Kemba Credit Union is headquartered in West Chester and is the 5th largest credit union in the state of Ohio. It is also the 287th largest credit union in the nation. It was established in 1934 and as of December of 2023, it had grown to 263 employees and 127,991 members at 14 locations. Kemba Credit Union has an A health rating.
Field of Membership Restrictions
Membership in KEMBA Credit Union is open to the following: (1) individuals who in the greater Cincinnati area, northern Kentucky, or southeast Indiana who have a Kroger Plus card; (2) those who live, work, attend school or worship in Adams, Brown, Butler, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Fayette, Greene, Hamilton, Highland, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, or Warren Counties in Ohio; (3) those who live, work, attend school or worship in Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Owen, or Pendleton Counties in Kentucky; (4) those who live or work in Franklin or Dearborn Counties in Indiana; (5) employees of over 200 area Select Employer Groups.
See current membership details
Related Posts
7/4 - Kemba Credit Union Adds 7-Month CD Special
7/1 - 7-Month CD, Minimum $500 2.50%
5/17 - 72-Month Special Certificate, 3.05% APY
8/25 - Kemba CU (OH/KY/IN) Unveils 66-Month Special CD
7/30/14 - Kemba Credit Union Offers Higher Rates on 4-Year and 5-Year CDs
6/25/14 - Special 42-Month CD at Kemba Credit Union in the Greater Cincinnati Area
6/25/14 - 42-Month CD Yields 2%
12/31/12 - Kemba Credit Union (Cincinnati) Lowers RCA Rate
4/20/12 - Kemba Credit Union Dropped Their Limit...
12/7/09 - 3.85% 6-Year CD at Kemba Credit Union in Ohio - Local Only
12/7/09 - 3.50% Reward Checking Account at Kemba Credit Union in Ohio - Local Only
10/23/08 - 4.50% 12-Month Jumbo CD at Kemba Credit Union in Ohio
8/21/08 - 4.25% 9-Month / 4.50% 24-Month CD at an Ohio Credit Union (Kemba)
1/26/08 - 5.25% 60-Month CD at an Ohio CU (Kemba).
Positive Experience
My experiences have been positive.
KEMBA is a Credit Union. NCUA insured. Member of CO-OP shared branch network.
Better than average CD rates.
I can open CDs and direct monthly dividends to savings.
I can access savings via a shared branch.
I receive a paper statement quarterly.
FYI: They have $1 new member processing fee.
KEMBA Credit Union Review
I have almost 25 years with this credit union and have nothing but praise for it. They were among the very first to go electronic (sometime in the late 90s). If there is anything remotely suspicious on any of my accounts, they immediately call me to verify (and all the "suspicious" activity involved either very large purchases online or online purchases from foreign countries).
They have free checking, free savings, low loans and are part of the VISA network.
Only one time did they make an error on my account, and when brought to their attention, immediately corrected it. When the TJ Max hacking attack hit the news, they immediately issued new cards to everyone who had made a purchase within the time frame of the attack.
I just love them, even though I've never been physically inside one of their buildings. The only complaint I can think of is the way they handle minor's savings accounts - they start deducting service charges after X months of inactivity - but really, that is my fault for not reading the fine print.
I Love KEMBA
The employees have aleays been friendly to me. My only disappointment was when they didn't want to lend me money because I didn't have much money deposited with them, although I could have provided good collateral. That was many years ago.
More Difficult Than A Bank ...
I've been a customer of Kemba's for 15 years and have observed major changes over time. The value of their Get Green Checking has dramatically decreased. Long gone are the ATM rebates and high interest rates. When you call in to Customer Service for simple questions, you're tortured with their Identity Verification system through TransUnion with very tricky questions. Today they wouldn't accept my check for deposit since it was a "3rd party check". Not sure how that can be since one of the payees was me and the other payee signed where appropriate. But no ... they wanted him right in front of me. I'm headed back to my old bank.
Another Money Grab
Kemba forces you to open and deposit $5 into a savings account even when you only want a checking account. Then when you close the checking account, they will tell you it's better to leave the unused savings account open so you stay in their system. They do not tell you that they will close your savings account if you don't use it and take the $5 they made you put in it! What a ripoff!!!
Horrible Savings Interest Rates, No REAL Bill Payment System
My credit union was merged into Kemba at the end of last year. The savings interest rates Kemba pays are the lowest in the Cincinnati area. Last month they paid .05% on my savings account. I looked at other credit unions in the area and all are paying between .10% and .30% on a basic savings account. Kemba has the nerve to say their rates are "competitive" so I guess being at the bottom of the list somehow makes you competitive.
Their bill payment system is horrible. You think you are paying electronically, but what happens on the back end is that Kemba is creating checks and mailing them to pay your bills! This is the 21st Century and they are still mailing checks. An electronic bill payment system should mean that 95+% of the billers receive an electronic payment and not a check. So unlike a bank when you tell it to pay a bill on April 1 it gets paid on April 1, if you tell Kemba to pay on April 1 the check may or may not arrive on time and can generate late fees! Yikes.
Then there is the issue of electronic transfers. Say I want to transfer money between financial institutions. With every other financial institution I log into my account and tell them I want to transfer money to xxx financial institution and provide the routing number and account number and it's done. Not with Kemba. Want to do an electronic transfer? You have to go in and sign a paper authorizing the transaction EACH time you want to do a transfer. So 20th Century.
So outmoded ways of doing business and lowest interest rates in the area - if not the U.S. - and I will soon be moving my account somewhere else that has modern systems and truly pays competitive interest rates.
Data as of Q4 2023
Learn why bank health mattersHealth Grade Components
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| NCUA # | 61810 |
| Year Chartered | 1934 |
| Employees | 263 |
| Primary Regulator | |
| Profit Margin | |
|---|---|
| Return on Assets - YTD | 0.35% |
| Return on Equity - YTD | 3.28% |
| Annual Interest Income | $67.8MM |
| Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assets | Q4 2023vs Q4 2022 | $1.64B$1.62B |
| Loans | Q4 2023vs Q4 2022 | $1.44B$1.43B |
| Deposits | Q4 2023vs Q4 2022 | $1.27B$1.22B |
| Equity Capital | Q4 2023vs Q4 2022 | $171.7MM$164.6MM |
| Loan Loss Allowance | Q4 2023vs Q4 2022 | $6.5MM$6.1MM |
| Unbacked Noncurrent Loans | Q4 2023vs Q4 2022 | $4.2MM$2.8MM |
| Real Estate Owned | Q4 2023vs Q4 2022 | $0$0 |
