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Christmas will be here before we know it, and the U of I Community Credit Union is helping us create a plan for holiday spending.
#DoMoreGood is our rally cry and motivation behind everything we do. It’s the actions our team members take every day. It’s the true passion we have for doing the right thing and not being afraid to give second chances. It’s consistently showing up for our members, each other and our community when they need us most. #DoMoreGood is who we are.
Founded as Our Credit Union by Mr. E. W. Eubanks, we began serving hourly wage earners from a janitor room at the U of I Power Plant in October 1932. At the end of that first year, the credit union had 37 members, two borrowers, and $116.97 in assets. By 1935, the credit union moved off campus to Urbana, expanded its charter to include faculty, and was renamed University of Illinois Employees Credit Union (UIECU).
UIECU’s assets and membership continued to grow, and in 1954 Glen Pickens took a leave from the University to become the first full time employee of the credit union. UIECU’s assets reached over $1,000,000 the following year.
Over the years, we continued to expand our product offerings to better meet the needs of our members. UIECU began the Illinois Guaranteed Loan Program in 1968 to help members obtain loans for their children’s college tuition, and in 1973 we began offering payroll deduction. Share draft checking, certificates, second mortgages, IRAs and money market accounts soon followed.
In 1998, Illini Student Federal Credit Union merged with UIECU making students eligible for membership at UIECU. Champaign Bell Credit Union merged with UIECU in 1999, extending membership eligibility to employees of telecommunications businesses such as Illinois Bell Telephone Company, Ameritech, AT&T Information System, AT&T Communications, AT&T Technologies, and Lucent Technologies.
UIECU began offering online banking in 2000, enabling members across the country and around the world to easily access and manage their accounts. The early 2000s were record years for mortgages and new member growth. In 2006, UIECU was the #1 source for local auto lending in Champaign-Urbana and our Mortgage Department received the “Best of the Best” award from PHH Mortgage Services.
We celebrated our 75th anniversary in 2007. In 2015, we adjusted our name to University of Illinois Community Credit Union to reflect our open field of membership and our commitment to serving both campus and community. We continue to evolve to better serve our members as we look forward to our centennial celebration!