Effective August 01, 2024, Wescom, one of the largest community credit unions in California, is no longer charging Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF) fees. Commonly charged by most big banks and credit unions, a NSF fee is charged when a check or Automated Clearing House (ACH) is presented for payment but there is an insufficient available balance in the account and the item is returned unpaid.

“At Wescom, we believe in doing what is right for our members - they always come first,” remarked Ralph Bautista, Vice President Deposit Operations at Wescom Credit Union. “With this in mind, we have decided to no longer participate in this outdated and unpopular practice of charging a fee for a transaction that did not create an overdraft balance.”

Wescom understands that there may be situations where members face an emergency expenditure, a deposit that did not occur when expected, or a member’s accidental miscalculation of the amount they have available to spend. Wescom offers other overdraft options for members such as setting up another share or loan as an overdraft source at no cost to the member.1 Comparatively, some larger institutions charge a fee of $12.00 or more per transfer for those services.2 The credit union also offers other programs such as Courtesy Pay, for a fee. Courtesy Pay is not a guaranteed overdraft line, and terms and restrictions apply.

In addition to eliminating NSF fees, Wescom members can also take advantage of:

• NO monthly checking account fees

• NO minimum savings account balance fees

For 90 years, Wescom has been dedicated to building better lives for Californians and the elimination of the NSF fee reinforces its founding principle of “people helping people.”