The Member Story Project

The Member Story Project celebrates the powerful, personal moments between credit unions and the people they serve. Through heartfelt stories of real-life impact, this initiative highlights the moments when credit unions made a meaningful difference. Whether they offered support during a crisis, helped a dream come true, or simply showed up when it mattered most, these stories speak volumes.

They reflect the essence of the credit union movement: real people helping real people. We hope they inspire you as much as they inspire us.

Do you have a story to share? We’d love to hear it. Submit your story here and be featured on CreditUnions.com.

The Member Story Project is sponsored by Callahan & Associates

Support That Reached Two Generations

Empower Federal Credit Union

I had a member in my office because there were withdrawals coming out of her account that were not hers. After researching the issue, we were able to determine what had happened and worked to get it corrected for her. Before she left, she mentioned that she was struggling with her payments and thought she […]

Standing With Members Through Life’s Hardest Season

TAPCO Credit Union

Long-time TAPCO members were experiencing severe financial and medical hardships. The husband suffered a disabling medical event that left him permanently disabled, unable to work, and requiring constant monitoring. As a result, the wife was forced to find a new job that allowed her to work from home so she could provide care. They also […]

Saving A Home When Time Was Running Out

The New Orleans Firemen’s Federal Credit Union

Our members, a husband and wife, had struggled for years with high‑interest credit cards and other financial issues. At the time, they were living with his mother‑in‑law. By the end of 2023, the mother‑in‑law had only made three mortgage payments and was facing foreclosure. In September 2023, the husband was home when he received a […]

Relief After Years Of Caregiving

Champions First Credit Union

A 61-year-old single woman came to the credit union experiencing financial distress after spending years caring for her aging mother. During that time, she accumulated approximately $22,500 in credit card debt, largely to cover caregiving and daily living expenses. As balances grew, she became trapped in a cycle of late payments, incurring $30 to $35 […]

Looking Past The Score

Community Credit Union of Florida

A member, a homeowner in Brevard County, Florida, applied for a personal loan with a credit score of 514, a debt-to-income ratio of 78%, and an annual income of $36,000. Under traditional underwriting standards at most banks and credit unions, this application would typically have resulted in an automatic denial. However, the member had been […]

Less Interest More Breathing Room

Suncoast Credit Union

A member came to us looking for options to get out of debt. He had been going through several difficult life events, including losing his employment, a breakup, and having to move out. He was having a hard time keeping up with rent and food. After covering all of his financial obligations, he was left […]

Industry Analysis & Trends

Baker Market Update – Week in Review: February 27, 2026

Released every Friday, BMU is a brief and informative newsletter that provides financial institutions a review of the week’s economic ...
Making A Difference

SECU and SECU Foundation Receive Disaster Response Champions Award for Helene Relief Efforts

State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) and SECU Foundation recently received the inaugural Disaster Response Champions Award from Carolinas Credit Union ...
New Product Releases

St. Cloud Financial Credit Union Launches CU-Digital Asset Vault™ — Positioning the Credit Union as the most Valuable Wallet for Member Digital Wealth

St. Cloud Financial Credit Union (SCFCU) announced the live launch of the CU-Digital Asset Vault™, the first credit union-built digital ...
Marketing

Appli CEO Tim Pranger to Showcase Real-Time Property Value Calculator at CUNA GAC 2026

Appli, the creator of the industry’s first AI-powered smart financial calculator, today announced that Founder and CEO Tim Pranger will ...
Other

Newsweek names Redwood Credit Union one of the Greatest Midsize Workplaces for Women

Newsweek has awarded Redwood Credit Union its highest five-star rating as one of America’s Greatest Midsize Workplaces for Women, an ...
Strategic Partnerships

Ocean State Credit Union Selects Synergent for Core Processing and Integrated Services

WESTBROOK, ME (February 26, 2026) – Synergent® has entered into a ten-year hosted Jack Henry™ Symitar® core processing agreement with ...
New Product Releases

eDOC Innovations Announces Product Enhancements

eDOC announces product updates and enhancements including new integration capabilities with its e-Sign solution, eDOCSignature, optimization of iDOCVault document management ...
Other

Vizo Financial’s March 2026 Education Calendar

At Vizo Financial we are committed to providing quality education to credit unions and their staff, which is why we ...
Other

Meriwest Credit Union Wins Top Honor as Best Credit Union in Silicon Valley 2026

We’re excited to share that Meriwest has been voted as the Best Credit Union in Silicon Valley in 2026 by ...
Lending

Origence Ends 2025 with 17% Growth in Fundings; Expands AI-Driven Lending Technology

Origence, the leading lending technology solutions provider for credit unions, closed 2025 with $62 billion in total fundings, up 17% ...
Operations & HR

Xpress Data Inc. hires Kirk Drake as new President

Xpress Data Inc. hires Kirk Drake as new President. Drake brings decades of experience in credit unions and technology strategy ...
Other

Catherine Bryant and Jonah Kaufman of Coastal Wealth Management Recognized as Distinguished Financial Professionals by LPL Financial

Catherine Bryant and Jonah Kaufman, Wealth Advisors at Coastal Wealth Management in Raleigh, have earned a place among LPL Financials’ ...

Credit Unions Gain Edge with New CashBack+ Credit Card Rewards

New York, NY – February 25, 2025 – Prizeout, the leader in advertising and financial technology, today announced the launch ...
Making A Difference

ICUL Launches “Credit Unions in Action” to Showcase Statewide Community Impact

The Illinois Credit Union League has opened our inaugural Credit Unions in Action (CUIA) data collection initiative, and we’re excited ...
Strategic Partnerships

Apple Federal Credit Union Partners with Quavo to Modernize Dispute Operations and Elevate Member Experience

Quavo, Inc. (“Quavo”), the proven AI disputes technology partner and leading strategic advisor for financial institutions, has announced a new ...
Technology

Wings Credit Union Signs with Corelation, Selecting KeyStone to Elevate Its Future

Wings Credit Union has signed with Corelation, confirming their decision to select the KeyStone core to power what is a ...
Lending

FI Connect Expands with Home Improvement Lending Channel, Helping Credit Unions Access New Home Renovation Loan Opportunities

Origence, the leading credit union lending technology company in the U.S., announced that its subsidiary, FI Connect, has expanded its ...
Other

Callahan & Gallup Welcome Two Credit Unions To The Member Engagement And Financial Wellbeing Consortium

Callahan & Associates, a recognized leader in performance measurement, leadership development, strategic advisory and community development for credit unions, and Gallup, a global analytics and ...
Operations & HR

QuantyPhi Welcomes Max Bade as ALM & CECL Analyst

QuantyPhi, a wholly owned CUSO of Corporate Central, is pleased to welcome Max Bade as ALM & CECL Analyst as ...
Charity Events

LAFCU, Quality Dairy partner for third annual Paczki Palooza to benefit local charities

LANSING, Mich. — LAFCU partnered with Quality Dairy for the third consecutive year as co-sponsor of Pączki Palooza, the popular ...
Making A Difference

EECU Celebrates Fresno Unified Excellence in Education Honorees

FRESNO, Calif. (Feb. 20, 2026) – Educational Employees Credit Union (EECU) proudly sponsored the Fresno Unified School District’s annual Excellence ...
Other

Coastal Credit Union Headquarters Renovation Earns Multiple Honors

Coastal Credit Union’s headquarters renovation has earned top recognition from both the Triangle Business Journal and the Carolinas AGC, underscoring ...
Strategic Partnerships

Woodford State Bank Selects Square 1 Credit Suite by Suntell

Woodford State Bank Selects Square 1 Credit Suite by Suntell February 23, 2026 — Suntell, a leading provider of loan ...
Marketing

Suntell Marks 30 Years Advancing Commercial and Agricultural Lending Technology for Community Financial Institutions

Suntell Marks 30 Years Advancing Commercial and Agricultural Lending Technology for Community Financial Institutions Suntell is celebrating its 30th anniversary, ...
Technology

Peninsula Community Credit Union Selects Alogent’s FASTdocs to Modernize Enterprise Content Management

Peninsula Community Credit Union has selected FASTdocs, Alogent’s enterprise content management (ECM) platform, to modernize its document management environment. Delivered ...
Other

National Association of Latino Credit Union Professionals Honors SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union President Jose Lara with Legacy Leader Award

Jose Lara, president of SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, received the Legacy Leader Award from the National Association of Latino Credit ...
Making A Difference

Family Trust Federal Credit Union recognized for housing-focused financial education efforts

Family Trust Federal Credit Union (Family Trust) has been recognized by the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation with the Desjardins Adult ...
Other

Gulf Winds Welcomes Christopher Tenney as Vice President of Cybersecurity

Gulf Winds Credit Union is excited to announce that Christopher Tenney has joined the senior leadership team as Vice President ...
Personnel Promotions

Humanidei Welcomes Carolyn Reeves as Leadership & Organizational Development Consultant

Ontario, CA, February 17, 2026. Humanidei has announced the addition of Carolyn Reeves as its new Leadership & Organizational Development ...
Making A Difference

Coastal Credit Union and Foundation Earn Four Awards from Carolinas Credit Union Foundation

Coastal Credit Union and the Coastal Credit Union Foundation have earned four awards from the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation’s statewide ...
Industry Analysis & Trends

Baker Market Update – Week in Review: February 27, 2026

Released every Friday, BMU is a brief and informative newsletter that provides financial institutions a review of the week’s economic ...
Making A Difference

SECU and SECU Foundation Receive Disaster Response Champions Award for Helene Relief Efforts

State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) and SECU Foundation recently received the inaugural Disaster Response Champions Award from Carolinas Credit Union ...
New Product Releases

St. Cloud Financial Credit Union Launches CU-Digital Asset Vault™ — Positioning the Credit Union as the most Valuable Wallet for Member Digital Wealth

St. Cloud Financial Credit Union (SCFCU) announced the live launch of the CU-Digital Asset Vault™, the first credit union-built digital ...
Marketing

Appli CEO Tim Pranger to Showcase Real-Time Property Value Calculator at CUNA GAC 2026

Appli, the creator of the industry’s first AI-powered smart financial calculator, today announced that Founder and CEO Tim Pranger will ...
Other

Newsweek names Redwood Credit Union one of the Greatest Midsize Workplaces for Women

Newsweek has awarded Redwood Credit Union its highest five-star rating as one of America’s Greatest Midsize Workplaces for Women, an ...
Strategic Partnerships

Ocean State Credit Union Selects Synergent for Core Processing and Integrated Services

WESTBROOK, ME (February 26, 2026) – Synergent® has entered into a ten-year hosted Jack Henry™ Symitar® core processing agreement with ...
New Product Releases

eDOC Innovations Announces Product Enhancements

eDOC announces product updates and enhancements including new integration capabilities with its e-Sign solution, eDOCSignature, optimization of iDOCVault document management ...
Other

Vizo Financial’s March 2026 Education Calendar

At Vizo Financial we are committed to providing quality education to credit unions and their staff, which is why we ...
Other

Meriwest Credit Union Wins Top Honor as Best Credit Union in Silicon Valley 2026

We’re excited to share that Meriwest has been voted as the Best Credit Union in Silicon Valley in 2026 by ...
Lending

Origence Ends 2025 with 17% Growth in Fundings; Expands AI-Driven Lending Technology

Origence, the leading lending technology solutions provider for credit unions, closed 2025 with $62 billion in total fundings, up 17% ...
Operations & HR

Xpress Data Inc. hires Kirk Drake as new President

Xpress Data Inc. hires Kirk Drake as new President. Drake brings decades of experience in credit unions and technology strategy ...
Other

Catherine Bryant and Jonah Kaufman of Coastal Wealth Management Recognized as Distinguished Financial Professionals by LPL Financial

Catherine Bryant and Jonah Kaufman, Wealth Advisors at Coastal Wealth Management in Raleigh, have earned a place among LPL Financials’ ...

Credit Unions Gain Edge with New CashBack+ Credit Card Rewards

New York, NY – February 25, 2025 – Prizeout, the leader in advertising and financial technology, today announced the launch ...
Making A Difference

ICUL Launches “Credit Unions in Action” to Showcase Statewide Community Impact

The Illinois Credit Union League has opened our inaugural Credit Unions in Action (CUIA) data collection initiative, and we’re excited ...
Strategic Partnerships

Apple Federal Credit Union Partners with Quavo to Modernize Dispute Operations and Elevate Member Experience

Quavo, Inc. (“Quavo”), the proven AI disputes technology partner and leading strategic advisor for financial institutions, has announced a new ...
Technology

Wings Credit Union Signs with Corelation, Selecting KeyStone to Elevate Its Future

Wings Credit Union has signed with Corelation, confirming their decision to select the KeyStone core to power what is a ...
Lending

FI Connect Expands with Home Improvement Lending Channel, Helping Credit Unions Access New Home Renovation Loan Opportunities

Origence, the leading credit union lending technology company in the U.S., announced that its subsidiary, FI Connect, has expanded its ...
Other

Callahan & Gallup Welcome Two Credit Unions To The Member Engagement And Financial Wellbeing Consortium

Callahan & Associates, a recognized leader in performance measurement, leadership development, strategic advisory and community development for credit unions, and Gallup, a global analytics and ...
Operations & HR

QuantyPhi Welcomes Max Bade as ALM & CECL Analyst

QuantyPhi, a wholly owned CUSO of Corporate Central, is pleased to welcome Max Bade as ALM & CECL Analyst as ...
Charity Events

LAFCU, Quality Dairy partner for third annual Paczki Palooza to benefit local charities

LANSING, Mich. — LAFCU partnered with Quality Dairy for the third consecutive year as co-sponsor of Pączki Palooza, the popular ...
Making A Difference

EECU Celebrates Fresno Unified Excellence in Education Honorees

FRESNO, Calif. (Feb. 20, 2026) – Educational Employees Credit Union (EECU) proudly sponsored the Fresno Unified School District’s annual Excellence ...
Other

Coastal Credit Union Headquarters Renovation Earns Multiple Honors

Coastal Credit Union’s headquarters renovation has earned top recognition from both the Triangle Business Journal and the Carolinas AGC, underscoring ...
Strategic Partnerships

Woodford State Bank Selects Square 1 Credit Suite by Suntell

Woodford State Bank Selects Square 1 Credit Suite by Suntell February 23, 2026 — Suntell, a leading provider of loan ...
Marketing

Suntell Marks 30 Years Advancing Commercial and Agricultural Lending Technology for Community Financial Institutions

Suntell Marks 30 Years Advancing Commercial and Agricultural Lending Technology for Community Financial Institutions Suntell is celebrating its 30th anniversary, ...
Technology

Peninsula Community Credit Union Selects Alogent’s FASTdocs to Modernize Enterprise Content Management

Peninsula Community Credit Union has selected FASTdocs, Alogent’s enterprise content management (ECM) platform, to modernize its document management environment. Delivered ...
Other

National Association of Latino Credit Union Professionals Honors SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union President Jose Lara with Legacy Leader Award

Jose Lara, president of SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, received the Legacy Leader Award from the National Association of Latino Credit ...
Making A Difference

Family Trust Federal Credit Union recognized for housing-focused financial education efforts

Family Trust Federal Credit Union (Family Trust) has been recognized by the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation with the Desjardins Adult ...
Other

Gulf Winds Welcomes Christopher Tenney as Vice President of Cybersecurity

Gulf Winds Credit Union is excited to announce that Christopher Tenney has joined the senior leadership team as Vice President ...
Personnel Promotions

Humanidei Welcomes Carolyn Reeves as Leadership & Organizational Development Consultant

Ontario, CA, February 17, 2026. Humanidei has announced the addition of Carolyn Reeves as its new Leadership & Organizational Development ...
Making A Difference

Coastal Credit Union and Foundation Earn Four Awards from Carolinas Credit Union Foundation

Coastal Credit Union and the Coastal Credit Union Foundation have earned four awards from the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation’s statewide ...

ICUL Advocacy Secures Regulatory Fee Credits for State’s Credit Unions

The Illinois Credit Union League: Illinois state-chartered credit unions will receive $1,315,968 in regulatory fee credits in 2026, resulting in an approximate 90% reduction in ...

Callahan & Associates And CU Strategic Planning Holds Its First In-Person CDFI Executive Roundtable

Washington, DC – Callahan & Associates and CU Strategic Planning, a Callahan company, will host their first in-person CDFI Executive Roundtable on May 19-20, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio as part ...

LAFCU wins statewide innovation award for tackling financial instability at its roots

LANSING, Mich. — A bold new approach to community investment has earned LAFCU statewide recognition. The Michigan Credit Union League (MCUL) has named LAFCU the ...

CU*SOUTH Board Member Cindy Lindsey Named 2026 Advocacy Ambassador

CU*SOUTH, a 100% credit union-owned credit union service organization (CUSO) that provides essential products and solutions for credit unions, is proud to congratulate board member ...

TriUnity Foundation Raises $250,000 in 2026, Expands to 13 Partners Supporting Individuals Facing Life-Threatening Illness

TriUnity Foundation announced today that it has raised a total of $250,000 in 2026, including funds generated at its recent annual gala. The foundation has ...

Indiana Members Credit Union Contributes $10,000 to Strides for Sarcoma for Cancer Awareness Card

On behalf of Indiana Members Credit Union members, IMCU recently presented a check for $10,000 to Strides for Sarcoma as part of its exclusive Cancer ...
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