Frontwave Credit Union is a not-for-profit
credit union
A credit union, a type of financial institution similar to a commercial bank, is a member-owned nonprofit financial cooperative. Credit unions generally provide services to members similar to retail banks, including deposit accounts, provisi ...
that is licensed and regulated under the authority of the
California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.
Frontwave Credit Union is based in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...
with branch locations in
Oceanside,
San Marcos
San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to:
Towns and cities Argentina
* San Marcos, Salta
Colombia
* San Marcos, Antioquia
* San Marcos, Sucre
Costa Rica
* San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú)
...
,
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
, Escondido, Wildomar,
Temecula
Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a ...
,
Barstow, and
Yucca Valley
Yucca Valley is an incorporated town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 20,700 as of the 2010 census. Yucca Valley lies west of Twentynine Palms, north of Palm Springs, south of Barstow via State Route ...
. They also have branches aboard
MCB Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast of the United States, West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Di ...
,
MCRD San Diego
Marine Corps Recruit Depot (commonly referred to as MCRD) San Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and t ...
, and
MCAGCC 29-Palms.
Frontwave Credit Union, as of 2023, has more than $1.4 billion in assets and 122,000 members.
Membership
Frontwave Credit Union is owned and governed by its members. Like all
credit union
A credit union, a type of financial institution similar to a commercial bank, is a member-owned nonprofit financial cooperative. Credit unions generally provide services to members similar to retail banks, including deposit accounts, provisi ...
s, they have a field of membership that designates who may join. To qualify for membership one must live or work in
San Diego County
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...
,
Riverside County
Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Uni ...
, or
San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...
, or be an immediate family member of a current Frontwave Credit Union member. Also, per the
NCUA's by law of "once a member, always a member" membership with Frontwave Credit Union may continue should the member decide to relocate.
Services
Like other financial institutions, Frontwave Credit Union offers products that include
savings account
A savings account is a bank account at a retail bank. Common features include a limited number of withdrawals, a lack of cheque and linked debit card facilities, limited transfer options and the inability to be overdrawn. Traditionally, transa ...
s,
checking account
A transaction account, also called a checking account, chequing account, current account, demand deposit account, or share draft account at credit unions, is a deposit account held at a bank or other financial institution. It is available to the ...
s,
certificates,
consumer loans,
mortgages
A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any ...
,
home equities,
lines of credit
A line of credit is a Credit (finance), credit facility extended by a bank or other financial institution to a government, business or Personal finance, individual customer that enables the customer to draw on the facility when the customer nee ...
,
credit card
A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...
s,
online banking
Online banking, also known as internet banking, web banking or home banking, is an electronic payment system that enables customers of a bank or other financial institution to conduct a range of financial transactions through the financial ins ...
, as well as some small business services. Frontwave Credit Union also offers investment services, an
electronic trading platform
In finance, an electronic trading platform also known as an online trading platform, is a computer software program that can be used to place orders for financial products over a network with a financial intermediary. Various financial products ...
, and
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
through Frontwave Financial Group.
As a financial cooperative, Frontwave Credit Union offers access to nearly 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide, 9,000+ of which are deposit taking. In addition, there are nearly 5,000 credit union branches and over 2,000 self-service locations through the shared branching network.
Frontwave Credit Union is a full-service financial institution that offers a wide array of products and services through thei
official websiteor by visiting any branch location.
History
*Founded in 1952, Frontwave Credit Union began aboard
MCB Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast of the United States, West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Di ...
and was originally chartered as Camp Pendleton Federal Credit Union. The initial charter was for membership of active and retired civil service employees.
*In 1955 the charter was expanded to include active and retired military personnel.
*In 1965 the credit union merged with Naval Ammunition Depot Federal Credit Union.
*In 1968 a merger took place with 29 Palms Credit Union.
*In 1975 the name changed to Marine Corps West Federal Credit Union, and a new headquarters was constructed aboard
MCB Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast of the United States, West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Di ...
.
*In 1980 a merger with Marine Corps Recruit Depot occurred.
*In 1982 they merged with Barstow Community Federal Credit Union. They also added the U.S. National Training Center at Fort Irwin to their charter.
*In 1995 the credit union assumed administrative management of the Recruit Direct Deposit Program. The program was so successful that the credit union was awarded the "Golden Hammer Award" in 1997 by Vice President Al Gore for reducing government waste.
["Pacific Marine Credit Union Battles Ups and Downs of Military Membership that is Tied Closely to War in Iraq" CUTime]
/ref>
*In 2002 the credit union changed from a Federally Chartered to a State Chartered (Community) credit union, which included the counties of San Diego County, California, San Diego and San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
. This is also when the name was changed to Pacific Marine Credit Union (PMCU).
*In 2004 Riverside County
Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Uni ...
was added to the field of membership.
*In 2010 the credit union moved their headquarters from MCB Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast of the United States, West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Di ...
to Oceanside.
*In 2018 the credit union changed their name from Pacific Marine Credit Union to Frontwave Credit Union.
Notes
{{reflist
Credit unions based in California
Non-profit organizations based in San Diego
Companies based in San Diego
Economy of Riverside, California
San Bernardino, California