Montgomery County EFCU is a full service financial institution, federally chartered as a credit union. Credit unions are financial institutions formed by an organized group of people with a common bond. Members of credit unions pool their assets to provide loans and other financial services to each other.
Credit unions differ from banks in several ways:
| Credit Unions | Other Financial Institutions |
|---|---|
| Not-for-profit cooperatives | For profit enterprises |
| Owned by members | Owned by outside stockholders |
| Profit returned to members | Profit paid to outside stockholders |
| Operated by mostly volunteer boards | Controlled by paid boards |
These factors allow credit unions to pay dividends to their members (not shareholders) and offer them lower loan rates, higher savings rates and fewer service fees.
The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) is the federal agency that charters and supervises federal credit unions including Montgomery County EFCU. They also insure savings in federal credit unions, up to $250,000 per member account through the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), a federal fund backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.
