Valley Strong Credit Union is headquartered in Bakersfield and is the 19th largest credit union in the state of California. It is also the 106th largest credit union in the nation. It was established in 1940 and as of June of 2023, it had grown to 589 employees and 298,607 members at 27 locations. Valley Strong Credit Union's money market rates are 2X the national average, and it has a B health rating.
Field of Membership Restrictions
Membership in Valley Strong Credit Union is open to anyone in San Joaquin Valley.
See current membership details
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Great Place To Bank
Great organization that contributes to the community and cares about its members.
Kern Schools Federal Credit Union
I love using Kern Schools for all of my banking needs. The employees were super helpful in getting me set up with an account. They were there to answer any and all questions that I had. I appreciate that I am talking to local people who are actually involved with the company versus a large bank who has employees that are not well known to management. I like the ease of transactions and the availability of the mobile site. I have never had an issue with my account, but used to incur many issues when using a larger bank. I have also noticed that there are not a ton of hidden fees with this bank. I would gladly recommend this bank to anyone local who is looking to switch banks.
Always available
Kern Schools Federal Credit Union is an open bank that is always available. They have been there for me through many experiences. On a certain experience they helped me in the best way possible. I was traveling abroad and I had my wallet stolen. I was left without any cash and I did not knokw what to do. I ended up calling the bank to see what could be done. The service was spectacular. Not only did they confirm my identity over the phone with the various question, but they were able to allow me to withdraw cash from an ATM machine in Europe with a special pin code that I was provided. This allowed me to continue my trip. Within a week when I was back in the States I already had a new ATM card in the mail. Great experience with an awesome bank.
Kern School FCU, good job!
I have had an account at Kern Schools Federal Credit Union for 16 years (since I was a teenager). I have never had a serious problem with them. I recommend them to anyone in Kern County who wants to get away from the annoyance of dealing with a national bank. They started out as a credit union just for teachers in Kern County, but were so popular with their members that they went on to open membership up to everyone. I worked for this credit union for 5 years and I can tell you, the employees go the extra mile and always try their hardest to help you no matter the situation. I have heard all the horror stories from my friends and family who have accounts at the "big banks" and I always wonder why they continue to keep their money at these places when there is a local credit union that cares so much more about the satisfaction of individual members. They will charge you overdraft fees, but they aren't as high as the regular banks will charge you. Any the few times I have had my account overdrafted because of a personal error, they have actually reversed them for me. Altogether, I have had an extremely positive experience with Kern Schools Federal Credit Union.
Okay Credit Union.
Their customer service is great, with someone almost always answering the phone when you call but other than that they're pretty basic. Kern Schools direct deposits don't kick in until 7:30AM each day. I get paid once a month and the day I get paid billers start charging my card on that day. Kern Schools will deny payments for all those billers because of insufficient funds and at 7:30AM the money is barley deposited. I have to call each one of those billers and tell them the funds are now available each month. Their products lose when compared to Kern FCU and their fees are much higher than Kern FCU. I moved to Kern FCU now and I'm glad I did.
Transaction Manipulations
Was or seemed like a good banking choice until I witnessed on my account that my transactions were manipulated in order for the bank to charge me upwards of $150 in fee’s. Trust is now gone, I’ll have to watch everything daily until I transfer my family accounts elsewhere but I guess I understand now how they could afford to give every new member $250 or $500 shared if a business is referred…. Shady.
Data as of Q2 2023
Learn why bank health mattersHealth Grade Components
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| NCUA # | 68712 |
| Year Chartered | 1940 |
| Employees | 589 |
| Primary Regulator | |
| Profit Margin | |
|---|---|
| Return on Assets - YTD | 0.09% |
| Return on Equity - YTD | 1.44% |
| Annual Interest Income | $97.6MM |
| Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assets | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $4.08B$4.01B |
| Loans | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $3.30B$2.93B |
| Deposits | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $3.52B$3.28B |
| Equity Capital | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $262.1MM$314.9MM |
| Loan Loss Allowance | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $0$10.9MM |
| Unbacked Noncurrent Loans | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $33.7MM$21.1MM |
| Real Estate Owned | Q2 2023vs Q2 2022 | $0$0 |
