Lower East Side People's FCU

This review is mostly for Katherine Cordero - what an incredible mortgage officer who has gone above and beyond to make sure we make it to closing. She has carefully scrutinized everything and caught errors no one else has, and you should see how she takes command of an email thread. Support your local credit unions and also thank you again Katherine for everything so far.

Discriminatory practices are being applied, as the bank refuses to honor its own stated requirements and standards of service. While claiming to serve the people of New York, their actions suggest otherwise. I strongly recommend that others consider utilizing alternative banking services.

Sarah was super helpful! She went above and beyond to assist me, it was a pleasure speaking with her. She has helped me to remember there are still good people in this world! Luis at the location of 37 Avenue B assisted me. He was polite and very professional. It’s representatives such as the two I named in this review that’ll keep customers from taking their business elsewhere. Awesome service Sara and Luis!!

I been with them over 20 years. Every deposit in my working life went to them. I have recruited over 30 new members and promoted them in the community. However, this community bank won’t provide any credit assistance despite my decent salary. No offer to assist with credit recovery. This clearly violates the Community Reinvestment Act - Where it encourages insured depository institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they are chartered. I have to complain about this…

Even though I'm not a direct member of the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union, my experience with them has been nothing short of impressive. As a member of a different credit union, I appreciate the interconnectedness of credit unions that allows for reduced fees and cooperative financial services. This is one of the reasons why I was drawn to use their services when I was in the area. Upon entering the branch, I was welcomed by a warm and professional staff that was eager to assist. Their space was clean, organized, and had a community-oriented atmosphere. The speed and efficiency with which they handled transactions was commendable. Additionally, there's a distinct sense of camaraderie and community support that you can feel when engaging with their team. The minimal fees, thanks to the credit union collaboration, are a testament to how financial institutions should prioritize the needs of their members over profits. It's refreshing to know that there are institutions like the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union that champion the ethos of credit unions by putting their community first. I would highly recommend their services to anyone in the area, whether you're a member or not. They embody what a credit union should be: community-driven, member-focused, and dedicated to providing exceptional financial services.

I honestly have had so many negative experiences here that I can't get into all of them, suffice to say they are unprofessional. I recommend if you use them go over your accounts with a fine tooth comb every month to catch their errors on your account.

The bank need to improve in answering calls. They are horrible in picking up their phone when customers are reaching out to the bank. In this Era people should not have to leave a voice message to the front desk when the Office is open. This part of their service sucks and need to be change since it defeat the purpose of referring client to such a bank if their services are not well rounded. They need to work on the Harlem branch because the waiting period is a turn off because of long line with less staff. There is no posters outside to should people the location of the Harlem bank it took me 3 different trips to locate the Bank since the local neighbors don't know about the bank or where is located. It can not be a neighborhood bank if the neighbors does not know about the bank.

I have been a member for two years now... I left all the big banks for good. I don't see myself banking with a traditional bank for years to come. If it doesn't work out with lespfcu, I may go to another credit union. The perks are the small staff. You can get to know the representstives by name pretty quickly so you know just who to address when you need assistance on your accounts. I call and leave a voicemail or I email directly to resolve any issues. It would be nice if they had a savings account that accumulated interest. All in all, I have been stress free with my financial management system since switching to this credit union. If you need anything, just ask them! Put it in writing or call. They have shared ATM branches all over the country. The mobile app is excellent, simple and to the point. The app has remote deposit and transfer within your account features. Super helpful if you're not close to the place. Please keep up the good work, LESPFCU.

omg??? does any one pick up the phone at this bank .the worst customer service in bank history. they just dont pick up ...wow UPDATE: I have been calling ever since this review, and as always the receptionist is still on vacation and no one picks up the phone.

Absolute worst customer service ever! No one will ever answer the telephone if you try to call the main branch - and the in-app messaging is useless as never any response to that either. This attitude provides little faith that they can responsively manage banking functions. Closing my account and moving it elsewhere.

Neighborhood credit union's are supposed to be a place that allows for banking in a specific community. They are, in an ideal world, supposed to supply access to capital and tools for those who may not otherwise have access to such capital. My mother is mentally ill. Most days, she is fine. In fact, you might never know. So when her illness strikes, it can be unexpected and surprising. In fact, sometimes, it can be pretty intense. Other times, disaster can strike before one realizes what is occurring. Under the wrong circumstances, this can have horrific results, especially with respect to the treatment of someone you love due to fear or bullying. I walked my mother to her bank, Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union a couple years ago on a day that was not so go for her. She needed to get money to go shopping. I walked her up to the teller. We had discussed that she did not have an ID as she lost her wallet and because she has the illness she had, I worried that if some Police officer arrested her or she was hurt, she might not be readily identified. She assured me she had something to identify her. So we are at the teller. My mom gives them her bank slip and the teller asks for ID. To my horror, my mother pulls out a cut out from a cereal box. It still had writing on one side. On the other side, she had taped her picture and written her information in a colored marker. I was so thrown off guard that I was silent. The teller looked at her, looked at her "ID" and then dispensed her money. She smiled. My mother smiled. She said thank you and left. Outside the bank, I asked my mother what that object she presented was. She said it was her ID. I told her it was a cereal box and not valid ID. Her response: "It worked didn't it?" She was right. It worked. Mostly because the people at the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union treated my mother with respect and dignity and understood that she is fighting bigger fights in life than those in the mainstream. They knew her and knew she was not having the best day. It was at that moment for the first time, that I appreciated community credit unions and the need for them. They can be really important to under served communities. Now my mother has proper ID and a bank that cares.

I closed my Bank of America account recently and took my money--what little I have--here. I give them some slack about slow service because now they're only five blocks from my house. They only have one branch--well, two; the other is up in Harlem--but through a deal that other credit unions share, I can get cash at an ATM in any McDonald's with no transaction fee--which is pretty great, if you ask me. There's also an ATM less than a block from my house, and it dispenses bills in increments of $5. Did I mention that they turned 25 a few weeks ago? The space is furnished with old wood teller windows and a clock, because this used to be a Manufacturers Hanover branch a long time ago. I've been with them less than a month, so I'll update my review accordingly after I've been with them awhile; I actually moved to this bank on the recommendation of a financial guy I know, and I'm happy to know my money is going back into my community.

They offer a clean bank with friendly service for people in the neighborhood. Sometimes there is a line, most of the time you can be in and out under 10 minutes.

Strange financial institution. Couldn't open an account because I make too much money? Not sure how that serves their social justice goals. Only poor people need social justice apparently. I wish them luck as they pursue bank customers that don't have money.

Stay away from this bank. I had a business account there and I was disappointed with the service. I wouldn't deal with this bank ever again. We live in a modern age of fast and efficient service and that was not my experience there. Sadly I returned to using a national chain because I found that more reliable.

The hell with this place. Needed quarters for laundry. One teller "had no quarters;" the other wouldn't give me change because I don't have an account. Basta!

I've never dealt with worse customer service, banking-wise. I was advised by a credit counselor to take out a secured loan and did so here, since it's in my neighborhood and I wanted to support a small banking institution. I realize that sometimes small credit unions don't have their stuff together, but this is ridiculous. After six months of paying on the loan, I got a call telling me that I was delinquent. I have this on auto pay, so not likely. Instead, they informed me that I had been paying the wrong amount by $0.03 and so was being viewed as delinquent. For $0.03.Now, I set this up for the amount they provided. They don't send monthly bills, or even statements. The only paper trail is a little receipt that could have come from the bodega, stating that a payment has been made. After several calls to try to sort this out I've gotten nowhere. The loan manager doesn't return calls. The CEO, when I reported the unprofessionalism of the employees, told me she didn't have time for this. I asked if this was representative of the way they treat customers and she said, "Only the rude ones." This is not my first credit union experience, nor my first loan, but it's my last with this bank. Avoid at all costs.

I left Chase years ago and in principle, moved my banking to a credit union. I have had endless problems with this credit union-- as others have said, they never answer the phone, or return calls, the numerous security checks to get online are beyond anything I have ever seen or heard of-- they are many steps each time. And if you make a mistake, they freeze your account and you have to go to the branch to remove the hold. My latest problem was that I was stuck in Nashville alone, with limited cash, and they froze my debit card-- When I finally reached them, I was told that to use your bank/ credit card outside the NYC area you have to put a letter on file in advance, specifying where you are going! Otherwise of there is activity from another area, they freeze your account. First, this is rediculous. But secondly, they never put out any correspondence concerning thiis unique policy. I believe deeply in community based credit unions as opposed to banks--but this place is so unprofessional and. badly managed that I am taking my banking to another socially responsible institution. Do not go here.

I wish to commend Lower eastsie people's credit union for their change in policy. The new location on E117th street is very nicely dec orated and the service is good. I also phoned last week and was pleasantly surprised to get some one on the other end to answer any questions I had. I will continue to do business with them.

So far, so good. I called to order checks the other day and an actual person answered the phone on the second or third ring. It kinda threw me. We actually chatted about the weather for a minute. Weird and pleasant. No problems with this place at all. I'm sure my former mega-bank is not really missing me, but it still feels good to have dumped them.

This week has been a cluster fcuk to put it mildly. I saw a bunch of sloppy looking guys come in to "upgrade" the system and the upgrade has been sloppy too. SMH I've finally had some time to review my experiences on Yelp and sadly the bad is currently outweighing the bad.

A serious nightmare!!! First chance I get I'm switching banks... customer service is horrible and management is never available when you need to speak to one... this banks logo needs to be switched because they are not in anyway "for the people"

horrible customer service. i was interested in applying for a mortgage loan for a coop apt that I was already in contract with. i never got contacted back to begin the process, after the building sent the loan manager all the building's paperwork for review. i even followed up and sent an email to the loan manager and till this day, almost 3 months later, i havent received a response.

What a nightmare this place is. I too am a small buisness that wanted to support a federal credit union but my god this place needs to tighten up. Customer service is horrible, Tellers are slow and rude, the vibe there is indifferent if not impartial. I dont expect people to be nice but rude is just straight up intolerable. My main problem has been with trying to close my account which has been a huge ordeal and no one seems to know what is going on. I went into the branch to close the account, because I had a pending transaction the branch manager suggested I write my info on a peice of notebook paper, once the transaction cleared I'd be sent a check, did this happen? NOPE! In fact he lost the paper or has no recollection of it because when I called back he suggested I fax him all the info I already gave him after he said he's email me, which he never did, so another call back and I speak with the only competent employee who is having me do all the same stuff I have already done. Nightmare folks! Better to go with a bank that knows what theyre doing. Its a huge waste of time to deal with such an inorganized place. Get it together LESPFC!

Shame in LES People's FCU. My experience with them has been hands down the worst banking experience I've ever had. I'm currently trying to reach someone there so I can close down my accounts, but no one picks up the phone and every single one of their customer service voicemail boxes are full. In the past, it has taken them over three weeks to respond to emails. I moved my accounts from Bank of America to this credit union last August because I wanted to move away from big banks. I've been so disappointed. First of all, you have to go into the branch to do almost anything. I recently had fraud on my debit card (which I noticed myself--the credit union's fraud protection didn't even catch it) and when I called to cancel the card, they asked me if I could come in to fill out a dispute form. It's 2017, People's FCU. We really need to be able to fill out a digital dispute form. Luckily, the fraud was associated with the iTunes store and someone else's Apple ID so Apple had already reversed the charges. The credit union also added insult to injury by not replacing my debit card for 7-10 business days ("If you need money in the meantime," said the rep, "could you just come into the branch and get cash?"). They close at 4:00pm, which means there's no one there if you have needs outside of 9:00am to 4:00pm. I've opened up new accounts at an online bank and I cannot wait to close my accounts at this credit union. I wanted this to be a much better experience than this was.

Always a delay in account update. I hesitate to deposit any money I may need immediately. I can never get it out in a timely fashion. ] From the reviews `here, you need a penis to get proper services. I would advise those persons without one, should pick one up at "Fantasy World", before re entering the establishment.

Great mission. Slow execution at times. Adding electronic deposit to the mobile app would add a lot of value for members.

I have to say this bank is the worse by far. For one if you have a check deposited in your account, you would receive it 3 business days after the deposit no matter what. This just shows, how the bank is unable to keep with current time demand. Secondly, I have both a checking and saving account at this bank. I remember I called to see what was my current balance in my checking because I never put money in the saving account. Luiz, a worker they told me the account and informed me rudely that my saving was not up to standard to the bank requirement and I need to transfer some of the money from my checking to my saving, and if I wanted him to do that. I told him nicely that no I do not want you to do that, and he rudely threaten that if he does see the same amount there tomorrow and I have not transferred money into my saving he would personally do that for me. I was so shocked and we had a screaming match about my money. Him telling me he would take charge of my account and money and do what he wants to do, knowing what he will do goes against my wishes. I was so angry I asked to speak to a manager and he lied and said he was the manager until he let it slip about a supervisor and I told him to transfer me to her. I told the supervisor about what Luiz, the stupid guy said and she calmed me down and said he wont do that or they wont either. How can a bank have control of moving your money without your consent? Plus how dare does Luiz talk to me in a belittling tone and making it sound as if I was slow and stupid I could not grasp what he was trying to say when it seemed he was the one slow to understand. Plus on top of this I have to say this place is prejudice to other people who are not spanish. I have been at this bank for three years and all the time when I come in there, they always give me the feeling of not being welcomed there. I chose to take my money to another bank because this bank has no idea on how to offer great customer service or being a great bank. What losers, all of them at this bank. If anyone open a bank there, its not worth it, wanting to support a smalll bank or just because its close to your house. it is not worth it believe me.

No problems with this place yet. I've had them for about a year after canceling on Bank of America (good riddance). They even helped me do my taxes. Really happy to be off the big banks and supporting the community. For those of you who don't know the difference- banks exist to make a profit. Credit unions exist to serve their customers. No-brainer.

Really nice helpful people, and you can actually call them, unlike the huge banks and their awful outsourced call centers!

The $5 annual fee came up I asked to close the account. They said there would be no fee so I didn't. However they did charge that fee and because of that I didn't have the minimum amount and they kept charging for that also. Pretty terrible to deal with.

Absolutely atrocious customer service. Good luck getting anyone on the phone, if you should ever feel like getting a question answered. Don't bother sending an email -- a simple question will take them up to seven days to respond to. Your best bet is to go down there, and deal with them in person. Expect to wait forever for any assistance, though. I used to really believe in the mission of this CU and I never had any problems with it before. Now, problems are all I get. Something changed in the last year or so, they've just become horrible. I don't know what caused it but I know I'll be taking my money elsewhere and if they don't shape up, a lot of people will be doing the same.

I'm happy to do some of my banking here, as I've lived in the neighborhood for over 25 years and want to support the small and mighty. HOWEVER-- the customer service is inconsistent, and even worse, since it's a bank, information being communicated is incorrect. If I physically come in to the bank and deposit money in person and ask the teller, "will this prevent me from being charged a fee?" and the teller says YES-- then don't then charge me the fee. It may only be a few bucks to some people, but I'm scraping by over here, and NYC is becoming suffocating with it's high prices. I don't need to be squeezed by a small neighborhood credit union. ALSO-- don't tell me you don't have the power to refund when you know you made a mistake. The bank isn't being run by robot overlords using humans as slaves. You guys can go in to the system and make the adjustment. That's good customer service, and would have gained you a customer who will continue to use the bank services and recommend to friends. Not so sure now. And reading some of the other comments that confirm my feelings, doesn't inspire confidence.

Love this place. Easy and free access at all coop ATMS (e.g., McDonalds and 7-11) and also Citibank! No monthly fees, and a discounted Citibike membership too. Plus, who doesn't love an economic justice mission!

Their customer service availability is limited, as is the norm for smaller banks. I really value what the bank does for the community and the fact that my money is not going to supporting oil pipelines, like all other big banks do.

I have been happy with LES credit union, except for one big draw back for me. I don't mind that they only have two locatios, or that I have to use McDonalds no fee ATMs (I wouldn't be caught dead in one otherwise). However the fact that it takes at up to a week sometimes for a check or even cash deposit to clear has been causing me problems from the beginning. I wish that I didn't have to go back to big banks, however this one draw back that I can't put up with anymore.

this is the best bank i have ever had. they know me when i come in. they are friendly. they listen. it is a lean operation. they take care of any problems like attempted fraud immediately. they notify me if there is any and block it-- i've never lost any money. they do taxes for people in the community. they were the only bank that would serve lower eastside for decades. never any problems. people are friendly. i've seen some people who don't understand come in and be frustrated because they think it is citibank. if you are from this community or have become a member of it, they will understand you and you will understand them. they are great! i am proud to be a shareholder. will never go back to corporate.

$30 overdraft fee for EACH and EVERY transaction that is over your checking account amount. EVEN If you have PLENTY to cover it IN other accounts!! Unbelievable. I thought the point of a credit union was to bolster it's members up and help them out? Not to charge them big bank fees. WTF?

I love my credit union! There branches are a bit of an ugly betty but their service is awesome! Everytime I stop by or call they know my name, they offer courses for personal financial development and they are invested in the community!

Always have to wait for ever! I have been sitting here for half an hour, i think the whole staff goes on lunch at the same time, i thought this guy was with a customer, turns out he was just chatting with another employee, so unprofessional, thank god im here to close my account

exactly. "Eek. Methinks not." This organization may be user-friendly to some people, (it is rumored by the way that they don't pay their rent...! More later about that...). But this bank has not been easy or even REASONABLE to me. They can't count. They can't keep track of my money. They don't accept AFT's. (Wha???) And while I put great importance on my acting in a friendly-manner in this world, this crew has been rude rude rude. I can sit there for 1/2 an hour easy to be seen, plus, I HAVE to be seen for things every month because they can't keep my banking straight. I'm getting out. I tried and tried to make this work but they really don't know what they are doing. It's kind of scary that they are even in this business. I recommend you find yourself another bank. (I hear Amalgamated Bank is a socially responsible outfit.) If you have a union, they may have a credit union. This 'neighborhood' one is not a neighbor.

A nightmare from start to finish. Customer service? Don't hold your breath. I opened an account here to support a small banking institution in a neighborhood I've lived in for over 20 years. What a mistake. A friend also recently opened a savings account here. He just got a statement from them saying he bounced a check for $200. He doesn't even have a checking account with them, so obviously never wrote any checks. This is just one example of the problems and miscommunications that have occurred. There are so many that if I start writing them all it will just give me agita.