Charlotte Metro Credit Union

The lady at the service counter, Toni was very kind and helpful. She also seemed to be a really good multi-​tasker. She kept the line moving swiftly. The bank itself is where my problem is. No one, over the phone or in the drive through seems as if they know what’s going on. They are not helpful when a problem occurs and basically make you jump trough a bunch of hoops for simple tasks. You are unable to change you PIN over the phone, they make you drive ALL the way into a branch to do it. Very inconvenient. Also I lost my bank card and they sent me a new one in the mail. No one told me, nor did it say on the letter or new card that my old PIN wouldn’t be valid. I was out of town and stick on a weekend not being able to get money out. Horrible!!!

Things started off pretty good at this credit union, until I realized they’re so much like a bank they should just call themselves one! I initially opened an account with CMCU because they had better auto loan rates than other comparable financial institutions. To get that rate, I was forced to open– and keep open– a savings account with a minimum $ 25.00/balance. After dealing with over a year of medical illness and hospitalizations, I fell behind on that loan. I made prior arrangements to pay my auto loan (which I had never been late with before) on such a date and in the amount of xyz, and without so much as a notification from CMCU, when I got a sum of money deposited into my checking account from a relative trying to help out (but had plans on using it for groceries and other necessities), Charlotte Metro went ahead and helped themselves to MY MONEY to get me caught back up on the loan, when I had already made plans to pay the auto loan with an advisor from their loan department. Without that immediate cash, I was unable to buy groceries for my daughter and pet food for my two small dogs, let alone gas to get to work or food for myself. I’m sorry, but putting food into my 3-year-old’s mouth is, and will always be, more important than a less-​than-​30-​day delinquent auto payment. I’ve never heard of any financial institution going into an account (even if they see the money is there) and simply helping themselves to it! Not only did Charlotte Metro do this once, but TWICE! You would think I would have learned my lesson during that first struggle/​hardship that they caused me, but unfortunately it took me twice to learn. Never again! Readers, beware!

I don’t usually take the time to write a post (especially about something like a financial institution), but I really can’t say enough good things about this credit union! I joined today after my friend recommended I check them out, as I was feeling uneasy about the interest rate I secured for a car. Ashley and Martha at the Ashley Road location were wonderfully helpful, customer-​oriented, and were able to cut the other rate in a bit more than half. The level of service, competitiveness of rates and ease of communication is genuinely outstanding. I now intend on making Charlotte Metro my primary financial institution for not only major lending activities, but daily banking as well because of this excellent experience. As a side note to the review discussing «shady» practices in reference to overdraft fees, the CU gives you the option when you open the account to not permit any payments to clear your account (i.e., decline attempted charges) if it will cause an overdraft to ensure no fee can occur. Just an FYI :)

This has been my bank for years, it only gets better as the members increase. There’s ATMs everywhere, few charges, free checking and best of all online check deposit. Most everyone is very friendly and helpful, never any problems here!

I’ve been a CMCU customer for about a year now and could not be happier with the service. I will NEVER do business again with a traditional bank.

CMCU This credit Union is engaging in the same shady business as banks. They process the large amounts first, even if they are more recent than your small charges; all in the hopes of over-​drafting your account then charging you $ 33 fee for each overdraft. Shameful!

So far, so good.
Good service at every branch I’ve visited (WT Harris, Sunset, Huntersville, Central Avenue).

I have been a member for several years and was pleased until recently. Two weeks ago there was a mixup with the credit card I obtained through them and I suspected fraud. I had the card shut down and a new card number was issued. Their credit card is with a bank in
Nebraska, and I found out today that their bill pay system is outsourced to Virginia. They are starting their own credit card next month but I was told that if I want to switch to that one I will have to go through the entire new customer application process. This will really hurt my credit score if I close down the first account and do this. Every penny I own is in this credit union, and I am upset that they could not just transfer me from the card THEY set me up with to their new local card service (there is 0 balance and were never any late payments.). I am also having an issue with this Omaha bank because I paid the balance with my online CMCU bill pay and they say they didn’t receive it. The money was deducted from my account and hopefully this is just a small glitch that will be straightened out. But I thought the main point of a credit union as opposed to a bank was that everything is handled locally. That would have avoided some of my problem. With all this outsourcing I am questioning if I’d do better to switch back to a local bank.

After being a frustrated Citibank customer for over 10 years, our move to Charlotte a while back happily forced me to switch banks. Hooray for Credit Unions!
Compared to other Credit Unions I’ve done business with, CMCU holds up pretty well. They absolutely excel in customer service — they hire smart, happy people who put out positive vibes and treat you like you’re special. Honestly, most CUs have this nailed — it’s an essential part of the experience, obviously — so ya.
They’re growing — there are now 6 locations in Charlotte.
Anyone that lives, works, or goes to school in Charlotte can join — which means anyone in our fair city who wants to opt out of the big bank BS can jump on the CU bandwagon. Although this is a growing trend among CUs, many still serve specific populations (ie, state workers, telecommunications employees, etc) and their families, so it’s rad that CLT has a Credit Union that will work with anyone in the area.
But — c’mon, you knew it was coming — CMCU’s not perfect. Dings include:
Broken or empty ATM’s at peak hours (broken) and Sundays (empty). Only worth mentioning because of the frequency at which these things occur.
Outdated technology at the ATMs (if you need to check balances, make transfers, and withdrawal money, you’ll be sticking your card in and keying your code three times). Website’s a tad slow and anti-​intuitive. But, they do electronic statements, so that’s helpful.
ATM withdrawals are limited to 4 per month before they start assigning fees. Yeah, that’s pretty lame. Getting cash back from a store purchase won’t cost you or count.
Conservative lending practices and membership approval goes with the territory at CUs, so expect a pretty thorough financial check-​up before becoming part of the Union.
All in all, I’m pretty comfy with CMCU and plan on continuing to be a customer. However, if I had access to other more «exclusive» CUs, I’d probably do some exploring.