USF Federal Credit Union (USF FCU) has opened its doors to Odessa.
“The Odessa/Land O’ Lakes/Lutz area is growing by leaps and bounds,” says Bill Steiger, director of Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications for USF FCU.
“We thought that was a perfect place to open a branch and move into that market.”
USF FCU was founded in 1959 by 16 members, with the total assets only being $505. Now, the credit union has over 67,000 members and over $1 billion in assets. Besides Odessa, USF FCU has branches in Tampa, New Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Orlando.
Steiger says credit unions like USF FCU offer anything a typical bank would offer, such as mortgages, loans, and savings accounts.
“You name it, and we probably offer it,” says Steiger.
According to Steiger, the main difference between banks and credit unions is that banks are for-profit institutions, while credit unions are not-for-profit.
“USF FCU is a financial cooperative owned and controlled by its members,” says Steiger.
One of the biggest ways USF FCU helps to serve its members is through its digital banking program.
“We stay on the cutting edge of that,” says Steiger.
Some of the key features of the credit union’s digital banking program is transferring money to/from internal and external accounts, paying bills with your checking account, viewing eStatements, creating budgets, and so much more.
USF FCU also can do new mortgages for people looking for homes. And with the housing market being a hot commodity right now, the credit union says it is here to help.
“Some people are spending half their income on rent. The one way to escape that is to actually find and buy a home, and have a set mortgage. Your mortgage payment isn’t going to change, unlike your rent payment,” says Steiger.
Another way USF FCU helps its members is by providing financial education and wellness, and making sure they stay up to date on all things financial.
The credit union achieves this with blog posts on its website on topics such as the difference between short- and long-term auto loans, ways to save in college, and fixing bad money habits.
For more information, go to USFFCU.com.
Federally insured by NCUA
