Cornerstone Credit Union

Small Town Charm And Small Town Incompetence
- Farticus - Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 11:10 PM

The Cornerstone Credit Union is the credit union that most of the employers in Freeport, IL use.  It has some good points, but in large, my experiences were not great.  What I did like about this credit union was that it was located at the incoming edge of town.  That is, whether you're coming in from most areas via Business 20, such as Rockford or Chicago or coming in from the "back roads" of Wisconsin, such as from Monroe, the location is easily accessible and does not require a trip through the depressing town of Freeport.  You can get in and get out easily without having to drive past the shuttered up businesses, etc.  The building is quite clean and modern. I was impressed by this.  I was amused by the two-way closed circuit "tellervisons".  It seemed ironic to me that a small town like this, wouldn't keep the small town "feel".  I had done most by banking here for a number of years and was puzzled by the fact that they didn't know my name or who I was. I ended up showing identification nearly every time I was there.  At other banks and credit unions where I do business, someone would know who I was and greeted me by my first name every time.  I always that this was a great personal touch.  This in a town of nearly 200,000 vs. a town of about one-tenth that size.  This small town credit union just didn't have that friendly small town vibe.   It did have semi-competitive interest rates.  I did procure a loan from them once, but later learned I could have gotten over 0.50% better at another credit union in a nearby town.  They do have Saturday morning hours, which is good if you live in Freeport.  There were two experiences that I had which would make me rate this place as "less than mediocre".  In once case, I had made an appointment, and advised that I would be travelling from out of town nearly an hour away.  They cancelled on me for some BS reason after I had arrived.  They had the audacity to ask if I wanted to reschedule. I closed my accounts on this day.  Prior to this, they had made a significant error with one of my accounts.  To make a long story short, I ended up paying penalties I should not have had to pay, and at one point I was reported to a collection agency on THEIR error.  Credit unions are generally, in my opinion, better at taking care of their customers than standard banks.   It literally took me hours to get this issue fixed. I know someone that worked there and she had told me that I was labelled a "trouble maker" and she had details of my business there including details of one of my transactions.  I was irritated that personal business waspublic domain. Of course, my protests went no where.  Dealing with these people was a headache.  I have no idea what it was, because I am pretty laid back and easy going, and have never had experiences like this.  I'd advise to use another credit union (or bank) if you have options.  Cornerstone is a nuisance, in a  pretty building, in a dying town.