Join the Santa Cruz County Employees Credit Union and discover the great value of credit union membership. At first glance, one might think that there is very little difference between credit unions and banks. Both are full-service financial institutions offering a wide variety of financial products and services. However, there is a crucial difference: at a bank you are a customer; at a credit union you are a member/owner. This difference has a big impact on the rates paid for deposits, the rates charged on loans, how much you pay for financial services, and the quality of the service which you receive.

The first and foremost mission of a bank is to provide profits for its stockholders. This means, by definition, that a bank will extract as much money from its customers as it can possibly get away with in order to maximize profits for payment to the stock holders.

A credit union's first and foremost mission is to provide value and service to its member/owners. There are no "outside" stockholders who have to be satisfied first. Credit Unions exist for one and only one reason: to provide the best financial products and services that its members need at the lowest possible cost.

This difference translates into higher deposit rates for credit union members, lower loan rates for credit union members, and lower fees for credit union members. National surveys consistently find that consumers rate the value of credit union products and services significantly higher than they do for banks.

Here at the Santa Cruz County Employees Credit Union we take great pride in the value we offer our members. We regularly offer the highest deposit rates and lowest loan rates in the entire county. We are here to serve you, our member/owners, and we continue to be committed to the credit union ideal of "People Helping People."