Agree ColoNative: Also it depends on your city my husband is a long time member of the second largest CU in our State and he was denied a $1,000.00 loan twice over diffrent years. So I was a member of a small CU and when we got married we added him to my loans to help in the rebuilding process.

Now he has been a member of the CU that I work at since (3-2008) and can bascically get any kind of loan not because I work there but because we started him off with a secure collateral after 6 months he got approve for a Visa cc $1,000.00 limit and he has paid off every loan(2) and his credit card limit is $5,000.00.

So it does depend on the Credit Union but like I said and ColoNative said start with a secure loan or secure credit card. And your credit Union will start to work for you.

When I was new to credit in 1998 I was told that credit unions are easier to obtain loans from as well. I joined a local credit union with the sole intent to obtain a car loan. They flat out declined me. Had to finance with Bank One instead. This same credit union also declined my sister for a car loan and a Visa. Needless to say, I am no longer a member of that credit union. I should also note that three years ago, before the economic crisis, that credit union was seized by the State of Colorado!

My advice, if you can, join a larger credit union. Every state has their own strongest credit union or if you can join a larger, healthy national credit union like Pentagon FCU, Navy FCU and NASA FCU that could help. You may also need to look into a secured card from a reputable credit union. Now, once you have established credit with the credit union, they will give better rates but these days everybody is getting tight with lending so income and credit score talks.

Another thing you might try is what is known as a share secured loan. Take out a $500 loan using your share account (savings) as security. They will likely give you the loan since it is essentially secured (but you have to have the money in savings in order to do this). Just do a 12 month repayment and bam! you have credit with them and they will be more inclined to issue a credit card to you.

Another thing to watch out for is that some smaller credit unions actualy use BofA, First National Bank of Omaha and Elan Financial Services to issue their credit cards, so you may be dealing with another creditor other then your CU.

Hello Terry: I work at a Credit Union and depending on your relationship with the CU it is a lot easier to get approved(do you actively bank there, make deposite, direct deposit), If you are credit challenged what you can do is go to your Credit Union and ask for a secure credit card let's say $300.00 or $500 and after 6-12 months asked to be considered for a regular credit card.

If you never had a loan with the Credit Union a secure signature loan or credit card would be a good start to help you build a relationship with them; I can tell you once you have that relationship with them it will be a lot easier to get approved:cheesing: I know we take care of our members tht take care of us; also if you are ever in a financial hardship the Credit Union can work with you a little better than the "BIG BANKS" will.

I read on a website that credit union credit cards are more easy to get approved for than a regular bank credit card, especially when it comes to rebuilding credit. I applied for a credit card from a credit union and was denied. Their reason is because I have a short credit history. I just started rebuilding last year in August. I think I'll wait about 4 months and apply for another credit card from a different credit union. The good thing I like about the credit union credit cards is that their rates are fixed. I refuse to apply for any sub prime credit cards. Even though I pay my credit card bills in full each month and never go over 30% I haven't received a pre approved offer in the mail from a credit card company. I checked my credit reports and all the baddies are gone. I guess its because of the economy.

I just opened an account at a Federal Credit in my area. Members of credit unions pool their assets to provide loans and other financial services to each other. Credit unions differ from other banks in several ways. They are non profit and owned by members like myself. These factors allow credit unions to pay dividends to their members (not shareholders) and offer them lower loan rates, higher savings rates and fewer service fees. You should try it.