Top 5 School Credit Unions for Teachers

As a new school year commences, it’s the perfect time to focus on how educators are appreciated and supported. School credit unions are specialized financial institutions that do both in truly value-added ways. By joining one of these credit unions, teachers gain access to more personalized services and products that can better meet their financial needs more so than other standardized financial institutions. 

Since school credit unions are not-for-profit organizations, they have a mission of serving their members with the best rates, solutions and services possible, all while giving back to the local community’s education system.

These credit unions are able to offer such state-of-the-art, specialized services by partnering with a seasoned credit union service organization (CUSO), such as AVANA CUSO. For decades, AVANA CUSO has been partnering with credit unions across the nation to diversify CUs’ lending portfolios and better support members. 

Here are some of the top school credit unions that cater their services to teachers across the United States. 

1. SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union 

SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union was founded in 1934 and is dedicated to serving California school employees and their families. In fact, they’re the largest credit union in the state and have been recognized by Forbes as the number one Best-In-State Credit Union in California. SchoolsFirst FCU is committed to offering lower rates on loans, higher rates on savings and low-to-no-fees for members. 

Plus, they are actively involved in their community through events, donations, scholarships and financial literacy programs. 

2. Teachers Federal Credit Union 

Based out of Long Island, New York, Teachers Federal Credit Union (TFCU) has been around for more than seven decades and specializes in auto loans, mortgages and credit cards for its members.

Originally, TFCU started as a group of Long Island educators but has now grown to more than 420,000 members across the country. So while it’s not strictly a credit union for teachers anymore, it still offers incredible perks to members, such as its Smart Checking account that earns 14x the national average in interest. 

3. Apple Federal Credit Union 

Apple Federal Credit Union serves teachers and members of the community in Northern Virginia. 

With a variety of personal and commercial banking services, they also offer exclusive perks for educators. These include getting paid up to two days early, educator lines of credit, mortgage programs, credit cards, savings accounts, retirement plans and Summer Pay accounts that help teachers plan for the months when they’re not receiving paychecks. 

4. Gulf Coast Educators Federal Credit Union 

Based in Texas, Gulf Coast Educators Federal Credit Union serves the financial needs of educators and school district employees across the state.  Specifically catered to the needs of educators, their products and service offerings include specialized savings accounts, investment accounts, loans, CDs, credit cards and more. 

5. Schools Federal Credit Union 

Schools Federal Credit Union, another school credit union serving teachers in California, was founded in 1939 by a group of employees at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Some of their featured offerings include auto loans, HELOCs, CDs and credit cards, all at competitive rates.

Their mission has always been to provide members with financial products that help them save and earn money. As a result, they now have more than 15,000 members. To this day, they exclusively serve communities around the LAUSD as well as the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). 

All these school credit unions empower teachers and school district employees with more personalized financial solutions and service. In addition, they are highly specialized institutions that support their local education system, which is equally valuable to the broader community. 

About AVANA CUSO

Established in 1998 and headquartered in Simi Valley, CA, AVANA CUSO is one of the most seasoned credit union service organizations (CUSO) focused on commercial lending. For decades, we have partnered with credit unions across the country to offer competitive and collaborative loans. We also uniquely support and guide our partners through the entire lifecycle of our loans. AVANA CUSO is a proud member of the AVANA Family of Companies.

Contact us today to learn more about becoming an AVANA CUSO partner.