This is pretty much lifted straight from my blog. To give you an idea, I'm so pissed at these guys that I created a Yelp account just to post this. This is the University of Colorado's official bank. I'm not sure why anyone in their right mind who isn't a college student would sign up with these guys, but when I was in college I needed a bank account and these guys were on campus (about the only thing going for them). For any of you CU students my advice is STAY AWAY FROM THIS BANK. My first experience with Elevations (I'm not sure why they call it this, you probably have to be high to use them is why) was when I opened up the account to get a CC. Apparently they only approve you for a 500.00 limit which is a huge problem for a college kid trying to buy stuff cheap on the internet and resell it on ebay. When it came time to pay my first bill, I logged onto my account online, looked for the link a checking account option, but it was nowhere to be found. Apparently you can only pay your CC bill electronically with your Elevations account. This tilted me to no end because 1. I hated the bank and didn't want them holding my money and 2. I hate writing checks. Nevermind that every other bank in the world allows you to pay your CC by linking ANY checking account in. The second time I bought something online, they thought it was fraud, so they disabled use of my card over a holiday weekend. The fact that it was a holiday, and because Elevations is local meant that there was NO ONE to answer my calls. If you get a card with a major bank such as Chase or Amex (great CC company even though it sucks if you get financially reviewed...a story for a later day) they have 24/7 support staff and you don't face this problem. Yes people, this is also a reason not to go with a small bank unless it's Bellco Credit Union which is like the best run small bank I can possibly imagine. My 3rd problem with these guys is the horrible online banking system. Not only is it the most dysfunctional system ever but it's one of those that you have to remember a PW, a PIN, an account PW, etc. Then they make you periodically change your PW and it has to have a bunch of combinations of letters, upper and lowercase and also numbers, which means that I have to remember a SEPARATE PW for this piece of crap system. This gaurantees that you'll forget your PW since most people's normal PWs aren't upper and lower case mixed with numbers. My 4th problem with these guys is their horrible credit department. It took me 4 years of history of charging maximum every month and paying it off in full every month for them to raise my limit above 500...and then they raised it to 1200. Compare this to Amex's 15k and Amazon Visa's 12k with the same or less credit history. A year out of school I was making a decent salary, had some prior years tax returns to show, etc. But, because I lacked enough income they wouldn't give me a Platinum card with a measly 12k limit. The requirement was you had to have over 150k of income or something (which I qualified for since my income was technically like 1.2 million from ebay sales...income means income, not profit, or net). So I got denied and had to continue with my crappy gold card with 6k in credit that I'd max out and pay off in full every month. As a baseline, my Amex was now 25k and my Amazon line as now 22k but they denid me 12k. Ridiculous. My 6th problem with this idiotic bank is that their CC rewards are TERRIBLE. Usually a good rate of return on CC purchases is about 1%. For example, you spend 2500.00 on an Amazon card you get a 25.00 gift certificate. Amex gives you 1.5% cashback. U Of C's points work out to something like .7% via their Rainbow (gay) Rewards program. The thing that has finally tipped me off after all these years and made me decide to write this enormously long rant is the fact that I don't use their bank account and it has less than 25 dollars in it. Somehow they're deciding to charge me 10.00 a month since I have less than 25.00 in it. In addition to this crap, they've decided to cancel my CC due to lack of funds and lack of usage (yes I don't use your card cause it sucks for rewards and I can't pay it electronically). This is a pretty big problem. The reasons why are 2 fold. First, the CC is my OLDEST line of credit and if you know how FICO scores are calculated it's based on length of credit history. They just decided to can my OLDEST line of credit which negatively impacts my score. Secondly, FICO scores are based on your usage ratio...what I mean by this is amount of credit used to total amount of credit. By canceling my card without my permission they've effectively reduced my total amount of credit! So, they've lowered my FICO score by 10-20 points. This is the reason why I've never canceled any of my CCs and I'm of the opinon that the more credit you have access to the merrier (if you don't know why google app-o-rama). read more

I've been a member of Elevations for the past 18 years. I've never had any complaints, which is why I stayed with them even after moving out of Boulder County. However, after my experience today, I will be closing my account and finding a new bank. I'm on vacation and went to use my debit card and it was declined. Thinking it was a fluke, I tried my credit card. It was also declined. I called Elevations, and after 30 minutes, it was finally discovered that the bank had turned off my access to my accounts because they are upgrading to the new chip cards. They emailed months ago about the change saying new cards would be sent. I have no received new cards, and therefore, haven't made the switch. I was then transferred to someone in card services who would attempt to fix the problem. After another 30 minutes on hold, she told me that should could overnight a new card to my hotel. However, I'm leaving this hotel tomorrow bright and early and wouldn't be able to get my card. She then said they could turn on one card long enough for me to go to an ATM and withdraw money. I asked if they could do that, couldn't they just leave it on until I got home and could get to a branch to get new cards. She went back to her manager to ask. After another ridiculously long wait, she came back and said they could leave my cards on until Thursday and no longer. I am not back in town until Monday, so that did me no good. After asking to talk to a manager MULTIPLE times, she finally managed to get the approval to leave the cards open until Monday. I asked again to talk with a manager and she finally transferred me. Once I got the manager on the line, he took no responsibility or felt any sort of obligation to apologize for the inconvenience. Instead, he said multiple times that it was my fault because they had notified me via email numerous times. He didn't seem to find it an issue that they sent me new cards that I never received. He didn't think a courtesy call to tell me they were turning my cards off was necessary. All he kept saying was that I was emailed about the upcoming change. I never denied receiving emails, but I never received new cards--therefore how was I supposed to make the switch? His lack of customer service is what sealed the deal. I'm upset to be switching banks after so many years. However, I do not want to be part of an institution that would deny customers access to their own money. Had I not been with generous people on this vacation, I would be left stranded without money. It is completely unacceptable. DO NOT JOIN ELEVATIONS. read more

We have had a membership for 40 plus years (originally the CU Credit Union) always with 2 active credit cards (wife and husband, wife is primary). I just called the second time (no return call from my first message) to deal with an apparent overdue payment and lack of billing, only to be told they could NOT "talk to me about that matter!" For 40 years I have maintained this account because my wife doesn't have easy phone access during banking hours. I've had hundreds of conversations with dozens of people about travel authorizations for our credit card, dealing with stolen cards and identity theft, changes to the accounts, personal loans, car loans, mortgages, and missing statements and more. They sent an email to me, asking me to call. I called twice and TODAY, THEY CAN'T TALK TO ME?? THEY NEED A NOTARIZED LETTER TO DISCUSS THE ACCOUNT? They certainly ARE NOT the helpful bank I used to know! They don't even deserve one star for the stonewalled abrupt attitude I received. Yes, I understand privacy rules and protections for the customer, but why do account privileges change without owners requests? Why disallow someone from dealing with a problem? Do they just want to charge additional fees, and can do so if "no authorized person calls?" I'm disgusted! Well, as much as I enjoyed posting the negative review above, I now have to reverse it and give kudo's to Megan in member services. After posting my diatribe, I called a third time to see why I wasn't receiving a bill and Megan answered. She was cheerful, helpful and had a bit of humor thrown in to brighten my day. Unlike the previous person, she was able to see that I had numerous interactions with Elevations and was obviously an authorized contact. What a difference it makes when you actually get service instead of rudeness!! Yea Megan - especially when she gracefully (pleasingly, even!) made me aware that I hadn't check-marked a box for e-delivery of my billing statement, which set this whole problem in motion. I wish I could send her flowers.... 5 stars for Megan minus one for the rudeness earlier. read more

I am writing on behalf of the many satisfied customers. Too see negative reviews over not being given a loan or overdraft fees is pathetic and childish. There is always a reason why a bank would not approve a loan and the reason is almost always the customer's fault. Negligence, forgetting a past credit strike, not paying off credit cards on time, etc... How is that the banks fault? Anyway, enough ranting and raving. I would like to compliment the diagonal highway branch for the years of wonderful service I have received. Several reversals of overdraft fees that were totally out of my hands & I appreciate that very much! Nothing worse than having to pay fees for someone else's mistakes (said mistakes were not made by Elevation employees or myself). I have always been greeted with friendly smiles and although the lines can be long sometimes, it's usually during peak times when everyone needs to run to the bank at the same time. I love the remodel, the place looks very class now and the waiting area is a wonderful area to sit. Remember, this is a business, one which does look after your money & this will cost them money. If you overdraft your account because you do not know how to take accountability and keep track of your own funds / checkbooks, that is your fault not the banks. Those overdraft fees (courtesy fees) how keep your bank in business. read more

We had to replace our roof, as most homeowners did from the hail storms in 2018. This claim was started in July of last year. The roofing company finished our roof at the beginning of October, as they were booked out weeks. We've had 3 roofs replaced, so this is not our first time. We just received the endorsement for the final insurance payment MARCH 15 2019 from Elevations. They've had it since the end of October. FIVE MONTHS FOR THEM TO ENDORSE THE 2ND CHECK!?! They were horrible about getting back to us. Every time we completed the "last" thing we had to do, they either claimed they hadn't received it or there was another step. We faxed the same paper work over 10 times, only to be followed by 5 more "last" steps. This is the worst we've ever been treated by any bank/credit union. When we would call our representative for elevations the message was they would get back to us in 48 to 72 hours, also not true. Many of our multiple calls went unanswered for weeks. They are awful at getting back to you or knowing their own procedures. Please get your loan else where these guys are a headache like I've never had before!! read more

I have many many issues with elevations. Today was the straw that broke the camels back. The employees at elevations are extremely nice and they give great customer service. However on the back end of, their systems are just not up to today's technical standards, which is most likely the most important thing. I probably get around 5-6 emails a week from elevations, but not when it is really needed. Today I was on the phone paying a bill when my credit card got declined. After I called my work & was thinking it was a mistake on their end I called elevations. I was told there systems are down, there is a delay in direct deposit and they don't know when it will be up and running! I really don't understand why they can send emails asking me to get credit lines through them, bank loans, but NO email or text to say, hold tight your funds will be there soon. This is beyond bad service. The worst part is, this is NOT the first time this has happened. I will be spending my day off looking into another bank to bank with. read more

I applied for membership with Elevations Credit Union, headquartered in Colorado. Their website makes it appear as if a person can receive membership by making a contribution to the Elevation Foundation. However, the information is buried way below another part that mentions a residency requirement. At best, this appears to be deceptive. I had to contact Elevations to inquire about my application. The representative (male) I spoke with was snotty and wanted to argue the point when I pointed out the deceptive aspect of the website. I asked to speak with a supervisor. After waiting for a few minutes, the rep said that the supervisor was unavailable and would call me back. That call never happened. I'm now disputing my contribution to their foundation. I'm doing that because of their poor attitude and unresponsiveness to inquiries. A lot of things are based on principle, and apparently Elevations Credit Union doesn't understand that. I'll happily put my investment money elsewhere. read more

Thanks for the nice comments Dustin. I'm really sorry about the bad experience Chris had. If he understood the credit union business model better, he would know we aren't a bank, but a financial cooperative and like any cooperative each member of the cooperative needs to be a contributing member for the cooperative to be successful. His decision to not contribute any longer due to his inactivity adversely impacts all members. Especially in light of the financial meltdown we're seeing in other financial services companies, knowing credit unions have remained safe and did not get involved in the sub-prime and Alt-A lending practices that have hurt the banks and investment companies is a good reason for us to continue to be diligent with our members money. If Chis C. would like to talk, call me via our contact center at 303.443.4672. Rich Jones, VP Marketing, Elevations Credit Union read more

Not sure if people understand the fundamentals of a credit union, but credit unions were established on the idea of 'people helping people.' This belief should carry over to the "volunteer" board that helps makes crucial decisions in the functioning of the credit union, but at Elevations it sadly does not. Through the grapevine, I have uncovered that ELEVATIONS CREDIT UNION NOW PAYS ITS BOARD MEMBERS. That's right - I guess since state law says you can, you do just that. What used to be a reason to bank with them - a group of volunteers making decisions through member input to better the financial well being of the members they serve - is no longer valid. There are better credit unions out there, especially in the Boulder area. Choose wisely! read more

Sarah Belkin, The Senior Branch Manager at Elevations Credit Union is wonderful. She dealt with a difficult and complex situation with warmth and steadiness -- which was everything I needed to get through the credit card fraud I had just experienced. She stayed with me throughout the entire process, called on Monday morning to make sure I was okay, and followed up again with me on Monday afternoon to let me know my credit card had been completely refunded. I am so impressed with how she handled this delicate matter. She was truly wonderful, in all aspects and offered exceptional customer service and adept knowledge of a complex situation. read more

I took out a home mortgage with Elevations. Every part of the process was easy, from the pre-approval letter to GFE and final contract. I actually didn't even need to go into the branch at all. Because it's a credit union, any mortgage points are credited back to you, which I wasn't aware of initially. I worked with Greg Roller, and he called me about a year after I took out the mortgage to let me know the interest rates were down to 3.5% and to ask whether I wanted to refinance. Within two days and after a few late-evening calls to his staff, I had finished refinancing (pending title changes). read more

This bank is incredible. They go above and beyond. After having a recent problem with the Boulder branch of Budget Rental Trucks, who had tried to fraud me over $1,000, one of the people at Elevations stayed on the line on a conference call with me for more than an hour until our issue was resolved. The woman who helped me was amazing, and she deserves a medal of honor in employee service. She made my day better, and she made my loyalty to Elevations even stronger. read more

Hello! I have not used Elevations Credit Union, but I had a great experience with Greg Roller. I connected with him to understand an estimated mortgage I could afford and what price of house I could expect to qualify for. He spent around 45 minutes discussing this with me, even with the knowledge I was potentially going to use a different lender. I really appreciated his knowledge and insight and recommend him (and Elevations). Thank you! read more

Elevations Credit Union is the best banking experience I've ever had. We have had car loans, personal loans, credit cards, savings accounts and all sorts of things with these guys. While most major banks are out to get your fees every chance they get, Elevations is authentically trying to help you succeed in life. My favorite person to work with is Mary Rose Rosales. She's just a real pleasure to do business with! read more

This credit union is wonderful! I've been a member for 40 or so years and no complaints whatsoever. I love it being a member cooperative and not out to gouge people for putting their money with them. Community minded too! They have supported some of my favorite non-profits. Your ratings should be top notch...just goes to show you that yelp reviews reflect the disgruntled few and not the rest of us. read more

My husband are first time homebuyers, & we had an excellent experience working with Blake, Bryan, & Renee in Boulder. They gave us straightforward instructions to make the closing process very easy, & they were super responsive to all of our questions. They also managed to get us a great rate, & just seemed genuinely excited about us buying our first home. Loved working with them! read more

I have been a loyal customer of Elevations Credit Union for over 13 years, but I'm deeply disappointed with the recent incident involving fraud on my bank account. Despite my long-standing relationship with the bank, my claim was denied, leaving me feeling helpless and frustrated. read more

I closed my account, need I say more. Wait no, I think I should: Rude tellers, dis honest policies, scams and rip offs, broken ATM', and alot of hidden fees! Credit union, I THINK NOT! I have taken my business elswhere. Trust me you should do the same! read more

great service! in particular Diane Sawyer was absolutely top-notch. Professional, friendly, compassionate, great help with all of (complicated) financial needs we had! highly recommended!!!! read more