FAQs
About Financial Access Federal Credit Union
information@financialaccessfcu.org
Please do not send account number or other personal information through email.
(941) 748-7620
We are located at 604 13th Avenue East, Bradenton, FL 34208.
Click here to see our most current hours.
You can apply in person or online through our website - just click here.
You are eligible if you live, work, attend school or worship in an eligible CDFI Investment Areas of Manatee and Sarasota; also, Select Employer Groups, Associations, and organizations as approved by FAFCU; also, spouses of persons who died while within the field of membership; employees of FAFCU; members of the immediate family or household of FAFCU; and organizations of such persons. (Contact Member Services)
We invite you to apply for membership and discover the credit union difference. Join Today!
No lines. No waiting. Get started right now. Financial Access is your Florida's Best Credit Union!
Account Questions
You can remove a joint from savings, but not checking. The checking account needs to be closed and another one opened in order to remove a joint member. If you are unable to come into the branch, you can contact member services for further information.
You can change your address via online banking or address change form on our website.
If your employer offers direct deposit, give the payroll department our credit union’s routing number [263177660] and your account number.
ATM Questions
We do not issue ATM cards. We have Debit Cards only.
Deposits made at an ATM are held for 2 business days. The hold could be longer if it’s a check. The maximum hold is 10 days.
No. ATMs are surcharge free. See ATM Locations on our website.
Certificates of Deposit Questions
A Certificate of Deposit (CD) is a savings certificate entitling the bearer to receive interest. A CD bears a maturity date, a specified fixed interest rate and can be issued in any denomination. When you open a CD, your money is on deposit for a specific time period. For agreeing to keep it on deposit for a specified time period, you earn more than you would in a regular savings account. If you cash it in before its maturity date, you pay a penalty.
Interest rates on Certificates of Deposit vary and are based on the term of the certificate and on the opening balance of the certificate. Click here for our current rates.
Checking Questions
There is no fee on your checking account as long as you have Direct Deposit of at least $100.00 into the checking account.
Overdraft protection is available for qualified members. You will need to opt-in for overdraft on your debit card if you want overdraft to be available for you. The availability and limits are determined by your account relationship with the credit union.
In some cases, we will not make all of the funds that you deposit by check available to you on the same business day that we receive your deposit. Funds may not be available until the second business day after the day of your deposit. However, the first $200.00 of your deposit will be available on the first business day after the day of your deposit. If we are not going to make all of the funds from your deposit available on the same business day, we will notify you at the time you make your deposit. We will also tell you when the funds will be available. If your deposit is not made directly to one of our employees or if we decide to take this action after you have left the premises, we will mail you the notice by the next business day after we receive your deposit. If you will need the funds from a deposit right away, you should ask us when the funds will be available.
If your checks are lost or stolen, we need to put a stop payment on the checks and close your checking account. Contact member services if you are unable to come into the branch.
Credit Score
There are three major credit-reporting bureaus—Equifax, Experian and Transunion—and two scoring models—FICO or VantageScore—that determine credit scores. Financial institutions use different bureaus, as well as their own scoring models. Over 200 factors of a credit report may be taken into account when calculating a score and each model may weigh credit factors differently, so no scoring model is completely identical. No matter what credit bureau or credit scoring model is used, consumers do fall into specific credit ranges: Excellent 781–850, Good 661-780, Fair 601-660,
Unfavorable 501-600, Bad Below 500.
Credit Score is a comprehensive Credit Score program offered by Financial Access Federal Credit Union, that helps you stay on top of your credit. You get your latest credit score and report, an understanding of key factors that impact the score, and you can see the most up-to-date offers that can help reduce your interest costs. With this program, you always know where you stand with your credit and how your financial institution can help save you money.
Credit Score also monitors your credit report daily and informs you by email if there are any big changes detected such as a new account being opened, a change in address or employment, a delinquency has been reported or an inquiry has been made. Monitoring helps users keep an eye out for identity theft.
A Credit Score Credit Report provides you all the information you would find on your credit file including a list of open loans, accounts, and credit inquiries. You will also be able to see details on your payment history, credit utilization and public records that show up on your account. When you check your credit report, there will be no impact on your score.
No. Credit Score is entirely free and no credit card information is required to register.
As long as you are a regular online banking user, your credit score will be refreshed every 24 hours and displayed in your online banking screen. You can click “refresh score” as frequently as every day by navigating to the detailed Credit Score site from within online banking.
Credit Score pulls your credit profile from TransUnion, one of the three major credit reporting bureaus, and uses VantageScore 3.0, a credit scoring model developed collaboratively by the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. This model seeks to make score information more uniform between the three bureaus to provide consumers a better picture of their credit health.
No, your Credit Score is a free service to help you understand your credit health, how you make improvements in your score, and ways you can save money on your loans with FAFCU.
Credit Score uses bank-level encryption and security measures to keep your data safe and secure. Your personal information is never shared with or sold to a third party.
Credit Score can help you manage your credit so when it comes time to borrow for a big-ticket purchase—like buying a home, car, or paying for college—you have a clear picture of your credit health and can qualify for the lowest possible interest rate. You’ll also see offers on how you can save money on your new and existing loans with FAFCU.
Credit Score makes its best effort to show you the most relevant information from your credit report. If you think that some of the information is wrong or inaccurate, we encourage you to take advantage of obtaining free credit reports from www.annualcreditreport.com, and then pursuing with each bureau individually. Each bureau has its own process for correcting inaccurate information but every user can “File a Dispute” by clicking on the “Dispute” link within their Credit Score credit report. However, The Federal Trade Commission website offers step-by-step instructions on how to contact the bureaus and correct errors.
Based on your Credit Score information, you may receive FAFCU offers on products that may be of interest to you. In most cases, these offers may have lower interest rates than the products you already have. The educational articles, written by Jean Chatzky and the SavvyMoney team, are designed to provide helpful tips on how you can manage credit and debt wisely.
No. Checking Credit Score is a “soft inquiry”, which does not affect your credit score. Lenders use ‘hard inquiries’ to make decisions about your creditworthiness when you apply for loans.
Yes. Credit Score will monitor and send email alerts when there’s been a change to your credit profile.
If you access Credit Score program through your online banking, you have to do nothing! Your email address will get updated automatically in Credit Score when you update it in online banking. However, we always encourage you to inform your financial institution of any contact information updates.
Yes, Credit Score is available for both mobile and tablet devices and is integrated inside our mobile application.
No but FAFCU uses a variety of criteria to make a lending decision. The Trans Union Vantage 3.0 is the scoring model used by Credit Score and also by FAFCU to determine your interest rate.
Debit Card Questions
There is no charge for making a purchase with your VISA check card.
The terms "debit card" and "check card" mean the same thing. A debit card withdraws money from your checking account as a check does; therefore, it debits your account. It can also withdraw money from your savings account, if you have it set up that way when you ask for a card. It can be used to make purchases at any retail establishment that displays the VISA logo.
No, your debit card can only be used in the Continental United States.
The limit for a cash withdrawal at an ATM is $500.00. The limit for purchases is $3,000.00.
If your debit card is lost or stolen, please call 1-888-514-1424.
If your credit card is lost or stolen, please call 1-941-748-7704 or Toll free at 1-800-778-3328.
No, there isn’t a fee on a new VISA check card. There is a replacement fee for a lost card. See our fee schedule for details.
Financial Literacy Questions
It might be tempting to view your 401(k) as a source of emergency funds, but before you dip into your retirement account for cash, explore alternatives. Click here for help with your 401k.
You’re just a click away from a powerful resource for getting a handle on your debt. It’s called SavvyMoney Checkup, and it’s a free member resource designed to help you have a clearer understanding of your financial health. With SavvyMoney Checkup, you’ll learn how to pay down your debt, create a personalized budget, monitor your spending, and more. You’ll even get all the resources you need to track your spending and live within your budget. Click here to learn more at CreditConnectNow
To make this decision, calculate your monthly payments and your total net cost. When you compare these amounts, you can determine which option is right for you. Use our Auto Buy or Lease calculator to help you.
Cosigners lend their names and good credit histories to the maker. Should the maker die, lose a job, or otherwise fail to make payments, all responsibility for meeting the terms of the loan transfers to the cosigner. An often-overlooked aspect of cosigning a loan is the fact that the loan appears on both the maker's and cosigner's credit reports.
To establish good credit, you need a steady work record and continued residence at the same address. If you do not have a checking account, open one and be careful not to bounce checks. We offer Credit Score, a free product to help you monitor and improve your credit. Read more about establishing good credit.
General Product and Service Questions
Online banking, online billpay, opening an account, applying for a loan, loan payments.
We offer Certificates of Deposit and IRA’s.
Savings Account and IRA Savings Account. We also offer Vacation Club and Christmas Club Accounts.
Please click here to see our hours. Hours may vary based on holidays.
The hours vary by location. Select the Shared Branch Service Center in the preferred location for the hours open. Click here.
Yes. Learn more about our Mobile banking here.
You can call Member Service at 941-748-7704, click here for Harland Clarke, or request them through your online banking.
Home Banking Questions
Call the credit union at (941) 748-7704 or speak to a live member representative during normal business hours using the live chat feature on our website.
After enrolling in online banking, select bill payment and agree to the terms and conditions.
Click here for Online Enrollment.
Loan and Credit Questions
No. The credit bureau does not allow us to give out copies of the report. You can request a free copy of your credit report by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com.
Because the federal government requires that each of the three national credit-reporting agencies—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—gives you a free credit report every year, consider staggering the receipt of each of your credit reports. That way, you'll get a continuous picture of how your credit picture looks, because the three bureaus feed each other the latest information. You’ll also be able to clean up errors as you find them (because errors can drag down a credit score) and you'll also keep an eye on identity theft.
To get a free copy of your credit report, visit AnnualCreditReport.com.
You can apply for a loan from Sallie Mae by accessing their site through our website.
Fill out an application and submit it to the credit union, or on our website click on loan application.
You can set up automatic payments from your Savings or Checking Account with us, Payroll Deduction, ACH payments from another financial institution, mail, online transfers, in-person payments.
You can apply in person, over the phone, on our website or the Mobile App.
Yes, we have partnered with CU Mortgage for all types of different home loan offers. In addition, we also offer HELOCs.
Yes. To learn more click here.
Auto, Motorcycle, Boat, RV, Personal Signature, Line of Credit, MasterCard, Freshstart, HELOC, Mortgage and Credit Builder Loans.
The credit bureau does not allow us to give out copies of the report. You can request a free copy of your credit report by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com.
Miscellaneous Questions
Credit unions are non-profit and exist to help people, not to make a profit. As such, all earnings are returned to their members in the form of high-interest savings and low rate loans.
A volunteer board of directors, elected by the members, governs a credit union. With their vote, each member has a direct impact on the direction of the credit union. Also, "people helping people" is the credit union philosophy.
A credit union's goal is to serve all of their members equally and provide charitable contributions to their community. Credit unions are owned by their members. Each member gets one vote and an equal say in how the credit union is run.
We do not accept payments for utility bills. You can use our online bill payment to make your payments.
Yes. There is no charge for members.
Yes. You can fill out a direct deposit form to give to your payroll department. If you want the money to go into more than one account, we can split the funds once they are at the credit union.
The credit union offers money orders. The fee is up to $2.00 each depending on your account relationship with the credit union. We do not offer travelers checks.
In order to apply for a loan if you are under the age of 18, you must have an adult joint on the loan. This includes MasterCard. A debit card will be issued at age 16 with an adult signing the debit card authorization and joint on the account.
We will accept resumes at any time.
Your money is insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), an independent agency of the United States Government. Your savings is federally insured up to $250,000 and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.
Yes, If you are not a member you must visit this link and complete the form
You can change your address in-person, over the phone, or through the Mobile App or Online Banking.
You can place a stop payment in-person, or by phone. You must provide us with the account number, check number, and the name of the payee. There is a fee to charge to place a stop payment. You can cancel a stop payment at any time. See our Fee Schedule.
Yes, the credit union offers domestic and international wire transfers. There is a fee for domestic wire transfers and for international wire transfers. See our Fee Schedule.
Roth IRA Questions
Yes, you can maintain both types of IRAs at the same time. You can even make contributions to both types of IRAs in the same year. But your contributions to both Roth and traditional IRAs cannot exceed the maximum contribution limit for all IRAs.
A Roth IRA is an individual retirement account created by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. Roth IRA accounts are traditionally used as retirement savings accounts. They allow limited contributions to be made throughout the tax year and can be withdrawn within 5 years after establishing the account provided you are aged 59 1/2 or older.
Those who work for a living can contribute to a Roth IRA account. The income must be derived from actual work efforts and compensation in the form of wages, tips, salaries, bonuses and professional fees.
No. The amount you contribute to your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored plans will not be affected by your Roth IRA.
Yes, you will earn interest on the funds that are on deposit at the credit union in your Roth IRA. Click here to view Roth IRA rates.
There are limits on the amount of income one can make during a given year—and the limits change from year to year. Please visit the IRS website for details.
You will need to open an IRA Account with the credit union prior to requesting a rollover from your 401(k). You must be a member of the credit union to open an IRA Account. Please contact Member Services for assistance.
Security Questions
Call the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax: 1-800-525-6285, Experian: 1-888-397-3742 and Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289) and ask them to immediately place a Fraud Alert on your name and Social Security number. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
Notify the SSN national fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271.
Cancel your credit cards. Include the numbers for VISA and MasterCard customer service.
File a police report the same day, if at all possible, in the jurisdiction where your wallet was stolen.
Contact a member service representative immediately to cancel your credit card and/or debit card and to change your account number if necessary.
If you feel you have been a victim of identity theft, contact the FTC’s Identity Theft Hotline toll-free at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338); by mail: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580; or online.
The credit union offers members with a checking account an identity theft program called ID SafeChoice. The charge is $1.95 a month. Contact a member service representative if you have this protection on your account.
Phishing is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a website where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and account numbers that the legitimate organization already has. The website, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information.
Vishing is the telephone equivalent of phishing. Vishing is the act of using the telephone in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The scammer usually pretends to be a legitimate business, and fools the victim into thinking he or she will profit.