Help center
The questions branches actually get asked, answered the way a person would answer them.
Joining
Am I eligible?
If you live, work, worship, volunteer or attend school in one of the counties we serve, yes. If a member of your household or immediate family already belongs, yes. Eligibility in full.
What do I need to bring?
Government photo ID and five dollars for your share. Ten minutes if nothing is unusual.
If I move away, do I lose membership?
No. Once a member, always a member.
Accounts
Is there a monthly fee on checking?
No, and there is no minimum balance and no direct deposit requirement to keep it that way.
When can I spend a deposited check?
Part of it is usually available the next business day and the rest shortly after, with longer holds on larger or unusual deposits. Availability is not the same as the check having cleared — a check can be made available to you and still come back as fraudulent a week later. This is how most fake-check scams work.
How do I avoid an overdraft fee?
Link your savings as backup, or set the account to decline rather than pay. Either is free, and you can change your choice at any time.
What is a share?
Your five-dollar ownership stake. "Share draft" is the cooperative's word for checking, "share" for savings. The vocabulary is a holdover and we are stuck with it.
Cards and access
My card is missing.
Freeze it in the app immediately — that takes a second and is reversible. Then call a branch.
Can I use another credit union's branch?
Yes, through shared branching, at thousands of locations nationwide.
Do I get charged at other ATMs?
Not within the surcharge-free network, and outside of it we rebate a set number of fees each month. Ask a branch for the current allowance.
Loans
Does checking my rate hurt my credit?
A preapproval inquiry has a small, short-lived effect. Multiple auto loan inquiries inside a short shopping window count as one, which is exactly so that shopping around is not punished.
I was declined. Now what?
You will receive the specific reasons in writing. Ask the branch to walk you through them, and ask about the credit committee, which reviews appeals.
Can I refinance a loan from somewhere else?
Yes, and it is worth asking about if you financed at a dealership recently. Auto loans.
Security
Someone called saying they were from Greendale.
We never ask for a password, PIN, full card number or one-time code. Hang up and call a branch. Security center.
I think I have been scammed.
Freeze the card, call or visit a branch now, and write down what happened while it is fresh. Speed matters more than completeness.
Still stuck
Come into any branch. That is not a deflection — it is the thing we are actually good at.