Looking for a good Chicago credit union

Are you a college graduate? You alma mater may have a credit union. it doesn't really matter if it local or not, they all work together so that you can use ATMs and even real live bank tellers at any CU in the network.

If you live south of Harrison you might be able to join http://www.access-cu.com/membership.asp. I'm a member, but just for savings and CDs.

I am a member of http://www.alliantcreditunion.org/ which is based in Chicago and is http://www.alliantcreditunion.org/membership/eligibility/communities/ and also has an http://www.alliantcreditunion.org/membership/eligibility/organizations/ that you qualify if you're associated with. I LOVE THEM. Their checking and savings both have interest which is among the highest in the country (which is why I joined, I keep all my savings there) and their other products are competitive as well.

Oh, PS: I joined because on the list of associations is "PTA Member" -- so I joined the local PTA.

I joined I was able to join

Do you have any family members that belong to a credit union? My credit union allows relatives to join.

I was with http://www.cafcu.org/ for a while, they let me in even though I fit all the categories you mentioned. They were nice, I only left them because I remembered I qualified for USAA.

I live in Chicago and have been a member of https://www.myconsumers.org/en/Home.aspx (also mentioned by evariste) for about 18 years now. I used to live in the northern suburbs, so that's how I got started with them, but refused to give them up when I moved to Chicago proper. All of their branches are up north, so that's a bit of a pain, and they have no ATM's in Chicago (that I know of). That being said, I have everything with them - car loan, checking, savings, credit card. My primary reasons for using them are as follows: * No-fee checking and only a $5 minimum balance for a savings account * Overdraft protection - if I accidentally overdraw my checking account, they'll move money from my savings automatically (for a $10 fee, if savings are available), and/or just cover the purchase so nothing bounces or gets rejected (no overdraft fee!) * Everyone is super friendly and they're really easy to work with - I had a check for my last car loan in a matter of hours * Online bill payment is easy to use and you can set up anyone you want to pay (I've heard that other banks only let you set up payments to their 'approved' payees) * Their fraud protection is good, but not overly sensitive - and they listen when I tell them I'm going on vacation so out of state purchases are approved If you can handle an ATM fee for cash in the city (or just getting cash back at the grocery store or something) and mailing in any checks to deposit, you should certainly look into joining. PS - Right now any Consumers member that refers a friend to sign up gets $50 - and the friend gets $50 too. Details https://www.myconsumers.org/en/about-ccu/promotions/10-11-02/Member_to_Member_Referral_Promotion.aspx.