Navy Federal is specifically tailored to the needs of the military since they constantly get deployed and spend alot of time overseas. For the average Joe working in the USA, any close by sound credit union is sufficient enough. What makes NFCU special is the special needs the service members need. One time I was going to the Philippines, but had some issue with Navy Federal. I called them up, told them I was on my way to Philippines to please transfer over some money from Savings to Checking or vice versa, and against policy, they did it for me over the phone. (Pre-internet days.) Also, like USAA, was designed by military officers that couldn't get insurance elsewhere because they were considered a "High risk" group. If you are a civilian living in locality of anytown USA, you can use the one that will serve you best.