Results tagged “banking”

Overview - In general, PenFed is as accessible as any other banking institution except for the fact that you won't be able to go to a brick and mortar bank to deposit coins/checks - that needs to be done via the mail (but who really likes going to the bank anymore anyways?)  They make it easy to transact with your money, and have been more than helpful on the phone even when compared to a bank teller in a brick and mortar bank.  Visit their contact page for more information.

Joining - PenFed is a Credit Union and thus has requirements for membership.  If you do not meet any of the free options (most military in nature), there is an affiliation with the National Military Family Association which is $20 to join for a year - making it easy for anyone to join (you don't have to renew your membership in NMFA to keep your PenFed affiliation). 

Website - Their website is fairly simple to understand and use, while a little bit annoying at times, it is less so than the other banking sites I have used.  You can do almost anything through their website from print and mail in a form (change in dependents for an account to a charge dispute for your credit card) as well as bypass paper forms and use their online application web-forms for opening a new account (auto loan, checking account).  It is sometimes annoying to have to print out a form and mail it, but they almost always will offer to mail you forms as well as return envelopes upon request.  

To log in, go directly to their main page. At the top left of the main page's content, you'll see a place to enter a user id.  Features put it at par or above in function and ease of use with other major banking sites - online or brick and mortar.  The biggest issues I have with the website is an obnoxiously placed ad for their own products between the top menu bar and the summary of your accounts, requiring you to scroll a bit to see all your accounts if you have more than 3 or 4.  The other big annoyance is an unnecessary click to show Equity and other Line of Credit accounts on your main accounts page.  Most of the time I log in only to pay my credit card or just check all balances - each of these uses of the website requires me to show my Credit Card.  I see why they did it - they show you  your banking (savings/checking accounts) without the credit and the retirement accounts to save server querying but it adds an extra click per session for me.  This is compounded when I log in to view a statement, but they don't show up on my statements list unless I've elected to show credit cards on the home page for that session, resulting in me backtracking, showing the credit accounts, and then going back to statements.  Aside from these slight delays, there is not much else that is problematic on the website.

Phone - This is where the impressiveness of PenFed really stands out.  I'm a very needy consumer and, as such, make quite a few calls with requests for very specific information and special needs that I imagine most consumers don't spend the time on.  Outside of one individual being quite unhelpful with a request about how the process of disputing a credit card charge worked (I think she was one of those people who can't answer a question without knowing ahead of time what the full reasoning for the question is), I have not been more impressed with a call center staff in any other relationship I am a part of where I am the consumer.  They are always available to talk except I believe for Christmas and new years, and always either find the answer for you (almost always the case) or go and ask people who can.  You almost never get moved around between departments (except in the event of specific questions asked to a loan agent or to their technical team about website suggestions should you need to provide them :)).  Every once in a while you will be put on hold to wait for an agent, but those hold times have never been for me over 5 minutes and are the exception not the rule.

Mail - There is an increased need to communicate to PenFed via the mail since you cannot usually go into one of their branch locations due to their limited number.  This is actually quite easy, and only throws up some concerns regarding mail deposits - specifically, what happens if I send a few checks to deposit and they get lost in the mail?  Well this will happen to some, but hasn't happened to me.  They have a recommendation to send it with a delivery receipt on it via USPS.  I do not bother.  Worst case scenario, you have to have the checks canceled and re-issued.  I submit about three check deposits a year, so I don't really have an issue with this.  However if I had to submit checks each week, this may be more of a concern.  PenFed is very quick in depositing you the money, and will even make it immediately available (see below section about Home Deposits).  They do have a few different addresses to mail different things to, but spell it all out on their contact page.

Automatic Teller Machines - This is actually what most people are concerned about with the non-traditional banking options that an institution like PenFed - How can I get cash when I need it without paying tons of fees?  Well, let me tell or remind you that I do not pay banking feels and have never NEEDED to use someone else's ATM network with PenFed though have on less than a handful of occasions (i.e. Vegas).  PenFed belongs to the largest national network of ATM Machines.  Yep, I just said that PenFed has more ATM's out there than Bank of America!  Search for yourself here.  Around me, I have a local credit union, liquor store, two mall locations, a Target, and a Costco all within actual walking distance of my suburban apartment with surcharge-less ATM machines. 

New and Used Auto Loans - This was something I was nervous about when I went into it, but found that PenFed's process for acquiring loans was much more simple than I could have imagined.  I went online, logged-in, put some information in a form (not having picked out the vehicle, I just asked for a lump sum for a new car), and was immediately approved.  They sent me a check which I wrote out to the dealer and the loan was made.  I paid off the loan faster than I had to, which I did without penalty (don't ever take a loan that doesn't let you pay it off early without a penalty!). I also got a very decent rate that I was not able to replicate at the time.  When it came time to get my title deed back, they did so promptly without any work on my part - they contacted me.  The only thing I would have changed in the entire process would be the fact that when you submit a loan request it doesn't lock you into the rate until they actually create the loan - in this case receive the check from the dealership.  I understand the logic in this, but still do not think it is necessary.  

The Pentagon Federal Credit Union (www.penfed.org) is a superior banking alternative due to its high quality customer service, higher ease of use than normal product offerings, and straightforward attitude concerning consumer/institutional relationship.   

Most of the people who are looking at this are in their twenties or early thirties.  If you have children or truly dependent dependents, 6 months is the way to go, not 3.  If it's just you (and maybe a cat) then 3 months should be enough.  Realize, however, that no matter how much you're going to make later on (unless you're making 7 figures plus) it won't feel easier to save money.  No matter how much you made yesterday, if you lose your job today, you're going to feel the same way.  Save 6 months of your expenses and be financially responsible - your mom isn't going to want to have you move back in and she's not going to want to hear why you lost your job because your boss was a tool (and if you work for me, there is no way that your mom is going to believe I'm a tool!)