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See the Value of First Tech Membership:
Savings Estimator
Discover how much you could save.1
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$0.00 3
1 We purchased data from Informa Research Services, Inc. as of 11.23.15 for the four primary market areas where our collective membership resides. For members who live in a state other than California, Colorado, Oregon, or Washington, we used the average product rates and fees of all market areas.
2 Vancouver members rates included with Oregon.
3 The Savings Estimator shows the average savings per product category type. Based on your geographic area, and your actual rates and terms (where applicable), actual savings may vary.
4 Dividend Rewards Checking savings are based on qualified accounts.
First Tech membership saved our members nearly $77 million in 2015.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a line-graph worth? Quite a lot, we think. We value our members and wanted to show the value they get by choosing First Tech as their financial partner.
Our market research demonstrates that members with one First Tech product only saved an average of $13 in 2015 whereas members with four to ten product categories saved an average of nearly $507. Contact us today to see how you could save more.

How do your savings stack up
As a credit union, we return our profits to our members in the form of lower loan rates, higher savings rates and fewer fees. The table below highlights some of the average 2015 member savings by product category. To learn more, please schedule an account review.
Average Savings by Product Type
Deposit Accounts Dividend Rewards CheckingDividend Rewards Checking savings are based on qualified accounts. $86 Money Market Account $70 Certificates $558 IRA Savings & Certificates $193 Loan Accounts First Mortgage $447 Home Equity Line of Credit $496 Auto Loan $381 Rewards Credit Card $146
Membership Savings Details
We value our members and wanted to show them the value they get by choosing First Tech as their financial partner. Here, you’ll find more information on how we calculated these numbers.
The Markets We Compared
State of residence determined which financial institutions were used for comparison and calculation. We purchased data from Informa Research Services, Inc. as of 11.23.15 for the four primary market areas where our collective membership resides. For members who live in a state other than California, Colorado, Oregon or Washington, we used the average product rates and fees of all market areas.
Your State of Residence Market Area We Used to Calculate Your Benefit California Bay Area, CA Colorado Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Oregon or Vancouver, Washington Portland--Hillsboro, OR & Vancouver,WA Washington, except Vancouver Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA All Other States Average rates and fees of the four market areas listed above
The Financial Institutions We Compared
We used many financial institutions in our comparisons, but actual comparisons vary by market area based upon where each bank conducts business. The list of financial institutions includes:
Mortgage
Axis Home Loans First Northern Bank PNC Mortgage Bank of America First Republic Bank Prime Lending Bank of Colorado FirstBank of CO Prospect Mortgage Bank of the West Fremont Bank Provident Funding Banner Bank Guaranteed Rate Quicken Home Loans BBVA Compass Guild Mortgage Rabobank Caliber Home Loans HomeStreet Bank SunTrust Capital One N.A. HSBC Tri-Counties Bank Carrington Mortgage HSBC Premier UBS Cash Call Mortgage Impact Umpqua Bank Cathay Bank KeyBank Union Bank Charles Schwab Keypoint Universal American Mtg Chase Loan Depot Universal Lending Cherry Creek Mtg Co Inc. Logix US Bank Citibank Morgan Stanley USAA FSB CitiMortgage Mountain West Bank Washington Federal Colorado Business Bank Northern Trust Bank Washington Federal Bank East-West Bank Pacific Western Bank Washington Trust Bank Everbank Peoples Mortgage Wells Fargo Evergreen Home Loans PHH Wells Fargo Bank First Federal PNC - CA-SF
Consumer Loans
Credit Card
Deposits
Bank of America American Express Bank of America Bank of Colorado Bank of America Bank of the West Bank of the West Barclays Bank Banner Bank Chase Capital One BBVA Compass Citibank Chase Chase Columbia Citibank Citibank First Republic Bank Discover Card City National Bank KeyBank US Bank Columbia Pacific Western Bank USAA Bank First Republic Bank Umpqua Wells Fargo Bank FirstBank of CO Union Bank KeyBank US Bank Silicon Valley Bank Washington Federal TCF National Bank Washington Trust Bank Umpqua Bank Wells Fargo Bank Union Bank US Bank Washington Trust Bank Wells Fargo
We confess, we're nerds
As a financial institution, we’re definitely "numbers" nerds, especially when it comes to numbers that our members value most. Working with a national research firm, we compared our product rates and fees with the average rates and fees of various banks in our primary market areas. The actual formulas vary by product type and are noted below.
Definitions to be aware of:
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Current First Tech APR / APY = First Tech's best rate offered as of 11.30.2015
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Market APR / APY = average best rate in key markets as of 11.23.2015
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APR = Annual Percentage Rate
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APY = Annual Percentage Yield
Deposit products were calculated by determining the difference between First Tech Annual Percentage Yield (APY) and the Market APY multiplied by the average daily balance plus the difference of Market fees and First Tech fees. Dividend Rewards Checking accounts which qualified for the higher rate 50%+ of the time were compared to higher interest earning checking account; those less than 50% of the time were compared to lower interest earning checking accounts.
Market APR (Annual Percentage Rate) equals the average of market rate information purchased.
Open-end products were calculated by determining the difference between the Market APR for product type and First Tech APR multiplied by the average balance plus the difference of Market fees and First Tech fees.
Credit Card savings equals interest charged on actual statement balance multiplied by the difference between Market APR and First Tech APR plus the difference of Market fees minus First Tech fees. Interest was not calculated for accounts paid in full each month; savings is only reflected in fees charged.
Term loan savings was determined by calculating the cumulative interest of the Market APR minus the cumulative interest of member’s current APR then adding the difference of Market fees and First Tech fees.
Adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) were calculated by determining the difference between the Market APR for product type and First Tech APR, annualized to a 12-month average savings amount regardless of the actual number of months left until maturity.
If you have questions, please let us know here.
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What fees are included in the Fee Benefit calculation?
The only fees included for our deposit products are the actual ATM rebates we reimburse to members who qualify for their Dividend Rewards Checking accounts. The fees included on our lending side are the annual Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) fee and any origination fees that may be tied to specific products.
Where did you get the data?
We purchased rate and fee data from Informa Research Services, Inc., Calabasas, CA,www.informars.com as of November 23, 2015. Rates can change without notice.
What's the Membership Savings Report?
We created a Membership Savings Report, based on research, representing the 2015 estimated, annualized average savings of members. This report represents an estimate of savings and is for illustration purposes only. The savings amount is not a dividend and is not paid to members. Rate and fee data of various financial institutions, within First Tech’s four primary market areas of Portland/Vancouver, Seattle, Bay Area CA and Colorado, were purchased from Informa Research Services, Inc., as of 11.23.15. Members outside of a primary market were compared to the average of the four primary markets. If multiple comparisons were not available for a product, the product was either excluded completely from our research or the calculation was based on limited comparisons. Rates for all account types are subject to change without notice. Punitive fees were not taken into consideration when calculating any member benefits. Not all members received a report. If you’d like to learn more, please contact us at 855.855.8805.
What are product categories?
Below are the product categories we used. If multiple comparisons were not available for a product, the product was either excluded completely from our research or the calculation was based on limited comparisons.
SAVINGS ACCOUNTS LOAN ACCOUNTS Savings
Membership Savings
Carefree SavingsFirst Mortgage
Fixed Rate First Mortgage
Adjustable Rate First Mortgage
Jumbo First MortgageHealth Savings Account
Health Savings AccountHome Equity Loan
Fixed Rate Equity
e3 Fixed Rate LoanMoney Market Savings
Instant Access SavingsCash Back Credit Card
Platinum Cashback MasterCard
Platinum Secured Cashback MasterCard
VISA Platinum Cash RewardsDividend Rewards Checking
Dividend Rewards Checking*
*for those who qualified for the higher rate 50% or more of the timeRewards Credit Card
MasterCard Odyssey World Elite Vintage
MasterCard World Choice Reward Vintage
Platinum Rewards MasterCard
Platinum Secured Rewards MasterCard
VISA Platinum Rewards
VISA SignatureInterest Checking
First Checking Plus Checking PlusCredit Card
Platinum MasterCard
VISA Platinum Secured
VISA PlatinumChecking
Carefree CheckingAuto Loan
New and Used Open End Auto Loan
New and Used Closed End Auto Loan
Certificates
6 to 60-month Certificate
13-month Bump-Up CertificatePersonal Loan/Line of Credit
Consumer Line of Credit
Lightning Line of Credit
Personal Line of Credit
Signature Closed End Loan
Savings Secured Closed End Loan
Savings Secured Open End LoanIRA Savings & Certificates
6- to 60-Month Traditional Education Savings Account Certificate
6 to 60-Month Roth Certificate
6 to 60-Month Traditional IRA Certificate
13-Month Bump-Up Traditional Education Savings Account Certificate
13-Month Bump-Up Roth Certificate
13-Month Bump-Up Traditional IRA Certificate
IRA Savings
Coverdell Education Savings
Roth Instant Access
IRA Instant Access
Why some products were excluded from research?
If multiple comparisons were not available for a product, the product was either excluded completely from our research or the calculation was based on limited comparisons. Below is a list of products from our comparisons.
Excluded Products 36 month Non Member CD Interest Only Fixed Portion 48 Month Non Member CD Business Mortgage Loan 60 Month Non Member CD Platinum HELOC Rewards Business 12 Month Certificate MasterCard Business 24 Month Certificate VISA Platinum Secured Rewards Business 36 Month Certificate Visa Classic Business 60 Month Certificate Visa Gold Fixed Business 6 Month Certificate Commercial Platinum VISA Business Dividend Checking Commercial Line of Credit First Business Basic Checking Commercial Overdraft Protection First Business Basic Checking Stock Line of Credit Business Instant Access Savings Salary Advance Loan Internal Custodial (DLR/INVR) Commercial Equipment Simple Business Checking Commercial Term Loan Simple Business Savings Commercial Vehicle Business Membership Savings Emergency Savings Custodial Energy Loan Commercial Real Estate Variable Indirect Recreation Vehicle Interest Only Variable Portion Manufactured Homes Variable Rate Simple Interest Other Vehicles Closed End Old Home Equity Lines Other Vehicles Open End Commercial Real Estate Fixed Stock Secured Closed End Fixed Rate Simple Interest Stock Secured Open End Sold FNMA Modification Solar Loans