Freedom Northwest Credit Union is headquartered in Kamiah and is the 8th largest credit union in the state of Idaho. It is also the 776th largest credit union in the nation. It was established in 1963 and as of December of 2021, it had grown to 44 employees and 11,680 members at 2 locations. Freedom Northwest Credit Union has a B+ health rating.
Related Posts
12/3 - Freedom Northwest Lowers Rates On Rate Rise Money Market Accounts
10/26 - Freedom Northwest CU: "Rate Rise Money Market" account -- up to 1.25% APY
3/20 - Freedom Northwest CU Offer Partial Penalty-Free CD Withdrawals.
3/5 - Freedom Northwest Credit Union Update
3/5 - New CD Rate Sheet At Freedom Northwest Credit Union
3/4 - Freedom Northwest CU Still Offering Great Nationally Available CD Rates
Mariah - Top Lender
I sell Real Estate and Mariah is the only lender I use or would ever use again when it comes to land, toys, condos ect ect, very personable and a quick closer nothing but 5 stars!!!!
Amazing Credit Union
Freedom Northwest CU burst onto the scene and lit up the DA.com Blog in March 2020 as the result of offering top CD rates, but as I write this review there is only one other review posted here in the Review section. As time passes it is probably less likely that someone researching this institution will end up finding that part of this site, so I wanted to reference that resource.
Like many users of DA.com I am on the lookout for the best CD rates nationally and am ready to move money fairly quickly to capture them. I am not looking for a new, primary financial institution, so my reviews do not consider other services such as loans or checking accounts.
Freedom was the easiest and fastest Credit Union, that I have encountered, to join and get a CD established.
The new member process needs to be initiated by a phone call. Their website does not accommodate that. But they handle the basics on the phone and through follow-up emails with documentation. Many have commented that they got through the process and initiated funding all in the same day.
Membership is accomplished with a fee of $30, which Freedom splits into a $20 qualifying contribution, $5 fee to Freedom and $5 minimum balance in your membership savings account. These small costs are worth it in return for speed. Also, unlike many CU's, they do NOT do a hard credit pull as part of membership application. They use ChexSystems to decide on membership application. Another delay reducer (unless, I suppose, you have a negative rating there). You can fund your accounts by ACH or wire transfer which Freedom will initiate for you.
Having done that, you can then apply for online banking, which again is not done online, but requires a phone call to get the authorizing documents (by email). But that too is smooth and fast and once set up you can establish ACH transfer capability, to permit conventional online account management (through your member savings a/c). Although phone calls are needed, as indicated above, it is almost a joy to go through this step as the service reps are pleasant and helpful. The online software is efficient and easy to use.
It Doesn't Get Any Better !!
Was attracted to their 3.2% 5-year CD offering. Called to see if I was eligible to be a member and what it would take to become a member an open an account with them.
With their help, I was able to become a member, wire them the funds, and get my CD opened all in the same day - something I've never been able to accomplish in the past !!
Highly recommended for that reason.
Beware Advertised Rate
The RISING RATE money market is advertised with a 1.25% rate. This is WAY misleading. It is the max rate that you can earn, but only on the money market portion. Don't stop there.
FIRST you must start off with 10K in the money market, then YOU MUST open a checking with 15K average min balance that pays you ZERO.
They don't put the two together, but when you do, the APY is $125 divided by $25,000 = .005
It is unfortunate that they do not handle these two REQUIRED balances into a STEP rate with the REAL APY being shown.
Horrible Customer Service
In my opinion and experience, Freedom NW Credit Union will screw anyone they can. They are horrible at giving home loans and I truly believe they do not know what they are doing. Do yourself a favor, if someone suggests you use them for a home loan---run as fast as you can to get away from them. You would be much better off buying a tent and living under a bridge somewhere. I wish I could give them a lower rating. I truly plan to give them some free advertising as often as I can.
Data as of Q4 2021
Learn why bank health mattersHealth Grade Components
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| NCUA # | 65722 |
| Year Chartered | 1963 |
| Employees | 44 |
| Primary Regulator | |
| Profit Margin | |
|---|---|
| Return on Assets - YTD | 2.66% |
| Return on Equity - YTD | 32.93% |
| Annual Interest Income | $17.4MM |
| Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assets | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $426.0MM$293.3MM |
| Loans | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $341.7MM$229.2MM |
| Deposits | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $347.2MM$235.1MM |
| Equity Capital | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $32.6MM$22.1MM |
| Loan Loss Allowance | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $668.00K$473.00K |
| Unbacked Noncurrent Loans | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $1.5MM$874.00K |
| Real Estate Owned | Q4 2021vs Q4 2020 | $100.00K$8.00K |