65 years in.
Still not a bank.
Started in 1961 by school employees who needed a better deal than the local banks were offering. Still here. Still member-owned. The name changed in 2024. The mission didn't.
Year Founded
Ontario, California. Before most of our members were born.
Overdraft Fees
Others made billions on those. We charged zero.
Opens Membership
The whole institution, free to join. No credit check.
Member-Owned
No shareholders. No quarterly earnings targets. Just members.
An institution built for the people who built this community.
Ontario Montclair School Employees Federal Credit Union was founded in 1961 by a small group of employees of the Ontario School District, which was renamed the Ontario-Montclair School District a few years later. They pooled their resources to create something the local banks were not offering: a financial institution that put members first. No shareholders to pay. No quarterly earnings targets. Just a pool of money collectively owned by the people who contributed to it.
The model is simple. Members deposit money. Those deposits fund loans to other members. The earnings return to members through better rates and lower fees instead of going to outside investors. That is what a credit union is. That is what Vida has been since day one.
Over sixty-five years, the membership expanded well beyond the original school employees to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school, or does business in San Bernardino County. Today Vida serves over 10,000 members with a full range of financial services. The institution grew. The mission stayed the same. The address is still Ontario, California. And the growing continues — Vida is actively working to expand who it can serve beyond San Bernardino County in the years ahead.
Ontario School District Employees Federal Credit Union
Organized by a small group of employees of the Ontario School District (renamed Ontario-Montclair School District a few years later). Built to meet the financial needs the local banks were not addressing.
NCUA Federal Insurance
The credit union became federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration, formally protecting member deposits and establishing its standing as a regulated federal institution.
U.S. Treasury CDFI Certification
Certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution, formally recognizing Vida's mission to serve underserved communities.
Community Charter — All of San Bernardino County
The field of membership expanded beyond school employees to everyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in San Bernardino County — the expansion that set the stage for the new name.
Vida Federal Credit Union
New name. Same institution, same mission, same people, same address. Vida means life. It was the right word for what this place has always been.
The name
changed.
The mission didn't.
Ontario Montclair School Employees Federal Credit Union became Vida Federal Credit Union in October 2024. The institution did not change. The people did not change. The address did not change.
What changed? Our name. Vida reflects the community we serve. We serve individuals who live, work, worship, or attend school in San Bernardino County. Not one employer group — everyone.
Vida means life in Spanish. San Bernardino County has one of the largest Spanish-speaking populations in California. The name was chosen deliberately.
Ontario Montclair School Employees Federal Credit Union
Chartered for teachers and school staff. Grew to serve the broader San Bernardino County community over sixty-plus years.
Vida Federal Credit Union
Same institution, same NCUA charter, same mission. A name that reflects the whole community we serve. Vida: life.
CDFI
Certified.
Vida Federal Credit Union is certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) — a designation for institutions whose primary mission is community development in underserved communities.
Real people.
Real community.
Vida is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors elected by the membership. Meet the people who set the direction.
→ Join the Team Careers at VidaWork for an institution that exists for the community rather than for shareholders. View open positions at Vida FCU.
→ Visit Us Hours & LocationsOntario branch at 1520 N. Palmetto Ave. Real people answer the phone and work the desk. Come in or call.
→You belong
here.
If you live, work, worship, attend school, or do business in San Bernardino County, you're eligible. Five minutes and free. No credit check.
Questions? (909) 983-1959
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