Coastal Credit Union (NC) is headquartered in Raleigh and is the 2nd largest credit union in the state of North Carolina. It is also the 75th largest credit union in the nation. It was established in 1967 and as of June of 2023, it had grown to 618 employees and 329,348 members at 24 locations. Coastal Credit Union (NC)'s savings rates are 6X the national average, and it has a B+ health rating.
Field of Membership Restrictions
Membership in Coastal Credit Union is open to all North Carolina residents by joining the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association ($18 membership fee). Membership is also open to employees of North Carolina Cancer Centers, American Computer Solutions, FlashPoint Technology, Inc., and more than 1,000 other Select Employer Groups.
See current membership details
Related Posts
1/1/13 - Coastal Community RCA (2.51%APY,$50K) To (2.0%APY, $50K)
11/4/11 - Updated Review of Coastal FCU's Reward Checking Account - NC, SC & VA Only
9/2/11 - Coastal Federal Rate And New Tier Structure
8/30/10 - Coastal Federal Credit Union's One Penny Overdraft Charge
12/24/09 - High-Yield Reward Checking Account at a North Carolina CU - Easy Membership (Coastal)
1/26/08 - 5.01% 15-Month / 5.15% 60-Month CD at a North Carolina CU - easy membership (Coastal).
9/25/07 - 5.50% 15-Month CD at a North Carolina CU Continues (Coastal)
5/16/07 - 5.50% 15-Month CD at a North Carolina CU Continues (Coastal) - Easy Membership
3/14/07 - 5.50% 15-Month CD at a North Carolina CU (Coastal)
Puts The Mega Banks To Shame
After being nickel and dimed by the large regional bank I used for over a decade (BB&T), I decided to go shopping for another financial institute. I noticed Coastal and after looking at their products, decided to open an account (I have a parent who banks there). Now you have to open a savings account in order to get the Go Green Checking, but that's a plus.
I've been banking with this institution for over five years and it's such a breath of fresh air. No minimum balance or maintenance fees, up to date online banking and you can't beat the 7-7-7 hours it has. I've watched my savings grow and the customer service has been good. I don't have a mortgage or car loan through them, so I can't attest to how their service is on that end. But if you are looking for a basic savings and checking account, this is a great regional credit union to join.
Deploy Technology Efficiently
For originally being the CU for IBM, I do expect CF to embrace technology. That being said, having to use the new dual ATM/tellers to withdraw money is a pain. If you request an amount over $100, it gives you a $100 bill. Really?! I think most of us are used to $20s. Also, if I have used ENGLISH the last 100 transactions, why are you still asking me that question?? Poor ATM question flow.
The Rates Make Them Worth It- But If You Need Personal Help- You Are On Your Own!
Good:
Rates are great, get free debit, interest checking (1%), good loans.
Bad:
Customer service is super weak. If you are techno savvy, you can find all kinds of good stuff on their website to help you. But, if you are like me, not all that great with a computer, you won't get any help.
Example 1- Recently went into a branch to change my address. I filled out a form- done right? No. Ended up having to email them yesterday and ask what went wrong. So now it's fixed? ( I had the same with my last move too.)
Example 2- A couple of years ago, I applied for a housing loan. Approved, and I was linked with a virtual loan officer. I emailed asking for advice, help, check list (Clueless first time home buyer here). I received an automated reply with my name inserted- not helpful.
So I drove out to the branch. Another random loan officer gave me five minutes of her time, and was in a big hurry to hustle me out. (Kinda weird, since the bank was virtually customer free on that afternoon). I told her I had found a condo I was interested in, what should I do next? She gave me a minimal form to fill out for the bank. Felt real insecure about the whole process, and decided to put off buying a house for another few years.
Now, after doing research on their website, I find out not only are they affiliated with a real estate firm (Daymark), they also offer first time home buyer's seminars. Why didn't they tell me about this? It would have taken the loan officers 5 minutes to tell me!
And the change of address? They could have sent me an email. But they didn't. 2nd time this happened. I'm still not sure if it's fixed, and I'm preparing to open some other bank accounts.
Overall
Call 1-800-WTF-CFCU for a good time.
Very Deceptive And Misleading
This has been several years coming, but the experience remains the same. I opened a deposit account with Coastal a number of years ago to apply for a mortgage loan. They make you open an account before you can apply to see an actual rate. You also must make a donation to any number of charities to open an account. When I opened the account, not a word was said or mentioned about monthly fees or inactivity charges. I put $100 in the account to apply for the mortgage loan, and decided to leave it there in case I wanted to apply for any other loans going forward. Little did I know that every month, a service fee or inactivity fee was being taken from the account. This bank does not do paper statements, and I never received any emails about the account activity. Within about 6-8 months, the account was drained to $0 and closed without my knowledge. I went into a branch to voice my displeasure over the experience, and was basically told tough nuts, that's the way they do business. I will never use this bank again for anything, and will continue to tell others not to use them as well.
Data as of Q2 2023
Learn why bank health mattersHealth Grade Components
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| NCUA # | 18297 |
| Year Chartered | 1967 |
| Employees | 618 |
| Primary Regulator | |
| Profit Margin | |
|---|---|
| Return on Assets - YTD | 0.72% |
| Return on Equity - YTD | 7.7% |
| Annual Interest Income | $111.1MM |
| Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assets | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $4.82B$4.74B |
| Loans | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $4.09B$3.55B |
| Deposits | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $4.22B$4.26B |
| Equity Capital | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $443.6MM$423.7MM |
| Loan Loss Allowance | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $0$39.3MM |
| Unbacked Noncurrent Loans | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $19.4MM$10.4MM |
| Real Estate Owned | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $0$0 |
