Sound Credit Union is headquartered in Tacoma and is the 7th largest credit union in the state of Washington. It is also the 153rd largest credit union in the nation. It was established in 1940 and as of March of 2025, it had grown to 419 employees and 170,973 members at 27 locations. Sound Credit Union's money market rates are 5X the national average, and it has an A health rating.
Field of Membership Restrictions
Membership in Sound Credit Union is open to individuals who work, live, or attend school in the state of Washington. Employees of more than 30 Select Employer Groups also qualify, as do direct relatives of membership-eligible individuals.
See current membership details
Online Portal Is Frustrating; Transfers Canceled Without Notice. It Shouldn't Be This Hard.
I've been with Sound Credit union for a few years. It's not been a horrible experience, but it's not been great.
The online portal is hard to use. 2FA is required for every sign in, requiring a phonecall with a robotic voice that takes forever (Google Authenticator is supposed to be an option but fails to work).
At times, the voice option has gone done, meaning I'm locked out of the portal.
Tellers at the banks I've been to have been nice, but I also had someone flat out refuse to see if they had a dollar coin in their till.
Latest frustration was a change in their system for external transfers. It stopped all ongoing transfers I had, meaning I missed payments to others. There was no notification about this new system, or that they'd just erase what was already setup. This happened to another person I know with SCU.
Looking at another credit union now.
Nope, No Different Than Any Other Mega Bank
No difference between SCU and any other big bank/financial institution. When I used to have over 250K in a high interest savings account with them, they would bend over backwards to resolve any issues. I would get phone calls from the district manager within an hour. Now that I've taken that money out and invested it, they can't be bothered to do even the most basic things, and when they make a mistake (Which they do surprisingly often) they are adamant in their refusal to take any responsibility. Most recently I was disputing a charge for a purchase I made while raveling in China. I filled out all of the paperwork for the dispute, they credited the amount back while they investigated. They then sent another letter asking for more information. This was exactly the information they had asked for in order to file the dispute, literally verbatim. That was sent in. Six weeks later I get a letter saying that they have closed the case because they have been unsuccessful in their attempts to contact me for more information (i.e., a single letter that was replied to). They included in this letter an incorrect date that they credited my account as well as an amount that was more than was nowhere near the credited amount. The letter said that they were going to debit my account for this new sum. The letter was dated 1/30, but post marked 2/6 and they were going to take action 2/10. I called and they initially told me that the account was in fact still open, that they had received my follow-up letter but it was after the due date (Not possible) and this whole thing was simply one typo. When I corrected the service person that there were multiple typos and errors in their letter, I immediately got attitude. She then changed the story and told me that the dispute had been closed and they may or may not decide to reopen it. I asked to speak to a supervisor and she put me on indefinite hold (I gave up after 23 minutes). I'll be going across the street to the other credit union.
Sound Credit Union Will Retain Your Debit Card No Notice
A credit union that will retain your ATM debit card with no notice whatsoever. The customer should be given a chance to resolve their account issues with this credit union in order to reopen their ATM debit card rather than wasting time and resources to be issued a new one. This is absolutely unacceptable, and should be federally illegal!
Betrayed Customer
AVOID! Despite having diligently paid off 95% of my auto loan, Sound Credit Union unexpectedly repossessed my vehicle. Furthermore, the encounter with their representative, Leah, left much to be desired in terms of professionalism and courtesy.
As a loyal member of Sound Credit Union, I expected a certain level of transparency and fairness in their dealings. Regrettably, this was not the case when they repossessed my vehicle despite my auto loan being nearly fully paid off. The lack of clear communication and warning before initiating such drastic action was highly unexpected and left me feeling frustrated and betrayed. This incident has significantly tarnished my perception of the credit union's commitment to its members' financial well-being.
My interactions with Leah, a representative of Sound Credit Union, were marked by her consistently rude and unprofessional behavior. Throughout the process, she exhibited a complete lack of empathy, failed to provide clear explanations, and often seemed disinterested in addressing my concerns. Her dismissive attitude and abrasive demeanor were both surprising and disheartening, leaving me feeling unsupported and undervalued as a member of the credit union.
A fundamental pillar of any reputable financial institution is the provision of exceptional customer service. Unfortunately, Sound Credit Union fell short in this regard. The absence of proactive communication, adequate explanation, and genuine efforts to resolve the issue further compounded my disappointment.
Regrettably, my experience with Sound Credit Union has been unsatisfactory, primarily due to the unprofessional conduct of Leah and the unexpected repossession of my vehicle despite having paid off 95% of my auto loan. The lack of transparency, poor communication, and dismissive attitude have left me questioning the credit union's commitment to its members' financial well-being. I sincerely hope that Sound Credit Union takes these concerns seriously and implements measures to improve its customer service standards, ensuring that other members do not have to endure similar frustrations.
Data as of Q1 2025
Learn why bank health mattersHealth Grade Components
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| NCUA # | 66331 |
| Year Chartered | 1940 |
| Employees | 419 |
| Primary Regulator | |
| Profit Margin | |
|---|---|
| Return on Assets - YTD | 0.43% |
| Return on Equity - YTD | 4.43% |
| Annual Interest Income | $38.7MM |
| Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assets | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $3.16B$2.98B |
| Loans | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $2.52B$2.23B |
| Deposits | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $2.72B$2.52B |
| Equity Capital | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $309.3MM$291.4MM |
| Loan Loss Allowance | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $21.7MM$18.1MM |
| Unbacked Noncurrent Loans | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $25.6MM$11.1MM |
| Real Estate Owned | Q1 2025vs Q1 2024 | $0$0 |
