Hughes Federal Credit Union is headquartered in Tucson and is the 5th largest credit union in the state of Arizona. It is also the 204th largest credit union in the nation. It was established in 1951 and as of March of 2025, it had grown to 319 employees and 192,700 members at 7 locations. Hughes Federal Credit Union's CD rates are 4X the national average, and it has a B+ health rating.
Field of Membership Restrictions
Hughes Federal Credit Union is open to anyone by making a $10 donation to one of the following community Special Interest Groups: Friends of the Oro Valley Public Library, Friends of the Pima County Public Library, or Friends of Green Valley Library. Membership is also open to those who live, work, worship, or attend school in Tucson, Arizona. Employees/retirees/students of more than 850 Sponsor Companies, including Hughes Aircraft, the State of Arizona, and the University of Arizona are also eligible to join.
See current membership details
Excellent Experience
We wanted to open a jumbo CD. I called to have a few questions answered first. The Rep answered all my questions except one. He quickly connected me to someone who did. I applied to join in morning and by late afternoon I had my account number. The next day I wired the money for the CD into the savings account. It arrived a few hours later. One phone call and my CD was opened. Hughes is one of the best credit unions I’ve dealt with.
Happy With New Acct Process
Opened a new CD acct, application was easy and response from HFCU rep the same day. I had a little problem getting my on-line registration to work so called and talked to a rep right away and they solved issue quickly.
Good Experience
Outside membership available by making $10 donation to a local library. CD account requires $50 kept in savings account (pays minimal interest). Both handled during the application process.
Opening process was a mix of online application and live phone verification with a representative. There was an issue with the application max amount limit check and if you run into it, just put in values that work and you can fix it during the phone verification. They will do a soft pull when they get the application - no need to unfreeze credit. The phone verification happened within a day and was very professional. The rep was very helpful and knowledgeable. Fund transfer was initiated after this verification.
Online banking system seems comprehensive and well-organized.
Overall, happy with the rate, opening process, and service.
Horrible Customer Service
Hughes has horrible customer service. It’s almost like they train and encourage/ reward their employees to be bullies who gaslight.
It takes 5-10 contacts to get very simple issues resolved.
I have experienced too many issues to count but a brief overview:
they did not process my proof of home owners insurance on a HELOC for months after multiple but sent nasty letters repeatedly for their mistake. Bank never took accountability for their error.
Their bill pay function does not work, it never indicates when a bill has actually been paid so what’s the point? Customer service reps wouldn’t look into it after multiple contacts and tried to blame the issue on user error.
They had incorrect information about my account in their own system causing my card to be declined for months and instead of fixing it they made me get multiple new debit cards. Customer service reps wouldn’t look into it after multiple contacts and tried to blame the issue on user error-Notice a theme?
Their fraud system doesn’t flag for actual fraud but will flag every box store purchase you make, I went through a three year period where my cards were unusable because of these issues. Customer service reps wouldn’t look into it after multiple contacts and tried to blame the issue on user error-once again notice a theme?
And dealing with these things is awful because the customer service reps only want to get you off the phone after doing the absolute minimum. This is the worst banking experience I’ve ever had. They are a joke. Avoid at all costs.
Data as of Q1 2025
Learn why bank health mattersHealth Grade Components
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| NCUA # | 7531 |
| Year Chartered | 1951 |
| Employees | 319 |
| Primary Regulator | |
| Profit Margin | |
|---|---|
| Return on Assets - YTD | 0.54% |
| Return on Equity - YTD | 5.61% |
| Annual Interest Income | $42.7MM |
| Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assets | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $2.46B$2.3B |
| Loans | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $2.08B$1.74B |
| Deposits | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $2.19B$2.04B |
| Equity Capital | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $229.6MM$225.3MM |
| Loan Loss Allowance | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $37.3MM$30.9MM |
| Unbacked Noncurrent Loans | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $28.2MM$27.9MM |
| Real Estate Owned | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $667K$0 |