Credit unions are nonprofit institutions owned by their members -- meaning they tend to offer accounts and services that are more customer-friendly than those of large national banks. And, like banks, they deliver a full range of options, from checking and savings accounts to credit cards, auto loans and mortgages.

Many credit unions limit membership to people who live in a certain region or work for eligible employers, but some open their doors to any U.S. customer who joins a qualifying organization. With data from Informa Research Services, we evaluated 16 such all-access credit unions, plus Navy Federal Credit Union, which reaches a large number of customers despite its membership limitations. Among other factors, we examined the fees, minimum-balance requirements and interest rates on checking, savings and CD accounts.

Take a look at these 10 outstanding credit unions. Most of them participate in the CO-OP shared branch network, allowing members to use the services of 3,500 credit unions with more than 5,000 branches. And customers whose credit unions are part of CO-OP's ATM network get access to nearly 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs.

BEST: Hanscom Federal Credit Union

Hanscom Federal Credit Union, which launched in 1953, is based in Massachusetts. Most of its 21 branches are clustered in and around Boston (there is also one in McLean, Va.). All current and retired employees of federal government offices located in Massachusetts, and supporters of other partner organizations, can join, as well as family members.

How you can join: Support one of three partner organizations; the least expensive is Burlington Players ($12 membership fee), a volunteer theater group. (Hanscom will submit the Burlington Players application on your behalf.) You must also deposit $25 into a free Primary Savings account.

Checking accounts: Three of Hanscom's four checking accounts are fee-free. The basic account lets you earn "MemberPoints" that you can redeem for travel, merchandise or gift cards, while ($9.95 per month unless your average daily balance exceeds $2,000) ladles on an extra 250 points each month and yields 0.3%. You can also choose between two rewards checking accounts from Kasasa, a financial-services company that offers free rewards accounts through community banks and credit unions: one that pays 2% cash back on debit card purchases (up to $7 per month) and one that yields 2.5% on balances up to $15,000. For both Kasasa accounts, you need to meet several conditions each month