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LAST UPDATED: June 27th, 2019

Fifty years ago a few astute people at Hewlett-Packard and Tektronix had a vision to strengthen financial futures. They saw the potential of uniting human dedication and technological innovation for a greater good. That's the heart of First Tech Federal Credit Union. What First Tech founders recognized many years ago still holds true today. People within technology-driven companies are wired differently. Their passion for innovation has revolutionized the world, and they're making tomorrow's dreams a reality today. From very early on, technical innovation was used and resulted in First Tech's motto of "Think Forward.” They were one of the first in the banking industry that began using computers for online data processing. By 1979,(then: Tektronix) Employees Federal Credit Union had begun the use of ATMs.

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The Good

  • Membership
  • Account rates
In 1985, the credit union unveiled Call 24 which allowed members to check balances and transfer funds by phone. Unlike a traditional bank, First Tech is governed by a 100% volunteer Board of Directors comprised of First Tech members. They offer branches and ATMs located in 11 different states and one in Puerto Rico. Today, First Tech is nearly 350,000 members strong and serves employees of the world's most forward-thinking companies, including HP, Microsoft, Agilent Technologies, Amazon, Cisco and many more.

Membership

First Tech has specialized in serving the needs of the men and women who drive our technology forward for over a half-century they have come to know and understand what it takes to be the best Credit Union they can. They believe in real relationships with their members and that no gizmo can replace listening to someone and giving them the care and personal attention they need. They don't believe in shortcuts to a members satisfaction and developing those relationships.

Account Rates

First Tech Federal Credit Union has good compared to some other credit unions in the area. They offer free checking and savings accounts as well as Dividend Checking accounts and Care Free savings. Their Dividend Checking accounts are great for people who want to earn a higher dividend with greater account usage, often use a debit card for everyday purchases, and prefer to receive e-Statements. A few of the benefits of the Dividend Checking is you keeping more money in your pocket, there is no minimum balance, you can manage your money from anywhere through secure online banking and mobile apps, and there is no monthly service fee. In order to receive the great APY, you must have complete one of the following during per monthly cycle:
  • 12 debit card purchases, one direct deposit or ACH withdrawal and receipt of electronic statements.
Their Carefree Savings starts with a good APY and earns dividends monthly. They are a great choice for customers that want a standard savings account with easy access to funds while earning dividends and keep less than $5,000 in savings without any early withdraw penalties.
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The Bad

  • Limited locations
  • Mobile technology

Limited Locations

There are only a few things that stand out as not so great about First Tech Federal Credit union. The first thing is that while they are located in 11 states, many of states located further East are actually limited in branch access unless you live in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, or California.

Mobile Technology

Secondly, and this is just being picky, a credit union that services customers that work in developing software and technologies should have a little better quality apps to offer and more state-of-the-art type of online banking software. Their Android app rated well with a 3.5, while the Apple app is barely rated at a 2.5. Their online banking and apps aren't really anything special. They are just same old run-of-the-mill same abilities like other banks and credit Unions.
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The Bottom Line

First Tech Federal Credit Union would be a decent choice for members who live in the qualifying states and work for qualifying industries. Their rates aren't all that competitive and they don't even offer a small dividend on free checking. With the Credit Union being so competitive it would be wise to search out for another that will give better rates, and even more opportunity to earn more. They offer a variety of credit cards and check cards. Besides standard banking services, First Tech also offers investment, insurance, and tax services to its members, including free bill payment service, an account aggregation service, and online access to check images. This proves to their customers that they can trust the quality of service they are going to get with Frist Tech Federal Credit Union.
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William Lawrence Englewood, CO

First tech has fantastic interest rates, especially for the first 10k if you sign up for the Dividend rewards program. The website if very simple and easy to use. Much easier that Wells Fargo! I'm super happy with First Tech

6 years ago