Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state before you talk to any lender. Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state.
Credit Unions vs Payday Loans in Fresno, CA
8 credit unions are headquartered in Fresno, with 551,018 members in total. Credit unions are member-owned and often offer small personal loans and payday alternative loans (PALs) at far lower rates than payday lenders.
- Credit unions
- 8
- Members
- 551,018
- Federal
- 3
- State-chartered
- 5
Credit unions vs payday loan stores in Fresno
Fresno has 17 payday, installment and title loan stores but only 8 credit unions headquartered here — about 2.1 loan stores for every credit union. Local credit unions count 551,018 members — roughly 89 memberships per 100 residents.
Credit unions
8
1.3 per 100k residents
551,018 members
Payday & loan stores
17
2.7 per 100k residents
7 store chains
Biggest loan store chains in Fresno: ACE Cash Express (5), Advance America (3), OneMain Financial (3), Lendmark Financial Services (2), Oportun (2).
What a $300 loan costs over 3 months
| Option | Payment | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
| Payday loan, re-borrowed 6 times (~460% APR) | $45.00 every 2 weeks | $270.00 |
| Credit union PAL, 3 monthly payments (28% APR + $20 fee) | $104.70 a month | $34.11 |
- You keep with a credit union PAL over 3 months
- $235.89 payday costs 8× more
Payday: the CA maximum — $45 on a $300 loan for 2 weeks, paid again each time the loan is renewed or taken out again (6 times in 3 months). PAL: payday alternative loan from a federal credit union, capped at 28% APR with an application fee of up to $20.
What it means for a household in Fresno
- Median household income
- $70,478
- Payday fee of $45, share of two weeks' income
- 1.7%
- Hours of work to pay the $45 fee
- 2.7 hours
- PAL payment of $104.70, share of monthly income
- 1.8%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 2.1 days of income
- Households earning under $25,000
- 19.6%
- Residents below the poverty line
- 20.4%
Income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, by ZIP code; figures for Fresno are population-weighted and approximate. Hours of work are based on the median individual income.
Payday loans vs credit union PALs: the rules in California
| Payday loan in CA | Credit union PAL | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Allowed | Offered by many federal credit unions |
| Loan amount | $300 | $200 – $2,000 |
| Fee limit | 15% of check face value ($45) | Application fee up to $20 |
| Typical APR | ~460% | Up to 28% |
| Term | Usually 2–4 weeks, due in one payment | 1 to 12 months, in installments |
| Credit check | Usually none; a bank account and income are required | Membership required; payments can be reported to credit bureaus |
Payday rules: California law as summarized on our California payday page. PAL rules: National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) rules for federal credit unions (PAL I and PAL II); state-chartered credit unions may offer similar small loans.
Credit unions headquartered in Fresno
| Credit union | Address | Members | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Employees Credit UnionState-chartered | P.O. Box 5242 Fresno, CA 93755 | 400,720 | myeecu.org |
| Noble Federal Credit UnionFederal | 7 E River Park Pl E Ste 110 Fresno, CA 93720 | 121,649 | noblecu.com |
| First California Federal Credit UnionFederal | 2525 E Shields Ave Fresno, CA 93726 | 9,335 | firstcalfcu.org |
| United Local Credit UnionState-chartered | 3650 E Ashlan Ave Fresno, CA 93726 | 7,613 | unitedlocal.org |
| San Joaquin Power Employees Credit UnionState-chartered | PO Box 16039 Fresno, CA 93755 | 6,531 | sjpecu.org |
| Central Valley Firefighters Credit UnionState-chartered | 5300 N Fresno St Fresno, CA 93710 | 2,494 | cvfirecu.com |
| Greater Valley Credit UnionState-chartered | 1185 W Hedges Avenue Fresno, CA 93728 | 2,093 | greatervalleycu.org |
| Fresno Grangers Federal Credit UnionFederal | 3434 W Shaw Ave Fresno, CA 93711 | 583 | — |
Payday and installment loan stores in Fresno
For comparison: storefront payday, installment and title lenders in Fresno with addresses, phone numbers and hours. Check a credit union first — a PAL or small personal loan usually costs far less.
| Address | Phone | Hours | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2425 E McKinley Ave Fresno, CA 93703 | (559) 495-6598 | — | 4.9 |
| 3241 W Shaw Ave Fresno, CA 93711 | (559) 225-8400 | — | 4.9 |
| 432 E Bullard Ave Fresno, CA 93710 | (559) 438-8881 | — | 4.9 |
| 4796 Cesar Chavez Blvd Fresno, CA 93702 | (559) 454-5858 | — | 4.9 |
| 785 E Shaw Ave Fresno, CA 93710 | (559) 221-5545 | — | 4.9 |
| 3249 W. Shaw Ave., Unit 103 Fresno, CA 93711 | (559) 271-7668 | Mon–Fri 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 5054 N. Blackstone Ave., Ste. 102 Fresno, CA 93710 | (559) 227-5041 | Mon–Fri 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 5650 #103 E. Kings Canyon Rd. Fresno, CA 93727 | (559) 252-0649 | Mon–Fri 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 3367 W Shaw Ave Ste 2 Fresno, CA 93711 | (559) 515-4442 | — | 4.0 |
| 6061 E Kings Canyon Rd #107 Fresno, CA 93727 | (559) 252-1926 | — | 4.3 |
| 7430 N Fresno St Fresno, CA 93720 | (559) 432-1695 | — | 4.1 |
| 3140 W Shaw Ave Suite 109 Suite 109 Fresno, CA 93711 | (559) 274-1752 | — | 3.6 |
| 8076 N Cedar Ave Fresno, CA 93720 | (559) 703-2022 | — | 5.0 |
| 3850 N Cedar Ave Fresno, CA 93726 | (559) 201-6371 | — | 4.8 |
| 4817 E Butler Ave Fresno, CA 93727 | (559) 827-4687 | — | 4.1 |
| 5247 E Kings Canyon Rd #105 Fresno, CA 93727 | (559) 252-9272 | — | 5.0 |
| 7060 N Fresno St #250 Fresno, CA 93720 | (559) 432-2727 | — | 4.5 |
More about Fresno
Only credit union headquarters are listed, with the address on file with the NCUA; phone numbers and branch locations are on each credit union’s website. Many credit unions also have branches in Fresno and nearby — check membership requirements, as some are open to anyone who lives or works in the area. Loan stores: storefront locations of major payday, installment and title lenders; call ahead to confirm hours.