Caro Federal Credit Union

Quick and efficient with great rates. Outstanding customer service. I will continue to do business with them for all of my banking needs.

It was 1975 when I joined Carolina Collegiate Credit Union on Pendleton St. I was 23, a truly naive 23. This was the beginning of one of my most positive experiences with any services provided on campus. Why?
In the first place, I had no financial knowledge nor experience. In a very nurturing and gentle manner, the employees of the best institution on campus, taught me, encouraged me, validated me and became like family. They facilitated mortgages, changes on accounts, car purchases.
These were life-changing experiences. Donna Moses is a memorable employee for all of the right reasons, as is Dale Gruel. But, all employees were always kind, polite, and extremely professional. Since my retirement and banking with CARO now long distance, it is Dottie West who comes to my rescue on a regular basis. She’s my technology angel and a very compassionate human being! So grateful for all them and their outstanding customer service! Well done! Thank you!
Lizette Mujica Laughlin

I opened a Carolina Collegiate savings account as part of a mortgage process with a $25 initial deposit. I figured a year later my savings account would still have $25 in it. Wrong.

One year later I get a notice in the mail saying I have a negative $20 balance on my initial $25 deposit. Over the span of one year they charged me $45 in fees. Some were a $5 paper statement fee that you can only avoid if you get into their online banking system that is from the Mesozoic Era. Others were a dormant account fee (charged me for them to do nothing but hold my money) and a return mail fee (I never moved) and negative balance fees from the negative balance they generously created for me.

Do not open an account with CCFCU unless you like to pay a lot of fees and like to navigate ancient online banking systems. If you think CCFCU will treat you better than a big bank - you are wrong.

I planned to use this savings account for long term savings, but will be taking my business to someone that won't fee me to a negative balance.

When I was in college, Carolina Collegiate was the perfect solution to my banking needs. They even had a branch in the student union! I don't think I've ever paid a single fee to them for anything. Always helpful, quick tellers. They provided me quotes on auto loans with ease. I went with someone else for a slightly cheaper rate, but they were very competitive. They have provided complimentary notary services multiple times. Only downside is their online banking is archaic. All in all, a great credit union with really helpful staff.

When I was a college student, I needed a no hassle, no headache checking account with zero fees associated with it. I had previously been with a large corporate bank and they hiked all of their fees up, including a monthly charge for maintenance. This was the last thing I needed as every penny counted at the time. I switched to Carolina Collegiate Federal Credit Union as my room mate told me that her father worked there and that there were no fees associated in any way with a checking account. Also, she assured me that they would treat me as family and not just as a customer. I took her advice and a few years later, I am still a customer and they also have helped finance a rental property purchase just recently. If you want the best, Carolina Collegiate Federal Credit Union is worth considering.

I've been with CCFCU for about 15 years now. I really like banking with a local Credit Union for a number of reasons, i.e. keeping my money local, less red tape, and really convenient locations. Up until the last year or so, I would've given CCFCU five stars in all categories. But last year they changed their fee schedules, and I do not like their new transfer fee policy. It used to be that if you had your account configured correctly, they'd automatically deduct checking overdrafts from our Savings. They still do that, but if you have more than like two in a month they ding you for a $2 fee each time. I don't like the fee, and I don't like their inconsistency of where they draw the fee from. Sometimes they deduct it from primary checking. Sometimes from our daughters account. Sometimes from my separate (paypal linked) account. Otherwise, they're still way better than a bigbox bank.

I joined this credit union over seven years ago after years of disappointing service from a national bank. It was recommended to me by my coworkers and was extremely close and convenient to both my house and place of work, so it seemed like a good bet. The sign up process to become a member was fast, friendly and easy; honestly all customer service interacts I’ve had over the years have followed suit. The tellers always have smiles on their faces and are happy to help me with some requests that I’m sure are a bit out of the ordinary. I especially appreciate the greeter at the Pulaski branch, a small touch that modern banking seems to have mostly forgotten. The only negative I can think of is while they provide plenty of premier financial services at great rates their savings rates on CDs and accounts are on the low side relative to the local credit union competition. If you can deal with that downside, I highly recommend this institution.

I went to the branch located on the University of South Carolina campus. It's a very small area, basically a lobby with a couple of offices. The lobby was so clean and professional looking. When I walked in, everyone spoke to me, even if they were helping other customers. They made me feel very welcome by noticing that I had entered the lobby and made me feel as if I was a regular customer there. They were very friendly and helped me in a timely manner. They made every thing very simple and once I was done, they asked me if I needed anything else, then they thanked me for coming and told me to have a nice day.

This place is much better than any commercial bank such as Bank of America or Chase Bank etc. The main differences are in rates, interest, customer service, penalties, and services offered to the members. Also it is a not for profit institution so there is a much better sense of responsibility and care for the members.
I have taken a car loan from them and have got a really low interest rate for my average credit that was otherwise not possible. I had to go and fill up some forms, probably more than the usual but then everything was smooth. I highly recommend this place over other BIG banks.

I just joined up with Carolina Collegiate and so far I'm very impressed with their service. I refinanced my auto loan through them and they have been very prompt in getting my memberships and loan finished up and finalized. All of their communication has been superb so far. The initial refinance was handled by one of their refinancing partners and that was handled very cleanly as well. They offered online e-signatures and provided all of the remaining paperwork that needed to be notarized in an easy to use web portal. I look forward to using more of Carolina Collegiate's financial options in the future and was very happy with my switch to them.

Carolina Collegiate has been my Credit Union for the past nine years. I switched with them from a big bank and have since been continually impressed by their tremendous customer service. I use them for both checking and savings accounts as the rates are absolutely great and the service is second to none for this area. Plus, when you sign up, they print off your new debit card right there and hand it to you. Your account is up and running right away! They sit down with their customers and explain other products and services that are offered as well. I love the fact that we get quarterly news letters and brochures to show how things are going and what is going on with the Credit Union as well as the University as a whole. It is great to see the variety of options that we have for debit card prints and check layouts - my favorite being the South Carolina Gamecocks. I can't recommend this credit union any higher, I absolutely always tell my friends and family to switch!