Federal credit unions in Washington, D.C. provide banking services such as loans to its membership. Members of D.C. federal credit unions must meet a set of well-defined criteria such as membership in a non-profit group or residency within a geographical area.

Federally chartered credit unions in Washington, D.C. also may serve specific employee groups, known as Select Employee Groups, such as doctors or employees of a specific company. Washington, D.C. federal credit unions may be able to switch to a community charter, which allows them to serve anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school within a defined area.

DC credit unions appear to be similar to banks but their tax exempt status mandates three important differences:

1. Members must own government credit unions in Washington, D.C. and run it as a non-profit, financial cooperative.

2. A credit union’s board of directors must be unpaid volunteers the members elect.

3. DC federal credit unions have social missions that include service to members of modest means. A credit union has restrictions on the services and products that it provides and must place restrictions on its membership.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate specific Washington, D.C. federal credit unions by name

You can easily locate government credit unions in Washington, D.C. if you have some basic information about it such as its name or the location of one of its branches. A credit union's name will normally give you an idea of the basis of its membership, although the requirements for membership are frequently broader than this.

I recommend: Credit Unions Online provides a database of credit unions in Washington, D.C. Cudata.com shows credit unions in Washington, D.C. by name, along with the city, assets and number of members. Click on any credit union name to get contact information.

Find Washington, D.C. federally chartered credit unions by location

Resources are available to locate all of the Washington, D.C. federally chartered credit unions based in your area, which you may wish to do because residency is a common membership requirement for many credit unions.

I recommend: USA Credit Unions shows all of its credit unions in Washington, D.C. on a single page and has a credit union locator by name and zip code. The Credit Union National Association has the ability to locate credit unions within a specified radius of a zip code or by city and state.

Select individual federal credit unions in Washington, D.C. to join

Examine the membership requirements of a particular federal credit union in Washington, D.C. and the services that it provides to know if you are eligible to join and if it will provide the services you need.

I recommend: The National Capital Federal Credit Union is open to employees in Washington, D.C. and employees of its sponsor organizations. Pentagon Federal Credit Union offers memberships to the United States military, employees of the government or other qualifying organizations.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Federally chartered credit unions in Washington, D.C. frequently allow a broader membership base than their name implies thanks to a merger with smaller credit union with a disparate set of membership qualifications. Additionally, an individual may remain a member of a credit union even after they no longer meet the membership requirements, as when a member moves or changes jobs.