Lending Assistance

Credit Cards

  • Be aware of scams
  • Be cautious when providing card information to others
  • Do your research before making purchases online

For more advice on how to protect your information, check out this Blog post on card controls.

You may call 888.891.2435 to change your PIN or we can order a PIN mailer to be sent to your address.

Please contact a loan officer in person or by phone to request a credit increase.

Not at this time but we plan on being able to print in house by mid-2021. Instant-issue upon credit union approval.

9.90%. While we cannot legally call this a fixed rate, it has not changed in the last 20 years. If you qualify for promotional rates, you will receive notice in the mail.

General Lending Questions

It does not because we show skipped payments (because of Skip-A-Pay) as current when reporting to the credit bureaus.

Members will be able to use their two skipped months whenever they choose during the calendar year. Some may want to use them for summer vacation; others for Christmas; still others for spring break. The key point to remember is that Two means Two. Members who use their two skips during the year will not have additional skips available at Christmas.

Please contact your loan officer so that they can help you assess the situation.

There is a 15 day grace period before late fees are charged. After the 15th day, the following late charges apply:

  • Auto, Personal, Consumer Loans originated before 1-1-2016
    • 20% of interest due. $5 minimum, $17 maximum
  • Auto, Personal, Consumer Loans originated after 1-1-2016
    • 5% of the payment amount. $10 minimum
  • Credit Cards
    • $17 per event
  • Home Equity & Home Improvement Loan originated before 10-1-2015
    • 1% of the past due principal and interest
  • Home Equity & Home Improvement Loan originated after 10-1-2015
    • 4% of past due principal and interest
  • First Mortgage Loan, non-FHA financing
    • 5% of past due principal and interest
  • First Mortgage Loan, FHA financing
    • 4% of past due principal and interest

The general answer is “your loan payment will be posted as soon as the credit union receives it.”

However, there are a variety of means to make a loan payment and some of them involve extra time on the sending end. That means the payment isn’t received as soon as you might expect. We recommend that you find out exactly when the sender will deliver payment to the credit union and make plans accordingly.

The easiest way is simply to make every payment on time. 20 years ago, most members mailed in checks with loan coupons and trusted the post office would deliver them promptly. Prompt delivery is no longer a given, so we recommend:

  • Make your payments in person to a teller (not at a night drop)
  • Have your payments set up on an automatic transfer from another account at ATFCU or from an account at another financial institution. Make sure there are adequate funds in the payment account.
  • Use the alerts features in digital banking to remind you to manually transfer the loan payment from your checking account to the loan account.

36 months

A secured loan is guaranteed by the funds in your other accounts at the credit union. That means if you have $1,000 in savings, we can offer you a $1,000 personal secured loan. Seems silly, right? If you already have the money you need, why get a loan? The answer is that it’s a great way to build a credit history. Make every single loan payment on time and we’ll report that monthly to the credit bureaus. When the loan is completely paid off, your credit report will include a successful use of credit.

Not necessarily. These loans have a range of values ($300 to $15,000) and a range of possible interest rates. Loan amount and interest rate are determined by creditworthiness and allow loan officers some latitude in deciding upon whether or not to make a loan.

If you have no history with ATFCU, we may require that you apply for and pay off a personal loan before approving a line of credit loan.

No. A portion of the amount you have used will be due each month. This portion ranges from 3.15% to 3.58% of the amount borrowed. The payment amount is dependent upon the amount borrowed, the interest rate on the loan, and credit worthiness.

Your line of credit loan will be shown as one of your personal accounts. When you want to use some of the funds, use digital banking to transfer from the line of credit loan to your checking account. If you don’t use digital banking, a teller or a call center representative can make the transfer for you.

To be pre-approved for a loan, you will need to apply first.  You can apply for a loan:

The amount you can borrow is based on your overall application.

We have several options available for submitting loan payments:

  • In Person: you can see a teller to make a cash, check, or credit card cash advance payment
  • By Mail: send a check or money order to: Abilene Teachers FCU PO Box 5706 Abilene, TX  79608
  • By Phone: you can pay by credit card or check by phone by calling 325.677.2274.  There is a $5  convenience fee.
  • Online: by using your ATFCU online banking or mobile app you can
    • Transfer funds from one of your ATFCU accounts to your loan
    • Pay with a credit card ($4 convenience fee)
    • Set up external loan payment with routing number and account number from another financial institution.  There is no fee with this option and you can set up recurring payments.

Yes, you can use a credit card to make a loan payment.  We have several options to choose from:

  • By phone: You can call 325.677.2274 and make a payment with a credit card over the phone.  There is a $5 convenience fee.
  • Online by logging into your ATFCU online banking or mobile app.  There is a $4 convenience fee.  For online banking, select ‘Pay My ATFCU Loan’ from the ‘Move Money’ tab and follow the prompts.  To pay on the mobile app, from the ‘More’ screen choose ‘Pay My ATFCU Loan’ and follow the prompts.
  • In person: If you are local, you can get a cash advance from your credit card at any of our lobby locations.  We do not charge a fee for cash advances, however your credit card company may.

Yes. Today would be a great day to JOIN the credit union!

If you find a discrepancy on your credit report, there is a great article on Credit Karma's website with instructions on how to dispute the incorrect information.

How to dispute an error on your credit report

  • In general, a higher credit score will decrease your interest rate. Your credit report is a record of your credit history and includes information about your history of bill payment and the amount owed to creditors.
  • There are several Discounts Available to reduce the interest rate on your loan.

For more information on improving your credit score, please visit the ATFCU Blog.

Please bring at least your last 2 paycheck stubs or another form of income verification.

*Other documentation may be required upon review of the loan application.

Experian

We offer a wide range of loans, these are just a few:

New and Used Vehicle Loans   

○ Unsecured Personal Loans

○ Mastercard Credit Cards        ○ Home Equity Loans

○ Mortgage Loans               

○ Savings Secured Loans                             

○ Credit Builder Loans

Home Loans

Probably not. If you are interested in a home equity loan, it would be best to improve your credit score before applying.

A home equity loan is secured by your home. Should you not make your home equity loan payments, your home can be subject to foreclosure.

A second risk occurs if your home’s value declines in the market, you could end up owing more (mortgage payment + home equity payment) than your home is worth.

A home equity loan is designed for members who need to make a large cash purchase for a particular purpose.  The interest rates are significantly lower than those on personal loans or credit cards, meaning that your monthly payment will be more manageable.

The minimum home equity loan amount at Abilene Teachers FCU is $20,000.

  • A mortgage is the instrument that allows you to purchase/finance your home.  As you make monthly payments on your mortgage you build equity.
  • A home equity loan uses the built up equity in your home loan to serve as collateral for an additional loan.

At this time, we do not offer escrow accounts.

Yes. That number could vary based upon individual circumstances. We will review your credit history and ability to repay.

Avoid doing all of the following right before or during the purchasing process:

  • Buying big ticket items, such as: cars, furniture, boats
  • Quitting or changing jobs
  • Opening or closing any lines of credit
  • Paying bills late
  • Moving money between accounts or making large deposits (other than your paycheck) to your accounts
  • Cosigning for a loan

Here are some steps to help you prepare when buying your first home:

  • Pay attention to your credit score and improve it if necessary
  • Save money for a down payment
  • Save for additional home buying costs (inspections, insurance, title, appraisal, closing fees, etc.)
  • Get prequalified for a mortgage loan
  • Start looking for a home!

Vehicle Loans

We need either the Declarations Page or the Insurance Binder.  Please bring it to one of our lobby locations, email it to [email protected], or fax it to 866.818.7322.

Your title will be released to you as long as your ATFCU account is in good standing. Typically it can take 7-10 business days for you to receive your title by mail, after we have released our lien. Releasing our lien can take up to 10 additional business days if the loan is paid off with a check.

The following will help give you more power when negotiating with the dealership:

  • Make sure you have test driven the vehicle you are interested in
  • Negotiate the sales price before telling the dealership that you have a down payment
  • Know the estimated value of your trade-in

Abilene Teachers is here to serve our members, whereas dealerships are there to sell vehicles. We truly care about each and every member and strive to guide them in the best direction for themselves.

Yes. ATFCU electronically holds all vehicle titles because Texas is not a title-holding state. We will release the title electronically once the loan is paid in full and your account is in good standing and the City of Austin will mail the physical title to you.

(A title-holding state issues the title to the registered owner and/or operator of the vehicle, regardless if there is a lien holder.)

The credit union evaluates two things when deciding to approve a loan:

  • Your history of repayment 
  • The amount of debt you are carrying

The credit report helps us answer those questions.

10 years old or newer.

You may finance up to 78 months, depending on what year model and what products you purchase.