Our History

The History of Ko’olau Federal Credit Union

Founded in 1953, the credit union opened under the name of Marine Corps Air Station Federal Credit Union to serve all personnel on the base formerly known as Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) and is now known as Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH). Over the last 69 years there have been a few name changes and the membership of Ko’olau FCU has expanded, but we never stopped our focus on the financial needs of the MCBH community.  In support of that commitment KFCU still maintains its headquarters and most of its staff on Mokapu Road. In addition, many of its Board of Directors and other volunteers were civilian executives on MCBH.

We opened a branch office in Kailua in 1978, and in 1982, we changed the name of the credit union to Windward Community Federal Credit Union.  This included expanding our charter to include the communities of Kailua and Kaneohe.

We opened an additional branch in Kaneohe in 1985 and the charter was expanded again in 1996 to include all communities on the Windward side of Oahu, from Chinaman’s Hat to Mokapuu Point. Castle Medical Center Federal Credit Union merged with Windward Community FCU in 1998. Finally, in 2019 we rebranded WCFCU to Ko’olau Federal Credit Union and expanded our charter to include all people who live, work, worship or attend school in Honolulu County (the island of O’ahu).

Our Philosophy

Unlike a bank or some of the larger credit unions, we remain true to credit unions’ original philosophy of serving our communities and improving the financial well-being of our members. Our CORE philosophy is "Neighbors Helping Neighbors", with the financial goal of sharing the credit union’s earnings with the entire membership through low-cost loans, higher dividends, and no or low fees. We are a not-for-profit financial cooperative for mutual self-help. Our members/owners are the heart of our credit union and our sole reason for being. They elect the unpaid volunteers who represent the members’ interests on the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Committee.

Our Goals

Our primary goal is to provide our members with needed financial products and services in the most affordable way possible and in a warm, friendly, and professional manner. Our mission is to share the credit union’s earnings with the entire membership through low-cost loans, higher dividends, and no or low fees. And, as the only financial institution on MCBH, we take our responsibilities to support its community and improve the financial situation of its residents seriously.

The Services That We Offer

As a federally chartered credit union, we offer the following products and services to our members:

• Savings accounts

• Checking accounts

• Money Market Accounts

• Share Certificates (CDs)

• Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)

• Debit Cards

• Credit Cards

• Money Orders

• Mortgages (VA/FHA, fixed and adjustable rate conventional mortgages)

• Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC)

• Personal loans (secured and unsecured)

• Lines of credit

• Automobile loans

• Boat loans

• Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) auto insurance

• Automobile repair warranties

• Wire Transfers

• ACH Transfers

• Life Insurance

• Automobile Insurance

• Financial counseling

• Student Loans

• Bill Payment

• Person-to-person transfers

As a service to the MCBH community, we also offer the following products and services to anyone that lives, works, worships or attends school on MCBH (but is not a member):

• ATM access

• Shared Branching Transactions (a national network that allows members from a participating credit union perform banking transactions like withdrawals, deposits and payments at another participating credit union for free)

• Check Cashing

• Notary

We’re involved in our community because we are part of the community, unlike a for profit bank that does so because their regulators or laws like CRA require them to.  Our core philosophy of “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” says it all.

Community Shred Event

Members and non-members of the O’ahu Community coming together from Kailua, Kaneohe, Honolulu, Mililani, & Aiea to support our free Community Shred Event on April 30, 2022.

Annual Meeting

Over 100 members attended Ko’olau Federal Credit Union’s Annual Meeting of Members on May 13, 2022, at the Ko’olau Convention Center. In addition to a buffet dinner and entertainment by Sam Ho and Friends, door prizes included gift cards, a 55-inch television, and a trip for two to Las Vegas!

Mahalo to our local businesses for providing door prizes for our annual meeting:

• M D Tint & Detail

• Clyde’s Auto Care Center

• Dr. Linda Chiu

Ko'olau Federal Credit Union’s Annual $5,000 Scholarship

Matthew Darnell Jr. was selected as KFCU’s $5,000 scholarship winner for 2022!  Matt graduated from Kalaheo High School in Kailua and will be attending Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.  Congratulations to Matt and best wishes from all of us at KFCU!