Frequently Asked Questions

 

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions | ATM Withdrawls | Electronic Checks | Check 21
Bill Payer | Online Banking | CU Service Centers

 GENERAL QUESTIONS

Q. How do I wire money to or from my account at LISEFCU?

A.  For incoming wires: You need to give the other financial institution the following information;  Correspondent Bank – ALLOYA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, ALBANY NY, ABA # 221381715, FOR FURTHER CREDIT TO LONG ISLAND STATE EMPLOYEES FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, HAUPPAUGE, NY, ABA#221492002.  FINAL CREDIT TO (Member’s name, address and account number with LISEFCU).

For outgoing wires: We need to know the following information:  Your name, address and account number, dollar amount of wire, BANK NAME, ADDRESS AND ABA# (9 digits), NAME, ADDRESS, ACCOUNT NUMBER AND TYPE OF ACCOUNT OF RECEIVER.

See fee schedule for cost of wires.

Q. You always ask for a personal e-mail address, but I do all my online transactions from work. Why won’t you accept my work e-mail address?

A. Because of our concern for the security of our members’ personal information, the credit union has established a policy that we will only send member information to a member’s personal e-mail address.

Q. Some banks and credit unions charge to go to a real teller. Do you?

A. No we do not charge to use a real teller.

Q. I’d like to switch from my bank to the credit union for my checking and direct deposit. What’s the easiest way to do this?

A. Please contact the credit union and a representative will be happy to assist you with switching your accounts over.

Q.  I see you now offer Visa Gift Cards.  Is there a fee to purchase one?

A.  There is a $3.95 fee to purchase the Visa Gift card here at the office, and a $5.95 fee to purchase one through our website.  The reason for the increase for an online purchase is that the card can be personalized and mailed directly to the recipient.

Q.  What about those “Hidden Fees” we’ve been warned about?

A.  If you’re talking about the “Inactivity Fees”, yes there is a $2.50 per month fee, but only after 12 months.  In other words, tell the recipient to use the card within 12 months of receipt to get the full value of the card.

Q.  Do Gift Cards have expiration dates?

A.  Yes, they expire when the remaining balance reaches $0 or on the expiration date shown on the front of the card, whichever comes first.

 ATM WITHDRAWALS

Q. What is the maximum amount I can withdraw at an ATM machine?

A. A regular ATM card has a maximum cash withdrawal limit of $300 per day. A Mastercard Debit Card has a maximum of $500 in cash, $2,000 in purchases with a combined total of cash and purchases of $2,500 per day.

  ELECTRONIC CHECKS

Q. What are electronic checks and how do they affect me?

A. 1. You write out and give a share draft or check to a cashier at the point of sale.

2. The cashier scans the check through a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR–pronounced miker) reader that captures the account number, check serial number, and financial institution routing number.

3. The data move electronically to a check authorization service, which verifies that it’s not drawn on a closed account or that you have not written bad checks.

4. The cashier voids the check once approval comes electronically, and then hands the check back to you.

5. You and the merchant  participate in electronic checking voluntarily. You sign an authorization (usually a receipt) permitting electronic conversion of payment. The merchant signs up and pays for the service through either its financial institution or a processing company.

6. The transaction goes to the ACH network where it’s credited to the retailer’s account electronically and forwarded to us for debiting. The check will take about two or three days to clear, the same amount of time a paper check usually takes to be approved for payment.

Electronic checks also provide privacy protection. When you hand over a paper check to a clerk, 10 or more hands touch that check during processing before it returns to your credit union or to you. With electronic checking, the check doesn’t travel beyond the point of sale; you take it with you after it’s been approved electronically.

 CHECK 21

Q. What exactly is Check 21?

A. Check 21 is a new law that allows credit unions, banks and processors to  truncate  checks earlier in the check clearing process and more often. It also allows all U.S. financial institutions to start the process of substituting paper checks with electronic checks at any point during the check collection process.

Q. What is truncation?

A. Truncation means to remove an original paper check from the check process, and in its place make a substitute electronic check. In other words, truncation means you do not receive the actual cancelled check back with your monthly statements, as you may be used to with your credit union checking account.

Q. Why is Check 21 important?

A. Check 21 will provide savings by allowing financial institutions to substitute paper checks with an electronic equivalent sooner and more often during the check clearing process. Additional costs savings are realized because financial institutions can eliminate the handling, manual processing and storage of paper checks. In addition, Check 21 allows for faster collection and return of checks, which can help mitigate check fraud. It also reduces check clearing time, which provides you with greater control over your account and personal finances.

Q. What is an electronic equivalent of a check and how does it happen?

A. An electronic check equivalent is actually an electronic substitution of your original check. This equivalent is generated during the processing of your check thus allowing electronic transmission and delivery.

Q. How will Check 21 change things?

A. Check 21 clearly brings change to the nation’s check clearing system. The new law offers all U.S. financial institutions the opportunity to select the least costly processing method. The old system wasted money, burned fuel, and clogged our transportation systems. Check 21 reduces the dependence of the check clearing system on physical transportation networks. Unexpected interruptions (e.g., natural disasters, etc.) will be better avoided because it does not rely on the physical transportation of checks.

Q. How fast will change take place?

A. Any noticeable change in the way checks are processed is going to take some time. Changes will happen slowly, as financial institutions need time to purchase equipment and otherwise gear up  for a fully electronic check exchange environment.

Q. Why are credit unions in general, seemingly better off than some banks with regard to implementing Check 21?

A. Credit unions have been truncating checks for nearly three decades since we were first allowed to offer checking accounts in the mid-1970s. Banks, in general, do not truncate checks. They are laden with huge numbers of checks to return with procedures and machinery that may not be as readily adaptable to Check 21’s image exchange availability as credit unions.

Q. What changes might I see with regard to my credit union checking account because of Check 21?

A. Because credit unions have been truncating checks for several decades, you will see minimal changes. One change you may notice, however, is that if you request a copy of one of your cleared checks, you may actually receive an Image Replacement Document, or IRD (an electronic check equivalent), which will carry all the information of your original check.

Q. So, will I still be able to get a copy of a cancelled check if I need one?

A. Yes. However, as mentioned above, the cancelled check may actually be an electronic check substitute of your check.

Q. Will this substitute copy be  legal ?

A. Yes. A substitute check is the legal equivalent of its original check for all purposes, if it meets all specified requirements. This substitute check can be used in the same legal manner as if it was your original cancelled paper check.

Q. What are recredit rights? Do I have them?

A. Yes, you have recredit rights. If you believe that a substitute check was not properly charged to your account, recredit rights allow you to pursue a correction. Ask for the recredit rights at the credit union.

Q. Is there anything I should do differently with regard to my credit union checking account?

A. No. Accurately maintain your checking account records, and reconcile your statements timely, as you have in the past. As always, if you have any questions about your accounts, please call or stop in to see us, we will be happy to assist you.

BILL PAYER

Q. How do I get started?

A. You  complete a bill pay enrollment by signing into online banking and clicking the bill payer tab. When you receive notification from us that your bill pay enrollment has been approved you may begin to use the service.

Q. Is there a fee for the service?

A. The fee for the Bill Paying Service is $3.95 per month with direct deposit (includes unlimited transactions), $4.95 per month without direct deposit (includes unlimited transactions). One click with direct deposit is .35 per transaction, first 5 free. One click without direct deposit is .35 per transaction.

Q. Should the processing date be the actual due date of the bill?

A. No. You should schedule payments a minimum of five (5) business days for your check payments and a minimum of three (3) business days for your electronic payments prior to the actual date. Weekends and federal reserve holidays are not counted as business days..

Q. How soon are funds actually taken out of my account?

A. Bill payments are debited from your designated account within 24 hours of the process date.

Q. What happens if I do not have enough money in my account to cover a scheduled transfer or payment?

A. If funds are not available on the requested processing date, your transfer or bill payment may be cancelled. If cancelled, you will be required to reschedule the payment; the bill pay system will only process the payment one time. If a recurring payment is cancelled, future payments on the recurring schedule will not be affected; however, you will need to reschedule the cancelled payment if you want it to be paid.

Q. When and how are my payments delivered and how can I ensure that my payee receives my payment by the due date?

A. After funds are withdrawn from your account, we may remit your payment(s) by electronic funds transfer, or if the payee does not accept electronic payments, by mailing your payee a check. Because of the time it takes to remit your payment to the payee, they will not receive payment on the processing date (the date you instructed us to deduct the funds from your account). Therefore, you should allow sufficient time for payments to be received and posted to your account. See Processing Date under Terms and Definitions for more details on the number of days to allow for payments to be received by your payee. You may verify receipt of the payment by your payee by contacting them directly or checking your next billing statement for verification of posting of the payment.

Q. When is the last possible opportunity for me to change or cancel a scheduled bill payment?

A. You can change or stop a payment prior to the cut-off time on the processing date you originally scheduled. (You will not be able to change the date on a recurring payment; however you can stop and reschedule the payment.)

Q. Who do I contact if a payment has not been posted?

A. Before any research can be done on a payment that has not posted, please allow a minimum of (10) business days for a check payment and a minimum of (5) business days for an electronic payment and transfer to reach your payee. Often it does not take this long, but this is the amount of time we allow the merchant to receive and post our payments. If the transaction has not been posted by that time, simply contact us by calling Subscribers Services at the toll-free number provided by your financial institution (this number can also be found at the bottom of every page on the bill pay website). You may also chat with a Subscriber Services representative by clicking on the Chat button on the bill pay website or send us an email at subscriberservices@billpaysite.com . We will follow up on the transfer or payment and get back to you within 24 to 48 business hours.

Q. Is there anyone I cannot pay?

A. YES. Please review the following restrictions: 1) The payee must be located in the United States; 2) Payments may not be remitted to tax authorities or government and collection agencies; 3) Payments may not be remitted to Securities Companies such as Ameritrade for stock purchases or trade taxing authorities and 4) Court directed payments are unauthorized (alimony, child support or other legal debts). DISCLAIMER: iPay accepts no liability for lost interest or commissions, fees, fines or court actions, et al connected with the violation of this rule.

Q. Why are some of my payees highlighted in Yellow?

A. Payees that are in pending status (either added Email Payees or Transfers that are awaiting you to complete the confirmation process or added bills that are awaiting the approval process) will be highlighted in yellow. For added Email Payees or Transfers, check your email for a confirmation request that contains instructions on how to complete the confirmation process. For added bills, it takes a minimum of (3) business days for an added payee to be approved.

Q. What is a challenge phrase and response and why is it required for certain transactions?

A. The challenge phrase and response is a question and answer that you established on your bill pay account. This question and answer should be one that only you know. Therefore, it provides an additional level of security with your bill pay account.

ONLINE BANKING

Q. How do I access my account online?

A. You can sign up for our CU At Home online banking in person at our office. A temporary password will be assigned to you. You must use your password along with your account number to access your account. Your accounts can be accessed under the WWW.LISEFCU.ORG web site via personal computer or through our mobile app.

Q. What type of transactions can I do online?

A. You may use LISEFCU CU AT HOME internet access service to: transfer funds, make loan payments, do balance inquiries, check transaction history and make withdrawals from savings and checking.

Q. When is the service available?

A. The LISEFCU CU AT HOME internet access service is available for your convenience 24 hours per day. This service may be interrupted for short periods of time each day for data processing or site maintenance. The service will also discontinue if no transaction is entered after numerous attempts to enter a transaction. We will make reasonable efforts to ensure performance of LISEFCU CU AT HOME but we cannot assume responsibility for malfunctions in communication facilities that may affect accurateness or timeliness of your messages. We are not responsible for any computer virus or related problem which may be attributable to services provided by an access service provider.

Q. Are there any fees to use Online Banking?

A. There are currently no monthly service charges or transaction fees for the LISEFCU CU AT HOME internet access service, but you are still responsible for any account related service charges and transaction fees imposed by us.

Q. Can I have a check mailed to anyone via Online Banking?

A. All checks are payable to you as primary member and will be mailed to your address of record.

Q. I have more than one account. Can I transfer money between them?

A. We can link several accounts to your Online Banking service. However, if you are requesting the ability to transfer funds to/from another account we need written permission from the primary owner of that account and your name must be on both accounts. Ask us for a form to set up the transfers.

SHARED BRANCHING

Q. What is Shared Branching and how can it benefit me?

A. There are over 3000 Credit Unions throughout the country that participate in Shared Branching with over 30 local credit unions ready to serve you right here on Long Island, from Flushing to Riverhead. They were established to serve members like you, every day, just as though you were visiting a branch of your own credit union. And you’ll receive the same great credit union service you’re accustomed to. Shared branching can take care of all your business, including: Deposits, Withdrawals, Transfers, Balance inquiries, Statement prints, Loan Payments.

For a complete list of over 5000 Shared Branching locations, visit

Q. What do I need to use this service?

A. You must know your account number (not your ATM or Debit Card number, not your PIN and not the number on the bottom of your checks) They cannot look it up for you. If you’re not sure of your account number check the upper right portion of your statement.  You must also know the name of the credit union.  Don’t know our name?  It’s LONG ISLAND STATE EMPLOYEES FEDERAL CREDIT UNION.  There are other credit unions with similar names, so you MUST know our correct name. You must have a valid photo ID available, and at some locations your social security number.

Q. What Can I do at a Shared Service Center?

A. Deposits , Withdrawals, Transfers, Balance Inquiries, Statement Prints, Loan Payments

Q. What Can’t I do?

A. You cannot open an account. ALSO, keep in mind that check deposits are subject to Reg CC holds, with a MINIMUM one day hold.

Q. What ‘ s Reg CC?

A. I knew you were going to ask that!

Regulation CC is a Federal Reserve regulation concerning funds availability, or more simply put, when you can withdraw the money you deposit. Shared Service Centers hold to Reg CC general rules. In some cases deposits are held a minimum of one business day, including cash and Government checks.

Lise home equity worksheet

Current Rates

  APR*
Vehicle (New) 2.99%
Vehicle (Used) 3.49%
Personal (Fixed Rate) 9.99%
Home Equity - Variable **Prime floor%

*As low as...based on credit score.
**Prime Floor 4.50%
Click here for more info...

Location

NY State Office Building
250 Veterans Memorial Hwy.
Suite 5A9
Hauppauge, NY 11788

631-291-9160 - Telephone
631-360-3620 - Fax
877-LISEFCU - Toll Free
631-952-6286 - Automated (24/7)

Member Links

checks

Credit Union Shared Service Centers