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

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 […]

Heat Restored Before Winter Set In.

Heritage Financial Credit Union

A member lost her husband last year, and without his additional income, her monthly budget became tighter than ever. While she was managing to get by, she was burdened with credit card debt from funeral expenses and prior purchases, along with high month‑to‑month interest. She was able to cover her bills each month, but there […]

Guidance That Turned Rent Into Ownership

Suncoast Credit Union

As immigrants from Haiti, members M and E were renting an apartment that was significantly overpriced. They both had jobs and wanted to own a home, so they came to Suncoast and applied for a mortgage. Unfortunately, they did not qualify due to income limitations and a lack of credit. Neither M nor E had […]

From Uncertainty To Joy On Four Wheels

Empower Federal Credit Union

I helped a member about four months ago who came in explaining that she needed a vehicle to get to and from work but had a zero credit score. As a first-time auto borrower, she had no idea what to do or what to look for, so she came to see us. Because she had […]

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 ...
Other

Family Trust Federal Credit Union Hosts Coffee & Connections Event for Fort Mill Business Community

Family Trust Federal Credit Union (Family Trust) recently welcomed members of the York County Regional Chamber of Commerce to its ...
Making A Difference

$9 Million in Grants Awarded to 23 North Carolina Non-Profits by SECU Foundation

The State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation Board of Directors has approved more than $9 million in funding for 23 ...
Lending

Rize Credit Union Adds CU Student Choice’s Student Loan and Refinance Solutions

CU Student Choice announced its student loan and refinance solutions will now be available to the members of Rize Credit ...
Industry Analysis & Trends

Baker Market Update – Week in Review: February 13, 2026

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

Vizo Financial’s 2026 Risk Management Conference to Feature Education on AI Risk, Cyber Threats & Payments Fraud

Vizo Financial Corporate Credit Union is holding its annual Risk Management Conference in Hershey, Pa., on April 22-24, 2026. Held ...
Making A Difference

Meriwest Community Foundation Celebrates Transformative Inaugural Year of Impact

The Meriwest Community Foundation is celebrating an incredible first year of impact. From expanding financial education to supporting underserved youth, ...
Technology

Energy One Federal Credit Union Implements AI-Powered Calculators from Appli

Appli, a provider of AI-powered financial calculators for credit unions and community banks, announced today that Energy One Federal Credit ...
Legal/Regulatory

NASCUS Supports NCUA Regulatory Modernization While Urging Clarity, Consistency, and Strong Supervisory Foundations

The National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS) submitted three comment letters to the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) ...
Lending

LendKey Surpasses $8 Billion in Loan Originations, Accelerating Growth for Credit Unions and Banks Nationwide

LendKey today announced it has surpassed $8 billion in loan originations, a milestone achieved through its network of more than ...
Strategic Partnerships

Capital Area Federal Credit Union Renews Core Processing Partnership with Synergent

Synergent® is proud to share that Capital Area Federal Credit Union has renewed a ten-year agreement for hosted Jack Henry™ ...
Making A Difference

SECU Foundation Strengthens Support for Students, Communities with $1.95 Million Commitment to Public Fellows Internship Program

Building on a decade of impact, SECU Foundation has renewed its Public Fellows Internship Program for 2026 and increased funding ...
Making A Difference

Maine Credit Unions Raise Nearly $1.5 Million to Address Food Insecurity

Credit union representatives from across Maine came together to announce the latest fundraising results of their collaborative Maine Credit Unions’ ...
Personnel Promotions

Cumberland County FCU President & CEO Announces Retirement After 36 Years of Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cumberland County FCU President & CEO Announces Retirement After 36 Years of Service Cumberland County FCU has ...
New Product Releases

NASCUS Partners with the Tennessee and Mississippi Credit Union Association to Launch New Introduction to Credit Union Examination Training

The National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS), in collaboration with the Tennessee and Mississippi Credit Union Association, is ...
Making A Difference

ALM First Caps 30th Anniversary Celebration with Impact Report

Dallas, TX – ALM First, a strategic partner to over 450 depositories nationwide, closed out its year-long 30th anniversary celebration with the ...
Other

CU Strategic Planning Applauds Intact CDFI Fund Budget Following Brief Government Shutdown

CU Strategic Planning, a leading provider for mission-focused credit unions, expressed gratitude to Congress for maintaining the $334 million appropriation ...
Other

Meriwest Credit Union Celebrates New Morgan Hill Branch, Strengthening Local Community Ties

We’re growing with you, Morgan Hill! Our new branch is now open, complete with full personal & business banking, lending ...
Industry Analysis & Trends

Baker Market Update – Week in Review: February 06, 2026

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

Freedom Bank Selects Square 1 Credit Suite by Suntell

Suntell, a leading provider of loan origination software for commercial and agricultural lending, is pleased to announce that Freedom Bank, ...
New Product Releases

TAPP Engine’s 9Squid Private Markets: First to Democratize Securitization for All Credit Unions*

TAPP Engine has launched 9Squid Private Markets*, an AI-powered securitization platform built to help credit unions of all sizes access ...
Other

Education Foundation for California Schools Awards $280,000 in Grants to California Educators

The Education Foundation for California Schools, a nonprofit created by SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and the Orange County Department of ...
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 ...
Other

Family Trust Federal Credit Union Hosts Coffee & Connections Event for Fort Mill Business Community

Family Trust Federal Credit Union (Family Trust) recently welcomed members of the York County Regional Chamber of Commerce to its ...
Making A Difference

$9 Million in Grants Awarded to 23 North Carolina Non-Profits by SECU Foundation

The State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation Board of Directors has approved more than $9 million in funding for 23 ...
Lending

Rize Credit Union Adds CU Student Choice’s Student Loan and Refinance Solutions

CU Student Choice announced its student loan and refinance solutions will now be available to the members of Rize Credit ...
Industry Analysis & Trends

Baker Market Update – Week in Review: February 13, 2026

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

Vizo Financial’s 2026 Risk Management Conference to Feature Education on AI Risk, Cyber Threats & Payments Fraud

Vizo Financial Corporate Credit Union is holding its annual Risk Management Conference in Hershey, Pa., on April 22-24, 2026. Held ...
Making A Difference

Meriwest Community Foundation Celebrates Transformative Inaugural Year of Impact

The Meriwest Community Foundation is celebrating an incredible first year of impact. From expanding financial education to supporting underserved youth, ...
Technology

Energy One Federal Credit Union Implements AI-Powered Calculators from Appli

Appli, a provider of AI-powered financial calculators for credit unions and community banks, announced today that Energy One Federal Credit ...
Legal/Regulatory

NASCUS Supports NCUA Regulatory Modernization While Urging Clarity, Consistency, and Strong Supervisory Foundations

The National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS) submitted three comment letters to the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) ...
Lending

LendKey Surpasses $8 Billion in Loan Originations, Accelerating Growth for Credit Unions and Banks Nationwide

LendKey today announced it has surpassed $8 billion in loan originations, a milestone achieved through its network of more than ...
Strategic Partnerships

Capital Area Federal Credit Union Renews Core Processing Partnership with Synergent

Synergent® is proud to share that Capital Area Federal Credit Union has renewed a ten-year agreement for hosted Jack Henry™ ...
Making A Difference

SECU Foundation Strengthens Support for Students, Communities with $1.95 Million Commitment to Public Fellows Internship Program

Building on a decade of impact, SECU Foundation has renewed its Public Fellows Internship Program for 2026 and increased funding ...
Making A Difference

Maine Credit Unions Raise Nearly $1.5 Million to Address Food Insecurity

Credit union representatives from across Maine came together to announce the latest fundraising results of their collaborative Maine Credit Unions’ ...
Personnel Promotions

Cumberland County FCU President & CEO Announces Retirement After 36 Years of Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cumberland County FCU President & CEO Announces Retirement After 36 Years of Service Cumberland County FCU has ...
New Product Releases

NASCUS Partners with the Tennessee and Mississippi Credit Union Association to Launch New Introduction to Credit Union Examination Training

The National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS), in collaboration with the Tennessee and Mississippi Credit Union Association, is ...
Making A Difference

ALM First Caps 30th Anniversary Celebration with Impact Report

Dallas, TX – ALM First, a strategic partner to over 450 depositories nationwide, closed out its year-long 30th anniversary celebration with the ...
Other

CU Strategic Planning Applauds Intact CDFI Fund Budget Following Brief Government Shutdown

CU Strategic Planning, a leading provider for mission-focused credit unions, expressed gratitude to Congress for maintaining the $334 million appropriation ...
Other

Meriwest Credit Union Celebrates New Morgan Hill Branch, Strengthening Local Community Ties

We’re growing with you, Morgan Hill! Our new branch is now open, complete with full personal & business banking, lending ...
Industry Analysis & Trends

Baker Market Update – Week in Review: February 06, 2026

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

Freedom Bank Selects Square 1 Credit Suite by Suntell

Suntell, a leading provider of loan origination software for commercial and agricultural lending, is pleased to announce that Freedom Bank, ...
New Product Releases

TAPP Engine’s 9Squid Private Markets: First to Democratize Securitization for All Credit Unions*

TAPP Engine has launched 9Squid Private Markets*, an AI-powered securitization platform built to help credit unions of all sizes access ...
Other

Education Foundation for California Schools Awards $280,000 in Grants to California Educators

The Education Foundation for California Schools, a nonprofit created by SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and the Orange County Department of ...

Coastal Credit Union Issues 2026 Impact Report

Coastal Credit Union’s 2026 Member & Community Impact Report is now available. In addition to highlighting Coastal’s 2025 accomplishments and financial results, the report continues ...

Corporate Central Expands Support for Emerging Credit Unions, Welcomes Two De Novo Members

Corporate Central continues to invest in the future of the credit union movement, proudly welcoming two de novo credit union members while expanding support for ...

DaLand CUSO and Corelation Advance Digital Asset Capabilities to KeyStone Credit Unions Through Coin2Core Integration

DaLand CUSO, in collaboration with Corelation, is highlighting the KeyStone integration of Coin2Core®, an innovative digital asset solution built using KeyStone’s architecture. Designed specifically for ...

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 ...
Scroll to Top