Community First Credit Union (FL) is headquartered in Jacksonville and is the 12th largest credit union in the state of Florida. It is also the 167th largest credit union in the nation. It was established in 1961 and as of December of 2022, it had grown to 374 employees and 168,027 members at 21 locations. Community First Credit Union (FL)'s CD rates are 5X the national average, and it has an A health rating.
Field of Membership Restrictions
Membership in Community First Credit Union is open to those who live, work. or attend school in the Florida counties of Baker, Brevard, Broward, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Lake, Martin, Nassau, Orange, Palm Beach, Putnam, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, or Volusia. Membership is also open to any relative of an existing Community First Credit Union of Florida member or any relative of anyone eligible to join.
See current membership details
Community First feels like family.
I've been banking with Community First since I was a teenager. It was my father's bank, and when I turned 16, he took me there to open a checking and a savings account. Since that time, I've banked with many other banks. From Wells Fargo, to Bank of America, to Regions, all have paled in comparison to Community First. The people at Community First really seem to enjoy their job. They enjoy getting a smile out of their customer. They get to know you. They really make me feel like they care about me. Anytime that I have had an issue with my account, they have helped me resolve it immediately. Whether it was an unauthorized charge, or even when I accidentally went over my account balance, they have worked with me to make the situation easy and painless. I expect to continue to bank with Community First for the rest of my life.
A great place to bank.
One of the best things about this credit union is that they are open on Saturdays. This is so convenient to me. They have many benefits for their members. They have financial courses you can take. Online banking which is another feature I really like. They have different types of calculators on their web page for you to use. They have several branches and are eager to help with my financial needs.
Good Alternative To Banks
I switched to this credit union after feeling incredibly frustrated with my bank at the time, and have to say I was pleasantly surprised. You feel absolutely welcome when you walk in the door till the time you leave. Everyone is so nice and cheerful and radiates such positive energy. I found their fees and services to be excellent in comparison to major banks. I did initially have some issues as my debit card didn't come after an enormous amount of time, but they were incredibly helpful and even sent me a new one with expedited service at no cost. I would consider that top notch customer service. The only other issue I've had with this bank was one time on vacation they denied a purchase but that was due to the automated security recognizing a purchase was being made out of state, a quick call to their customer service sorted the whole thing out. I'm so happy I switched.
0 Stars/ Beware
I want to share my experience with Community First and raise awareness about their discriminatory actions, false debt reporting, and collection tactics. Jason Borkovec, Director of Collections, Ryan Olson, Vice President of Consumer Lending, and other employees/executives have shown a complete disregard for consumer rights and the law. They have even claimed that I don't have rights they are bound to respect and insisted that any loan must be completely on their terms, without regard for consumer rights or legal protections.
This behavior directly violates US and Florida law, which explicitly prohibits corporations from having policies inconsistent with the law. As I am determined to make these facts known for justice, I filed a lawsuit citing constitutional violations and demanded a jury trial. However, they are now attempting to dismiss the case using attorney Michael Paul Orta.
Although they initially defaulted on the complaint, the judge allowed them to set aside the default judgment and suggested that I amend my complaint, which I promptly did, exercising my right to do so. Alongside their motion to set aside, they filed a motion to dismiss. While the motion acknowledged my claim in the first paragraph, it argued that it did not warrant relief. However, the subsequent paragraphs appeared hastily put together, containing irrelevant details and incorrect account information.
So I amended my complaint to provide further clarity. Yet, immediately after, Michael Paul Orta filed another motion to dismiss, claiming failure to state a claim. This is a strategy commonly employed by attorneys to swiftly dismiss a case without addressing its merits. Furthermore, Orta publicly labeled my case as frivolous and made insulting comments towards me via email. It is evident that both he and the executives at Community First have been attempting to gaslight me.
Initially, I filed a complaint and my first amended complaint for contract fraud, as they had deceived me about my rights, denying my ability to assert them. However, I subsequently amended my complaint a second time to focus on discrimination. Despite their false statements regarding my rights, they denied me a loan unless I signed the documents with only my signature, excluding the phrase "All Rights Reserved."
Adding to the complexity, despite their knowledge that I have a valid case, both Michael Paul Orta and the executives at Community First have consistently refused to allow me to amend my complaint a second time after he filed his second motion to dismiss. This further demonstrates their attempt to prevent me from presenting a clearer claim. They insist on subjecting my pleadings to the same stringent standards as lawyers, disregarding the well-established case law that pro se litigants cannot be held to the same standards. The court should liberally construe pro se lawsuits, recognizing that self-represented litigants may not have the same legal expertise as lawyers.
Michael Paul Orta's refusal to permit me to amend my complaint substantiates their intent to dismiss the case before a jury can consider it. Their primary objective is to suppress awareness of people's rights and the details of this case. However, I remain undeterred. I am determined to make this information available to the public, and therefore, I will post similar reviews and complaints wherever applicable to ensure others are informed about my experience and the actions of Community First.
Even if this current case is dismissed, I am fully prepared to appeal it all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary or file a new case with a more concise explanation of my claim. I firmly believe that justice will prevail.
Furthermore, I find it imperative to post this information because Community First has refused to remove a negative item from my credit report. Consequently, I will report a negative item on their public profiles to alert others to their practices.
Data as of Q4 2022
Learn why bank health mattersHealth Grade Components
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| NCUA # | 67290 |
| Year Chartered | 1961 |
| Employees | 374 |
| Primary Regulator | |
| Profit Margin | |
|---|---|
| Return on Assets - YTD | 1.33% |
| Return on Equity - YTD | 12.75% |
| Annual Interest Income | $81.1MM |
| Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assets | Q4 2022vs Q4 2021 | $2.54B$2.43B |
| Loans | Q4 2022vs Q4 2021 | $1.80B$1.50B |
| Deposits | Q4 2022vs Q4 2021 | $2.24B$2.12B |
| Equity Capital | Q4 2022vs Q4 2021 | $265.4MM$281.2MM |
| Loan Loss Allowance | Q4 2022vs Q4 2021 | $24.3MM$18.7MM |
| Unbacked Noncurrent Loans | Q4 2022vs Q4 2021 | $8.5MM$4.8MM |
| Real Estate Owned | Q4 2022vs Q4 2021 | $0$0 |
