Members in the News

Find out what California and Nevada credit unions are accomplishing within their communities.

Member credit unions may submit their Members in the News items to membernews@ccul.org. When including a photograph, please give a detailed description for each photo sent, including the names and titles of individuals in the photograph. For more information about Members in the News, please contact Associate Editor Cindy Tullues Peterson at 909.212.6042.

Coast Central CU

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Coast Central CU announced that Jasmin Gammel has been appointed Vice President, Member Digital Services.  Gammel is responsible for the organization’s Digital Banking products,Chat, its Member Support Center including phone support, check processing, ACH, and its Credit/Debit Card Services Department.

1st United CU

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1st United CU sponsored the Oakland A's Homeruns for Hunger for the 10th year, resulting in a $35,000 donation to Alameda County Community Food Bank. 

Los Angeles FCU

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Los Angeles FCU raised $13,500 for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) during a recent fundraiser. Donations were made by members transferring funds from their mobile/online banking accounts, from their PayPal site, and in their branches. For every dollar raised, the credit union matched up to $5,000 through Los Angeles FCU's charity, the Los Angeles Charitable Association. One hundred percent of donations will go to support “The Children’s Fund” at CHLA.

LBS Financial CU

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LBS Financial CU delivered over 6,000 school supplies and playground equipment to Stephen Foster Elementary in Lakewood as their adopted school in Bellflower Unified School District for this year.

Frontwave CU

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Frontwave CU recently donated $15,000 and nearly 2,500 pounds of food to three local food banks as a continuation of its 70th Anniversary Acts of Kindness campaign.

First Financial CU

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First Financial CU has announced the return of its Matching Dollars 4 Schools donation program. This is a terrific cause and further demonstrates the credit union’s commitment to the educational community. Now through Dec. 31, 2022, every generous donation will be matched dollar for dollar by the credit union.

Frontwave CU

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Frontwave CU has been named the Best Bank in the Morongo Basin by Hi-Desert Publishing Company’s 2022 Best of the Best Readers’ Choice Awards. For the past 10 years, Hi-Desert Publishing has asked its readers in Morongo Valley, Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, and Twentynine Palms to help crown local businesses as the “best of the best.” Members of the community vote for their favorite local businesses and service providers in over 75 categories, and thousands of votes were cast in this year’s two-month-long contest.

SAFE CU

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SAFE CU is gifting the power of art to a Sacramento area program long dedicated to empowering women. The credit union is donating a portrait of tennis great Serena Williams painted by performance artist David Garibaldi to Saint John’s Program for Real Change.

Frontwave CU

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Frontwave CU has finalized its merger with Barstow Community Credit effective Nov. 1, 2022. The combined credit unions, now more than 122,000 members strong, will operate as Frontwave CU.

Patelco CU

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Patelco CU launches Robo Advisor that allows members to build and manage their Investment portfolios, including retirement, college, vacations, building long-term wealth, or creating a sustainable income stream.

Coast Central CU

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Coast Central CU
has approved $100,000 in grants through its Community Investment Program’s spring round to 12 local organizations, bringing the total awarded to $2 million since 2008. A total of 48 non-profits had requested $600,000.  Coast Central also supports its communities through sponsorship, college scholarship, and employee volunteer programs. 

UNCLE CU

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UNCLE CU has assumed control of the operations of Moore West FCU. This strategic merger marks the third that UNCLE CU has completed in recent years. In 2018, UNCLE CU expanded its branch network and membership in neighboring San Joaquin County after acquiring Stockton Community FCU and Allied Trades CU.

San Diego County CU

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San Diego County CU has been named an honoree of The Civic 50 Orange County by OneOC and Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. The award recognized San Diego County CU as one of the most community‐minded companies in Orange County as determined by an independently administered and scored survey.

Redwood CU

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Redwood CU has opened its doors on a newly completed 8.5-acre campus in Napa. In the last five years, the credit union has increased its assets by 88 percent and now serves more than 415,000 members, requiring added space and staff to continue delivering a high level of service. The location at 480 Devlin Road, near the airport, offers access to talent from Napa and Solano counties and beyond—and convenience to members in those areas.

Mount Diablo Chapter

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The Mount Diablo Chapter held an in-person event where new Chapter officers were sworn in and Leagues senior vice president of federal government affairs provided a 'Hike the Hill' update. The event was well-attended by credit union staff and vendors.

Financial Partners CU

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Financial Partners CU and Orange County's CU have been named approved participants in the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP), which will enable the credit unions to increase lending and expand opportunities to provide positive financial impact within low-income and financially underserved communities in California, specifically those which have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Wescom CU

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Wescom CU announced that it is partnering with University of California, Los Angeles student-athlete and women’s softball star Maya Brady. This will mark Wescom CU’s first student-athlete partnership since the Name Image and Likeness (NIL) rules were enacted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2021.

Technology CU

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Technology CU (tTech CU) has hired  Sunder Srinivasan as its new chief information officer (CIO) and executive vice president. In his role, he will be responsible for driving Tech CU’s information technology (IT) strategy and implementation. An expert in managing technology transformation strategies, vendor relationships, data management, banking regulatory requirements, and governance, Srinivasan’s hire will ensure that Tech CU can continue to adapt to the rapidly evolving technology world quickly, efficiently, and securely.

SAFE CU

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During September, SAFE CU employees participated in multiple volunteer activities throughout the Sacramento area as it celebrated its Building CommYOUnity Month. SAFE CU has celebrated its volunteer spirit with Building CommYOUnity Week the past two years. Due to the popularity and to increase SAFE CU’s impact, this year the credit union has expanded it to an entire month.

San Diego County CU

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San Diego County CU's Senior Vice President of Business Development & Community Relations, Heather Diamond, was named among SD Metro Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40. The award recognizes outstanding young leaders who are positively impacting their organization and the San Diego community.

SAFE CU

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SAFE CU is committing $10,000 to help area children and teens living in foster care with mental health services provided by Stanford Sierra Youth & Families throughout Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and Yolo counties. The grant will be used to offer a continuum of care to local youths living in foster care – many of whom are recovering from childhood trauma – seeking and moving into permanent homes.

San Diego County CU

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San Diego County CU has been named San Diego’s BEST Credit Union for the 23rd consecutive year by readers of The San Diego Union-Tribune. SDCCU was also selected in the 2022 Readers Poll as San Diego’s BEST Financial Planner and BEST Mortgage Provider for the thirteenth year in a row and BEST Auto Loan Provider and BEST Place to Work for the ninth year.

Southern Nevada Chapter

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The Southern Nevada Chapter is hosting a Bite of Reality® event at Clark High School in Las Vegas, NV on Sept. 29. This interactive activity will teach teens how to make financial decisions and give them a better understanding of the challenges of living on a budget.

San Diego County CU

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San Diego County CU's latest Free Shred Day Event resulted in more than 32,000 pounds of paper collected and shredded, saving 272 trees. San Diego County CU has helped the community properly dispose of over 4,594,000 pounds of paper since 2007.

SAFE CU

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SAFE CU moved its West Roseville branch to a new location to better serve the growing community with improved amenities and easier access. The new site offers a comprehensive banking experience providing SAFE CU members and visitors with an enhanced and engaging service.

Patelco CU

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Patelco CU won two 2022 Marketing Association of Credit Unions (MAC) Awards. Its Virtual Branch™ was awarded gold in the product development category, and its Member Quotes Campaign landed a bronze award in the social media category. 

Compass Community CU 

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Compass Community CU has once again earned a top (5-Star) rating from BauerFinancial, Inc., the Nation’s Premier Credit Union and Bank Rating Firm. This marks the 49th straight 5-Star Rating from BauerFinancial. Working together with its members toward common objectives has proven Compass Community CU to be a valued and committed partner.

1st United CU

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1st United CU has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2022 honor by the San Francisco Chronicle. The Greater Bay Area Top Workplaces list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

SAFE CU

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In its new SAFE CreditYOUnion ad campaign, SAFE CU illustrates its commitment to members in a very big way. Not only are individual members being featured in television commercials, on social media, and online in advertisements – they are also set to appear on billboards along highways in Sacramento and El Dorado counties.

Los Angeles FCU

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Los Angeles FCU has announced the winners of the 2022 Jack C. Mathews College Scholarship competition.  Five deserving Los Angeles FCU members were each awarded $2,000, including four high school students attending college in the fall, and a college student. Each application included an essay (about how best to promote Los Angeles FCU services during the pandemic), the applicant’s extracurricular and community-service activities, letters of recommendation, and grade transcripts.

UNCLE CU

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UNCLE CU has welcomed Travis Anway to join their executive leadership team as Vice President of Consumer Lending. Anway joins UNCLE CU after spending over 20 years in financial services, with his most recent experience as Vice President of Lending at Mission City FCU in Santa Clara. Prior to his time with Mission City FCU, he started his career in Michigan as a Personal Banker exceling his way to Vice President.

Frontwave CU

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Frontwave CU was honored by the U.S. Department of the Navy with the Distinguished Small Credit Union Service Award for 2021. The award was presented at the Defense Credit Union Council Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX, on Aug. 2, 2022. Presented annually, the award recognizes on-base financial institutions that provide extraordinary service. 

Orange County Chapter

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The Orange County Chapter is hosting “An evening with Diana Dykstra” where credit union professionals can get to know the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues’ President and CEO, her history with credit unions, and updates from the Leagues. Register here to take part in her inspiring story and experiences on Sept. 22 in Tustin, CA.

Altura CU

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In celebration of International Day of Friendship, Altura CU collaborated with Ireland-based Altura CU to discuss the importance of credit unions in the community. Watch the conversation here.

Frontwave CU

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Frontwave CU continued its 70th Anniversary Acts of Kindness campaign and paid for all pet adoption fees at three San Diego Humane Society locations in North County San Diego. Frontwave CU donated a total of $4,000 to the San Diego Humane Society, supporting the adoption of 50 pets, including dogs, kittens, and a fowl, by local families.

San Diego County CU

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San Diego County CU won a Gold 2022 dotCOMM Award for its Blog Overall submission in the Content Marketing category.

Southland CU





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Southland CU
has partnered with NYDIG, a leading bitcoin company. As the latest early adopter of cryptocurrency services, Southland CU will be the second credit union in the Southern California area to offer cryptocurrency buying and selling services. Through a fully integrated digital banking mobile app feature, Southland CU members can now buy, sell and hold bitcoin in a secure digital asset account.

Patelco CU

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Patelco CU recently teamed up with United Way’s SparkPoint to bring its ScoreUp™ Credit Builder Loan to the center’s clients. Patelco CU’s credit builder loan has helped more than a thousand people establish and improve their credit scores

Los Angeles FCU

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Los Angeles FCU has annouced the Zelle® person-to-person (P2P) payment service is now available for members. Zelle is a fast, safe and easy way to send funds 24/7 like family and friends. There are no fees to use Zelle and money moves within minutes. The maximum transaction limit is $1,000 weekly. Funds can be sent from members’ checking, savings or money market accounts.

San Diego County CU

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San Diego County CU partnered with the San Diego Blood Bank to host a blood drive at seven San Diego County CU locations, six in San Diego County and one in Riverside County collecting 86 pints of much-needed blood, which will help save the lives of over 258 people.

AltaOne FCU

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AltaOne FCU was certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), a designation held by less than 1,300 financial institutions nationwide and less than 150 in California.  AltaOne FCU is the only CDFI headquartered in Kern County, California.

Patelco CU

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Patelco CU
created a three-month campaign to inspire members to switch from paper to e-statements and give back to California areas affected by the recent catastrophic wildfires. For every switch, Patelco donated $5 to One Tree Planted to plant five trees. The campaign sparked thousands of members to switch to eStatments and Patelco donated $23,000 to One Tree Planted to plant 23,000 trees.