Ontario-Montclair School Employees Credit Union (OMSEFCU)
OMSEFCU is a credit union based in the state of California in San Bernardino County. It was established in 1961 and is the 132nd largest credit union operating in the state in terms of its total assets. The credit union’s field of membership is multiple common bond with the primary bond being educational, and it is one of 20 education-related credit unions in California. In addition to this, the credit union is designated as a minority depository institution. The credit union currently has 1 branch and employs a total of 25 employees.
Who Can Join OMSEFCU?
Membership in the credit union is open to people that fall into one the following categories:
- Employees of the Ontario-Montclair School District
- Employees of the Ontario-Montclair Teachers Association
- Students enrolled in the Ontario-Montclair School District from K-8
- Immediate family members of current members, which is defined as including: spouse, domestic partner, parents, brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren, and grandparents. Also includes stepparents, stepchildren, step-siblings, and adoptive relationships
You can start a membership application by visiting this page. Of note, for current members, the credit union is now offering $20 if you refer a new member to OMSEFCU that ends up joining. You can receive additional amounts if referred members open accounts, including $20 if they open a checking account, $50 if they open a credit card, $50 if they are issued a personal loan and $100 if they are issued a mortgage loan by the credit union.
OMSEFCU Products and Services
OMSEFCU offers a number of financial accounts and services to its members including:
- Checking Accounts – the credit union has three checking account options for members, its PayAssure Checking, Dividend Checking and Freedom Checking. The Freedom Checking account has no monthly service charge and only requires $30 to open the account. The account has electronic statements and unlimited ATM access.
- Savings Accounts – there are three savings account options: Regular Savings, Plus Savings and Advantage Savings. With Regular Savings you only need a $5 deposit to open the account while with the Plus Savings and Advantage Savings accounts you need an initial deposit and minimum balance of $10,000 and $25,000 respectively. These last two accounts currently offer an annual percentage yield of 0.03% and 0.10%.
- Credit Cards – OMSEFCU offers its members a VISA Classic or VISA Platinum credit card with features including no annual fee, a 25 day grace period on purchases and fixed rates of interest as low as 8.5%.
- Mortgages and Home Loans – there are many options for mortgages at the credit union including 15 and 30 year terms, conforming and jumbo loans. The credit union also offers refinancing to its members.
OMSEFCU vs. Other Credit Unions
It is always a little tricky comparing credit unions due to their strict eligibility criteria. In the case of OMSEFCU, as indicated above you can only join the credit union if you directly or indirectly have a connection to the Ontario-Montclair School District. However, it is likely that if you are eligible to be a member of this credit union, then you will also be eligible to be a member of other credit unions in San Bernadino County that have geographic or education-based membership requirements. There are 5 other credit unions in the county which people that are eligible to join OMSEFCU will likely also be eligible to join:
- Thinkwise Credit Union
- Chaffey Credit Union
- Arrowhead Credit Union
- Alta Vista Credit Union
- 1st Valley Credit Union
Of these 5 credit unions, membership of Thinkwise is based on education; to be eligible to join the credit union you need to work in the educational industry in San Bernardino, Orange, or Riverside counties. This overlaps with employees of the Ontario-Montclair School District and also the Teachers Association. The remaining credit unions have eligibility requirements that are strictly related to where you live, work and worship.
As we’ve previously discussed we believe net worth per member, is an important measure of a credit unions performance over time. On this metric OMSEFCU compares favorably relative to similar credit unions, even though it is below the national average.
OMSEFCU Checking Account vs. Other Credit Unions
Of all the types of accounts offered by banks and credit unions, checking accounts are especially important because of how much we tend to use them. Checking accounts also have a number of account fees and as a result can end up being quite expensive. These two reasons are why we chose a checking account as a point of comparison. Overall, the credit union’s checking account offerings are average. They do not have much in the way of attractive add-ons, rebates or perks and have the typical account fees.
Contact Information
- Main Office Details
- Address: 1520 N. Palmetto Avenue, Ontario, CA 91762
- Branch Hours: Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm
- Branch Phone: (909) 983-1959
- Lost or Stolen Cards: (800) 472-3272
- Website: http://www.omsefcu.org
- Charter Number: 14542
- Charter Year: 1961
- Employees: 25
- OMSEFCU Routing Number: 322280427
- Membership Trends: Credit unions in California each have 47,939 members while across the United States the equivalent figure is 26,230. By comparison, OMSEFCU has total members of 9,738 which is significantly smaller than the average credit union in the state. Over the past three years, the credit union’s total base of members has increased by 9%.
Final Thoughts on OMSEFCU
Overall we think OMSEFCU is a good credit union. Financially it is well capitalized. While it is smaller than many of the other education-focused credit unions in California, it has steadily increased its membership base over the past 5 years from 8,102 in 2016 to almost 10,000 as of the end of 2021. Both the account and loan offerings of the credit union are fairly standard. The credit union has a mobile application which has a 4.8 star rating in the App Store as of this writing based on 490 reviews. It might not be the most exciting credit union in the state but it checks most of the important boxes!