions and refer you out to another department as soon as possible. All in all, we're happy that we haven't had any problems and appreciate the rates and services but it doesn't have friendly community feel and at times, the big name banks are better in terms of customer service. read more

I opened a checking account today with the help of the friendly Security guard who greeted me and directed me to the sign in kiosk. He also saw that I was carrying a large bag of loose coins. He showed me I could start using the coin star machine and take the receipt to the teller when I was done opening my new account. Ms Jackson also greeted me and I was opening my new checking account and issued a debit card in a few minutes. I glad to be moving my business to SF FIRE CREDIT UNION. read more

I've been an SF Fire CU member since giving B of A the boot in 2011. I used to LOVE SF Fire. Their website, while not flashy, was simple to use for basic tasks like bill pay, checking activity, and downloading statements. They had online web chat that was almost always able to resolve any problems I did have in real time. Then they "redesigned" their web site. The new site has flashy and spinny and carousel-y things everywhere. Common functions have been hidden in non-obvious places behind icons whose meaning is anyone's guess. I am invited to "customize my online banking experience", but I don't want to HAVE a goddamn experience, I want to do the same things I've always done like checking my statement, but it is now more obtrusive. The site breaks at random times and makes it impossible to do basic things like download statements. Web chat is gone, so I have to call to get service, and the phone agents often don't have any better idea what's going wrong than I do. The last time I used the website to send a secure message because I had an actual banking problem (with my ATM card), it took three weeks for someone to get back to me. When I expressed surprise, they said if it was time-sensitive I should have called. I wasn't in a huge rush to get a resolution but I didn't expect it to take 3 weeks to get a reply. In short, since this transition, every aspect of SF Fire CU's service - phone support, website experience, communications - has taken major steps backward since 2011. I don't know what triggered the decline, but now I merely tolerate them as opposed to loving them and recommending them to all my friends, as I used to. I've opened a (no-fee, no-interest) Cash Management Account at Fidelity that has all the same financial benefits as this one does (no fees, ATM fee refunds, etc). It doesn't necessarily come with great customer service, but in 2018, neither does SF Fire, and Fidelity's website is easy to use and looks like its design was actually reviewed by someone who uses the site to do banking tasks. I wish I could write a more positive review. I used to want to have SF Fire's children. Now I'm on the verge of leaving. There's no benefit to sticking around anymore, though I may keep $100 in the account just to keep it open. read more

Incompetent It seems like this place is being run by people getting paid kickbacks from big banks, to alienate all the customers. Online banking is a disaster, and having it shut down for "maintenance" in the evening doesn't work for anyone other than this bank. If they were acting like a credit union I'd call them a credit union. Being sent a letter saying they would close my visa account because I was utilizing too much of my credit was totally out of line and rude. NEVER late for a payment, people buy stuff and go on vacation. The latest thing happening now, is the automatic payment going from my checking to my auto loan, all within the same institution, doesn't happen anymore. It's becoming a monthly thing : You're payment is late Say, isn't that an automatic payment within the same instruction? That was set up long ago? That worked fine until SF Fire Credit Union decided to actively try to ruin its customers credit? Why, yes, yes it is. Run, don't walk, away from this hot mess of a bank. read more

The best possible banking experience, almost every single time I deal with these people. Courteous, personable, efficient, and accomodating. So, what's not to love? read more

Can't tell people enough that corporate banks are a no-go and that credit unions are so much more worth it. I moved from DAPL / concentration camp supporting Bank of America to SF Fire this year and they are great. Free monthly shredding dates for members. They gave me free checks when I signed up,their app is user friendly, and withdrawing from any credit union ATM is free. They also reimburse fees from non credit union ATM withdrawals (12 per month) read more

Convenient location friendly staffs and very good service and free chocolates inside the bank

I have previously not had any problem with SFFCU, and I've never actually been to a branch. But if my recent experiences are anything to go by, I would stop doing business with them if I could. This might be a long story but bear with me. I have my car loan with this institution and they gave me an excellent interest rate. I am definitely a Y Gen child, I'd rather do my business online -- if my bill is getting paid every month with no problems, then yay. Unfortunately, I decided to move to Washington. Never having moved a vehicle to a different state before, I didn't actually know what I had to do. WA DMV told me all I needed was a copy of my title. Great, seems simple enough. I called SFFCU to see what that entailed. The first person I spoke to over 3 months ago said that they needed to get it from CA DMV, and that they'd put the request in. Okay. About a week later I called to check, and apparently that was not the correct information. I was told to speak to a particular person, Ausra, as she handles their title stuff. Okay. A bit of phone tag later, Ausra informs me that she'll get the process going. I give her the fax number for the WA DMV office I'm working with, and she says they'll have the title in a couple weeks. So a couple weeks later, I check with the WA DMV branch. Nope, nothing's come in. I call SFFCU and I'm routed to the same person (every single time after that, which makes me wonder what they'd do if she was away -- sounds like they wouldn't be able to help you?). She says, okay, I'll mail it to them. I check again with DMV the week after that -- nothing. This keeps happening - I ask her to fax it to them again, fax it to me (couldn't see anything; it was all black), mail it to them again and finally mail it to me. By now the process has taken over two months and my car registration is expired. I'm about to go on a long trip overseas. In desperation I ask her to scan it and email it to me. Good grief, I wish I had thought to check with WA DMV a long time ago if an emailed copy was acceptable, because that was finally what ended the 3-month saga. Seriously, it shouldn't be so complicated to get a piece of paper. I don't know if she was lying about mailing it right away, or the USPS just kept losing that specific piece of mail, because I never got it and the WA DMV branch never did either. This was incredibly inefficient, incredibly complicated, incredibly frustrating. Such a simple request should not have risked me getting a ticket for driving around with an expired registration. I'll be glad when I pay off my loan and am done working with these people. read more

AVOID THIS BRANCH LIKE THE PLAUGE!!!! Always only 1-2 tellers working with 10 standing around and lots of people in line. I came in this morning at 9:30am and the line is literally to the door.... It's absolutely ridiculous!!!! If you actually want fast and good service, go to the main branch! read more

SF Fire Credit Union - Not the best picture but you can see the line of people literally to the door!!! - Banks & Credit Unions Near Me - San Francisco, California

I love the services.. Money Orders;FREE! Coinstar: FREE! Other bank ATM fees; reimbursed! read more

BEST CREDIT UNION EVER. Why? -Free checking -ATM fees are covered!!! - F/U big banks! -Friendly service and easy to talk to people. -can chat online with someone. read more

I had the pleasure of meeting Darren (CEO) and Trey (VP) of the SFFCU while grabbing a drink at Swank (a bar across the street). The people who run the SFFCU are as great as the bank itself. Darren even took time out of his day to say hello to my mother the last time she visited the bank and mentioned my name to one of the employees. These people care about their customers and are willing to go above and beyond to make sure you're a happy customer. I was referred to the SFFCU by my parents, after they had convinced my brother to join. The entire family now regularly recommends the SFFCU to all our friends. If you're not already a member, join now. Enough said. read more

Still the best bank in town. 1. The personal service is amazing with friendly, attentive, happy employees who actually care to know who you are. 2. Use any ATM in the world FREE. Some tiny little strings STRINGS. They automatically credit the surcharge back into your account. 3. Keep your money local. I work, live and play in the city. Its only logical I keep my money here. 4. You don't need to be a employee of the SFFD. I took off 1/2 a star because the "Any ATM in the world FREE" is not totally FREE. You can use any ATM up to 20 times. Personally I think if you go to any ATM, credit union or not, more than twenty times you should pay. I took off 1/2 a star because the website looks and functions like something designed in 1998 but it works. read more

I DON'T GET IT. HOW COME EVERYONE SEEMS TO GET EXCELLENT SERVICE, BUT US. WE ARE NICE FRIENDLY PEOPLE. I have been corresponding with the branch via phone. I set up an account online due to the attractive mortgage rates. At first, I was impressed with the way that they have a live person call you and see if you need help with anything. Strike 1: I called several times to get in touch with the mortgage department. It took me 4 times to get through to someone from their Mortgage department (1-called and left message; 2-requested a call on line; 3-called and spoke to someone who was going to transfer me but they were busy, but they would have someone call me back; 4-called and told the person it was my 4th attempt I am told they are short staffed and she asks if I want to wait til I get through and I got through FINALLY. I THINK GOOD BUSINESS PRACTICE INCLUDES RETURNING PHONE CALLS AND FOLLOWING UP ON LEADS!!! THEY ARE TOO BUSY TO HANDLE YOUR MORTGAGE. Strike 2: I was told that we needed to open a joint account. It says you can do it online, but you can't do a joint account online. It says on their website that you can call or fill out an application and fax it if you don't want to go into the branch. First I call because it says you can, then the lady who answers tells me to fill out the application on line. Second, I fill the application online and fax our application. I specifically asked that someone call me to confirm receipt. Instead, they call my boyfriend and tell him the application that we filled out is 3 years old. Well, it's not my fault you have old forms on your site. They send the new form. We fill it out fax it and now they say that they need our id's. HAVING INCORRECT FORMS ON YOUR WEBSITE THAT ARE 3 YEARS OLD. THAT'S YOUR BAD NOT MINE. Strike 3: I get a notice just about a few days after I activate my ATM card that my account is overdrawn and there's a $25 fee. I haven't even used my card yet, so it's obviously fraud. I call the number on the notice and tell them that I never authorized any charges. They show me where to go to fill out the form. I get a call the same day that I filled out the wrong form. They ask me if I am claiming Fraud. Um yeah, I didn't authorize the charges so that would technically be fraud. Did you want me to get you a dictionary? Someone from your Credit Union told me to fill out that form, they even walked me through the site because I didn't want to fill out the wrong form again. WOW! YOU GUYS ACTUALLY SHOWED ME THE WRONG FORM TO FILL OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE. YOUR OUT. I WANT MY $5 APPLICATION FEE BACK TOO BECAUSE YOU WASTED MY TIME AND I GOT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BUT THE RUN AROUND. I'M GOING TO GET MY MORTGAGE FROM A REAL BANK. YOU SHOULD TOO. THEY ARE PROBABLY GOING TO MESS UP MY MORTGAGE APPLICATION ANYWAYS. BEWARE. THESE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. I'M SO PISSED I STILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH FRAUD ON MY BANK ACCOUNT. read more

This use to be the best bank with incredible service now it's terrible. Don't use the ATM, unless you wanna fill out paperwork wait long lines, and be judged like you stole your own money. read more

I love banking with SF Fire Credit Union. I've been banking with them for a little over four years, even though I've only been living in San Francisco for a little over 3 years (I moved down to Louisiana for a year to help my spouse deal with family issues). They were very helpful when I opened an account for my spouse and have always been friendly and polite to us. Here are the primary reasons why I love them: #1) Free checking/ savings. (Helpful when living in an expensive city) #2) I can use any ATM for free. (At least for the first 20 times each month) #3) They have "shared branches" all over the United States. (Which meant that I could bank with them in person even when I lived in Louisiana) #4) I like their online account services. #5) They are really helpful and friendly (in person and on the phone). Of course, the free candy by the front door makes me happy too... ;) read more

Nice people but cannot get the tech nor the account services in gear. * I am unable to use most of the online banking GUI due to permissions configure, * unable to use cc due to constant fraud alerts, *unable to reset call center percent online. I've been on chats and phone calls with these guys since the beginning. Very nice people; however, I have not experienced a high level of competence, speed, or accuracy in dealing with 3 accounts: cc, savings, checking. My primary goal had been to move away from BofA. Apparently, SF Fire CU account cannot take my direct deposit- really nice lady on the phone told me it is due to account number format. Ok. Also, my accounts still do not have my legal name. They carry my nickname - tried to fix that 4 years ago over a span of 4 weeks. I even showed up at the office in SOMA. Oh well. Everyone else loves them. Must just be me. I have decided, after today's cc fubar and two phone calls to customer service in a failed attempt to pay for food, that I am relegating SF Fire CU cc to the back of a drawer, never to be used. This follows on the heels of yesterday's failed attempt to pay for training - which took an hour to clear up over the phone, which they cited for today's declined charge. Huzzah! But they are nice. I think in banking, I'll take competent over nice any day of the week. read more

Beyond appalling. I asked the customer service rep Noomi to mail me some statements that I was missing. I gave her the physical address to send it to -- my mailing address on file. I asked her to please not send anything via email, because that's incredibly insecure according to anyone who knows anything about computers. Instead, she asked someone else to email me the statements. He sent them as an unencrypted PDF attachment with a bizarre message claiming it was encrypted-- it was NOT. My financial data, laid bare for any hacker or government spook to see. Completely unethical. Bordering on criminal. And the manager's response? They "might have an opportunity for improvement". Not reprimands. Not firings. AVOID SF FIRE AT ALL COSTS. They are literally dangerous to your financial well being. read more

Tired of having to maintain a high balance in order to obtain free banking services, I decided to search out a new bank to house my hard earned Fed Dogs. Upon the advice of a basketball teammate of mine, I began to investigate the banking services of San Francisco Fire Credit Union (SFFCU). First off, one does not have to be a firefighter in order to join this credit union. There are many ways to qualify for membership such as, a firefighter of the San Francisco Fire Department, a firefighter who lives or works in San Francisco, San Mateo, a firefighter who is an active member of the California State Firefighters' Association, an active member of the California State Firefighters' Association, a family member of a member of the San Francisco Fire Credit Union, a member of the San Francisco Fire Department Historical Society, or an individual who lives, works, worships, or attends school in San Francisco, San Mateo, or Marin County. So, as you can see, it is pretty difficult TO NOT qualify for membership. Joining is a breeze as you can do it all on-line. Depositing money is also easy as you can do it on-line and then send the check in via US Mail. If you need to access your deposit sooner and do not want to do it in a SFFCU branch, there are a fair amount of ATMs that will accept your deposit (you can only use certain ATMs which can be located on SFFCU's website). You can withdraw money from any ATM and get the ATM fee reimbursed within two business days! A great deal. Furthermore, there are no foreign ATM fees or point of sale fees. In other words, you can travel abroad and not have to worry about getting charged for withdrawing local currency. With respect to Personal Checking, there are no monthly fees, minimum balance, or direct deposit requirements and very few individual account fees. This is a huge departure from most banks as they usually nickel and dime you for just stepping into a branch, much less requesting any type of service above and beyond breathing. The SFFCU also offers various types of Savings Accounts and IRA options. Lastly, their rates are great, whether you are borrowing money or depositing money. In a nutshell, what are you waiting for...log on and join and help them help you and let your money work for you! read more

If you ever want to get totally turned around spatially in San Francisco, especially if you think you're familiar with the Sunset and could never lose your sense of direction in a part of the city laid out in such a boring grid, follow these directions: 1. Head south on 19th Avenue and turn right onto the second Winston Drive, Stonestown's main entrance. 2. Continue on Winston Drive, and when it crosses Buckingham Way, turn the very slight right onto Buckingham. 3. Park your car in front of the SF Fire Credit Union branch located at 565 Buckingham Way. If you can't find parking out front, pull back into the Stonestown lot and park there. I don't think you're technically supposed to do that, but I've done it three or four times and have never been towed. 4. Walk around a bit, and then get back in your car. Continue on Buckingham Way and get totally freaked out by what appears to be a renegade 20th Avenue that runs east and west rather than north and south. 5. Turn left onto this weird 20th Avenue, and you'll soon realize you got totally turned around even though you knew beforehand that John S. was trying to trick you. Compared to the California Street branch, this branch is run-down. It also feels unsafe--not in an it's-in-a-dangerous-neighborhood way but in an it-seems-easy-to-rob way. All the female tellers I've dealt with have been friendly and professional. The male teller I had the first time I came seemed a little distracted, and that pattern continued on my repeat visits even though I didn't have his window. (One time, he was trying to talk to my teller, and she kept giving him the brushoff because she was trying to concentrate on helping me.) I have no idea why parking out front is so hard to come by, but it is. read more

Check it out:! This is just a small snippet of the contests and other ways SF Fire keeps on improving their services and thinking of their customers. I still love them! Member Money Saver - Transferring Your Credit Card Balances May Save You Money http://www.sffirecu.org/2012/7/30/credit-cards-compared-transferring-your-balances-may-save-you-money Now Available - Surcharge Free ATMs in 47 San Francisco Walgreens Stores http://www.sffirecu.org/2012/7/26/500-surcharge-free-atms-now-availble-in-california-walgreens-stores SF Fire Credit Union Mobile Banking - Deposit Checks in Seconds http://www.sffirecu.org/2012/2/29/now-available-mobile-check-deposit Rebalancing Your Assets - Time for an Investment Portfolio Check-Up http://www.sffirecu.org/2012/7/26/rebalancing-your-assets-time-for-an-investment-portfolio-check-up Upcoming Firefighter Community Events http://www.sffirecu.org/fire-fighters-corner read more

Updated post: My credit score dropped by 100 because of their lack of security or speed. Closed my accounts last year but they are still making sure I remember just how awful they are. read more

Love this place. Wanted to join a credit union and open up a bigger line of credit. I was in and out of there in 20 minutes with a pretty big approval. You would never receive these rates from the bigger bank institutions. Also, love their surcharge fee adjustments. Like everyone said, you can withdraw money using ANY atm, and they will refund you the ridiculous fees. I've only had this card a month and love it. People there are very welcoming. Also, their online banking website was very easy to use. I am tempted to move my checking account from Bofa to them. Also, I think it's funny how people think i'm a firefighter whenever I use the card. This card can also serve as your wingman. read more