Bank-Fund Staff Federal Credit Union

This is one of the worst banking you can find anywhere. Extremely inferior website, very poor call center for when there are issues — and there end up being many. Stay away. They are only in business due to captive biz from World Bank and IMF staff. If you have used a real online banking, you will immediately know that the one here sucks — its actually like someone tried to make it the worst… Ugh

This is only my third month in DC/​USA, and Bank-​Fund folks are just about the only positive experience I have had. Contrary to all the horrible things I heard about the difficulty in getting a credit card, bank a/​c, etc — it was a breeze. They sorted us out within an hour or so. I walked out with a Debit Card. The Credit Card person called in 2 – 3 days and the card was issued in about a week. Their online banking is one of the simplest to use — it probably does not have all the bells and whistles but I personally don’t need them. They also seem to have a good home loan service which I will avail eventually.
If you are a World Bank Group staff moving from overseas — don’t go anywhere else!

NOT happy with my recent online message interactions with them. They block your Visa card when you travel despite you telling them not to — with advance notifications of travel itinerary — multiple times! Told them not to block my Visa card in Turkey on my first trip to there in June — they confirmed they got my instructions but blocked my card anyway. In August, I go to Turkey again, inform them of my intended usage in advance, tell them they caused my problems on my last trip, and ask them not to screw me over again. You guessed it: same story, can’t access my own money. To add an insult to the injury, they write about one sentence to address my concern in their response, and add some 2-​page long garble of extraneous stuff I never asked about — it just confirms that they don’t care to focus on the concern you contacted them with.

Two stars because I hate this Credit Union, but I get my ATM fees refunded and it’s in a convenient location for my job. Other than that, their systems are slow and it takes forever to do transactions.
However, my biggest issue is when I applied for a credit card. I gave them all the information, but they kept misplacing it and telling me to resend it. I would call them and never get anyone on the phone. I would email them and never receive an email back. I finally gave up after they told me my application expired and I needed to resend it. I got a another credit card at another bank and the rate is so much better and I don’t have an annual fee unlike Bank Fund.

Ever since working for the World Bank starting in late 2000, I have used the credit union exclusively
Staff are helpful.
Online banking is relatively easy.
Email correspondence from a distance (moved from the DC area in 2006) is a breeze whenever I have a question.
Shared credit union branches are all over the country.
Fees from other agency ATMs are reimbursed to us.
My next question is: come on people with an app for deposits…

Having dealt with US banks for years, I am very, very pleased with all of the products and service provided by BFSFCU. I find their banking service to be quick and friendly.
Although the only branch I use is located within the World Bank building, they are part of an association — meaning they effectively have «branches» all over the United States (including several in DC). The have a number of services which have saved me money — including a line of credit and linkages between checking, savings, and credit card accounts.
They reimburse all ATM fees, so I am never looking for a particular branch — which simplifies things for me.
I think the rates for services (personal loans, car loans, home loans) are very competitive.
I have nothing but great things to say about this Credit Union and would recommend them to all

I am a huge fan.
Super low (or no) fees on accounts; decent interest rates on savings accts; very competitive rates on loans; lowest fees around on most transactions like international wires, etc; refunds on ATM fees from non-​credit union dispensers; easy bank by mail options; many online banking options & easy to correspond with customer service by email.
Other great pluses — member dividends & 0 liability if your account is pfished!
No, it’s not perfect. If you are not regularly in the downtown DC area some transactions take a little longer; & I agree with Lola that the CU has conservative standards for making loans
but for me the pluses so outweigh the negatives that I gave up using commercial banks more than a decade ago and never looked back.

Of course if there were something less than a single star I would have given it to this banking institution for their appallingly slow attention, lax employees and sub-​standard and abominable (customer) service. I put the word customer in parenthesis because the customer is the last thing on their collective mind. There were at least 8 employees, but a single one working. And then they had the unmitigated gall to ask if I was interested in an account here. I would sooner super glue myself to the rotting, purifying flesh of some anonymous species of road kill.

Generally does the things a Credit Union is expected to do. Also offers more international services (given its founding membership) than your average credit union. But is lead-​footed about online services. They started out by having inordinately complicated security procedures for online banking, which they have since abandoned (thank goodness) but never acknowledged that it was in response to user discomfort.
The latest example of lack of online savvy was their issuance of 1099s. Actually this is one place where I think even if you have signed up for online banking, it would not be inappropriate for the institution to send you snail mail. But leaving that aside, they sent an email about 10 days ago announcing that 1099s were ready online. I checked into it yesterday, but no 1099. Calling, I discovered that they sent out that email before all the forms were uploaded … but didn’t bother telling customers. When I asked them when they expected to get it fixed – dunno. When I asked whether they would notify us when it was ready – dunno. I gave the poor customer service rep a piece of my mind that regardless of how incompetent it might make them look they owed it to their members not to keep them fruitlessly looking – and maybe it worked. Got an email today – but ding for it being exactly the same email they sent out 10 days ago. No acknowledgement of hassle, no admission of mistakes, zilch.
Verdict: a 20^th century organization trying to move into the 21^st, don’t expect huge transparency or accountability.