F&A Federal Credit Union

What F&A Federal Credit Union does

F&A Federal Credit Union is a federally chartered, member-owned not-for-profit credit union founded in 1936 in Monterey Park, California, with assets exceeding $3 billion serving over 45,000 members. Its closed field of membership is restricted to employees of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & Measures, LA County municipal workers, and their immediate families. The institution's name directly encodes its two founding sponsor organizations: the 'F' for Fire and the 'A' for Agriculture.

The credit union operates a full-service retail banking platform spanning deposit products (High-Yield eChecking up to 4.00% APY, savings, certificates up to 4.10% APY, money market, retirement IRAs), consumer lending (mortgages, auto loans from 4.25% APR, RV/boat/motorcycle loans, personal loans, HELOCs, secured loans), and three Visa credit card products. Technology infrastructure includes a digital banking platform with EMV chip cards, configurable transaction alerts, self-service card block and reissuance, mobile wallet integration across Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, and an Enrich-powered financial education portal. Service is delivered through two physical branches (Whittier and Monterey Park), an in-house Member Contact Center, a 24-hour card services line, and an ATM network with WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility features.

Revenue is generated primarily through net interest income on the $3B+ loan and investment portfolio, supplemented by deposit and account fees, credit card interchange and fees, and ancillary income from investment and insurance products. As a not-for-profit cooperative, surplus is returned to members via competitive rates and low fees rather than distributed to outside shareholders. The institution carries no parent company, no subsidiaries, no external equity backing, and operates exclusively within Los Angeles County under NCUA federal supervision.

Name

F&A Federal Credit Union

Legal name

F&A Federal Credit Union

Website

https://fafcu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

F&A Federal Credit Union is a federally chartered, member-owned not-for-profit credit union serving LA County Fire Department employees, Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & Measures employees, municipal workers, and their families with full-service retail banking, lending, and digital financial services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Banking

NAICS

Credit Unions (522130)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer/Occupational Credit Unions (FSABAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Sector & Municipal Credit Unions (FSABAEAK)

Keywords

• Retail banking services
• Credit union services
• Consumer lending
• Deposit accounts
• Mortgage lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Monterey Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest Income: Interest income from various loan products including mortgages, auto loans, personal loans, credit cards, HELOCs, and recreational vehicle loans. As a credit union, interest collected on loans represents a primary revenue stream.
2. Deposit Account Fees: Fees associated with deposit accounts, checking, savings, and certificates. The website mentions schedule of fees and charges.
3. Credit Card Fees: Fees from credit card products including annual fees, balance transfer fees, cash advance fees, and over-limit fees. Premier Low Rate Visa has no annual fee.
4. Financial Services: Revenue from investment products, insurance services, and potentially retirement account management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

F&A Federal Credit Union is a member-owned, federally chartered not-for-profit credit union providing retail banking, deposit products, consumer lending, mortgages, credit cards, and financial wellness services. Its exclusive field of membership consists of employees of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & Measures, LA municipal workers, and their immediate family members. The credit union operates physical branches in Monterey Park and Whittier, CA, alongside a full-service digital banking platform.

Product overview

F&A Federal Credit Union offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services designed primarily for Los Angeles County Fire Department employees and Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & Measures employees. The portfolio includes core deposit products (checking, savings, certificates, money market, and retirement accounts), credit products (credit cards, auto/RV/boat/motorcycle loans, personal loans, HELOCs, and mortgages), and value-added services (investments, insurance, and financial wellness programs). The Digital Banking platform serves as the primary access channel for members. The credit union emphasizes competitive rates, low fees, and personalized service, positioning itself as a private banking alternative for its exclusive membership base.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Checking Accounts Banking accounts providing convenient access, digital tools, and no monthly fees, including High-Yield eChecking with up to 4.00% APY when paperless eStatements are selected. For F&A FCU members.
• Savings Accounts Savings accounts offering exceptional rates, including Ownership/Savings accounts (minimum $5 balance to establish membership) and Youth Savings accounts with 6.18% APY for balances up to $1,000. For F&A FCU members.
• Certificates Fixed-return savings products with terms from 6 months to 5 years, offering APY up to 4.10% with minimum deposits starting at $1,000, plus jumbo certificate options at $50,000. For F&A FCU members.
• Money Market Account Savings account with tiered dividend rates, currently offering 2.79% APY on balances of $2,500 or more, with monthly dividend payments and no monthly fees, federally insured by NCUA. For F&A FCU members.
• Retirement Accounts Tax-advantaged retirement savings including Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, and SEP IRAs, available as IRA Savings Accounts and IRA Certificates. For F&A FCU members.
• Premier Low Rate Visa Credit Card Credit card with non-variable APR ranging from 6.90% to 14.50%, no annual fee, no balance transfer fees, credit lines from $5,000 to $25,000, free fraud protection with $0 deductible, designed for members who carry balances.
• Premier Rewards Visa Credit Card Rewards-based credit card offering points or cash back on purchases with Visa benefits and protections. For F&A FCU members.
• Premier Traditional Visa Credit Card Traditional credit card with Visa benefits and competitive rates for F&A FCU members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $3B in assets managed for 45,000+ members

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Los Angeles County Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1936The 'F' in F&A represents the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Founded in the early 1920s as the Department of Forestry and Fire Warden, the Department expanded to become the Consolidated Fire Protection District in 1949. Today it provides fire and emergency medical services to over 4 million people covering 2,300+ square miles. As the founding sponsor organization, LA County Fire Department employees form the primary membership base.
• LA County Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & MeasurescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1936The 'A' in F&A represents the Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & Measures, established in 1881. Originally focused on protecting the county's agricultural industry from pests and diseases, it evolved to encompass weights and measures for commercial transactions. Today its services include ensuring safe food/water supply, protecting consumers, preventing pesticide misuse, and minimizing fire hazards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Firefighters First Credit Union: Los Angeles-based credit union serving firefighters, paramedics, and their families, overlapping directly with F&A's primary field of membership (LA County Fire Department employees). Both compete for the same public-safety member base in Southern California.
• SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union: California's largest credit union serving school employees and their families, organized under the same employer-based, public-sector field-of-membership model that F&A uses for its Fire and Agriculture departments.
• Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU): Large employer-based credit union serving Boeing employees and select affinity groups, illustrative of the closed-field-of-membership, member-owned cooperative model that F&A also operates.
• First Technology Federal Credit Union: Employer-based credit union serving employees of select technology and healthcare companies, demonstrating the same employer-chartered model that F&A applies to LA County Fire and Agriculture departments.
• Wescom Credit Union: Southern California credit union serving employees of select employer groups and their families, comparable to F&A's employer-based closed field of membership and overlapping geographic footprint.

Regional players

• Kinecta Federal Credit Union: Southern California credit union with employer-group field-of-membership roots and a similar product suite (deposits, mortgages, consumer loans), serving an overlapping LA-area public-sector and municipal employee population.
• Patelco Credit Union: California-based credit union offering deposit accounts, mortgages, and consumer loans to a broad membership, competing with F&A for retail deposits and consumer credit within California.
• California Credit Union: Statewide California credit union offering a full suite of consumer banking and lending products to a broad membership base, competing for the same public-sector employees in California that F&A targets.
• SAFE Credit Union: Northern California credit union providing deposit, lending, and digital banking products to California public-sector and consumer members, comparable in product breadth though operating in a different region.
• Logix Federal Credit Union: Southern California credit union with a comparable product portfolio (deposits, mortgages, auto loans) serving a broader LA-area membership, including public-sector employees that overlap with F&A's field of membership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fafcu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/f&a-federal-credit-union
• Instagraminstagram.com/fafederalcreditunion

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about F&A Federal Credit Union