Congressional Federal Credit Union

I second what gww2 said.
Seem like some of their employee are incompetent and don't really understand their own products they are offering, it goes in one ear and out the other.

Don't open an account here. If you have an account, move your money out. I have been a member in good standing at this credit union for over forty years, and I can tell you that right now they are no better than a big, nasty commercial bank. Their service is impersonal and mean-spirited. And, the worst part is that it in no way resembles the service that it used to offer or the service a credit union must offer.

For one thing, they should be intimately aware of your financial history and your credit history, because they have your accounts, and they are looking at what you have done over the years. But their default these days is to treat their members like unknown quantities and to impersonally deny you any service that should be based on their intimate knowledge of your credit and accounts. I have never been so roughly treated by any organization. I especially name Greg Jenkins and Gina Rose for being particularly bad.

It used to be different. But now it just sucks. There is no longer any reason to bank with them.

Congressional Federal Credit Union is by far the best credit union I have ever belonged to. I joined this credit union back in the 1990's when I worked on the hill. Congressional Federal does not charge for checks, and only requires that I keep a $5 balance in my checking account. The one time I did have an issue with fraud, I called the credit union's customer service team and it was taken care of right away. I didn't have to pay a dime out of pocket for the fraud on my account.

I would recommend Congressional Federal Credit Union to any Hill or Congressional District Office staffer. It is a great place to have your checking account at.

If you work on the Hill, it’s extremely convenient to have their branches right there at work. Once you leave, things are a little more difficult as they only have one other branch in Virginia. However, the credit union co-op network makes up for this – I’ve lived in several states in the Southeast and never had a problem finding a CU branch in the network where I could make deposits, get cashier’s checks, etc.

Their online banking is a little behind the times, but it has all the features I need. I can pay bills, transfer money to accounts inside AND outside the credit union (contrary to another review), etc. One of the best features is check scanning – I can deposit checks without leaving home!

I bought a car a few years ago with CFCU as the lender, and even though I wasn’t in DC at the time, the process couldn’t have been easier. The loan officers were great to work with over the phone and by email, and the rate I got was VERY low compared to what my other bank was offering.

If you qualify, I would highly recommend CFCU, they’ve been great for me.

Wright Congressional Federal Credit Union has incredible benefits and rates for all their accounts and loan options.

Although steadily getting better, their online banking is still a little behind the times. You cannot transfer money to another bank online, and to be able to transfer money to someone else's Wright account you have to go through a lengthy sign up process (in person) the first time.

One of the biggest problems is their customer service, especially on the phone. It is nearly impossible to get anything done (or done correctly) over the phone. And in person, it sometimes has taken more than one try to get things right. This is especially annoying since they are a small, local bank, and thus do not have many branches that you can easily get to.

On the other hand, because they are a small bank, they have more time to concentrate on each of their customers. They send frequent updates and really seem to value me as an individual.