American First Credit Union

I'm a long time American First banking customer for about 30 years. There is a decrease in good will towards their customers. I am a low income senior and have had times where they took one quarter of my Social Security check in fees, which left me unable to pay my utilities, which was a devastating setback. Previously they worked with me, but it is very different now. I avoid going inside the Fullerton branch because they always voice out loud personal identity numbers, which to me, is really the biggest red flag. The bank is open air and there are no privacy shields. I was always happy to be a long time customer, but that's all changed now and I become nervous about leakage of privileged information in a gang territory lot space.

Gang markings outside their branch and were left untended for months on end by their entrance. Yes, it is the property owners responsibility, but squeaky wheels get attended to. When the gang territory markings finally were removed, someone (guess who) obliterated the signage with devastation, which has now been left unrepaired for months. Obviously, there's a gang problem and and an absence of care for their public image, which I am sadly seeing echo in the branch through differing decisions they make which, to me, show a lack of respect and compassion for the low-income elderly and a willingness to live with evidence of property-destructive gang activity in their environment, in conjunction with credit union employees who clearly loudly vocalize our personal identifying numbers. How am I supposed to know if they're talking to the bugs or talking to the man who is sitting a few feet behind me on his cell phone?

American First Federal Credit Union in Fullerton presents theirselves as a community banking institution which by its very nature, implies to me concern for disadvantaged community members, but this is not how their decisions toward the poor have evolved. We are not prey, and it definitely is preying when a bank or credit union charges a low-income disabled customer $29 for being .99 cents short on a transaction in their bank balance. I see this as a reflection of greed and absence of humanity towards a community member living in life threatening circumstances. I've been with them through thick and thin, through all the ups and downs of my struggles for about 30 years, and there has been a lot of tough crises. They weren't always like this.

I thought they were struggling financially and fighting for every bank charge to stay in business, but when I checked their financial standing out, they were rated in the top 7, which means to me that they just have some supervisors or policy makers now making nonchalant decisions that hurt the poor in their beleaguered requests.