Blogging with the CEO - December 2011

I would like to thank all of you for being members of NorthPark Community Credit Union. Through your support our credit union continues to grow, currently our assets total over $57 million and members number over 7,200.  We are small enough to know you by name and big enough to satisfy most of your consumer financial product needs.

We strive to provide the highest level of personal service to assist you, our members/owners, in reaching your financial goals. Our membership base has grown, which is a testament to our growing popularity in the community we serve.  As a NorthPark member/owner, know that your credit union is better than other financial institutions; our consumer loan, savings rates and fee structure are among the best.  With the redesign of our EXTEME CHECKING account, NorthPark charges no monthly account fees.  We still offer Totally Free Checking!  Unlike other area for-profit financial institutions who elected to charge to use debit cards, we PAY YOU to use your debit card through our 1.0% CASH BACK program.

These factors are important facts to consider, but I believe what makes NorthPark really different is our guiding principle to “always try to do what is best for the member.”  Emphasizing our belief that we are “Not for Profit, not for Charity, but for Service”, we will make every attempt possible to help you satisfy your consumer financial needs at the lowest possible cost to you.

The other major difference is our set of core values that we believe and practice:

·        Honesty — to be sincere and truthful in all our dealings

·        Integrity — to have high principles and standards

·        Fairness — to always price products and treat members fairly

·        Respect — to listen and always give you consideration

·        Excellence – to provide you with service that goes above and beyond your expectations

We thank you for your belief in us and the loyalty you have shown by using our products and services. NorthPark is more than assets and income.  NorthPark is about people and dreams. We will continue to offer products and services to satisfy your needs and hopefully help your dreams come true.

This time every year, I sit in my chair and warm up to the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life”.  My wife thinks I am crazy.  The reason I watch it?  It is to remind myself what NorthPark means to Boone County.  The plot is centered on the struggle between Potter’s bank and the tiny member-owned financial cooperative….a struggle for the town and its people.  Potter considered average people “cattle” ready for the “harvest”.  Recently, we have seen the greed Big Banks (and some local community banks!) have expressed through their attempts to charge for debit card use or by eliminating free checking.  What’s next?  Boone County is fortunate to have a credit union headquartered right here!

We each need to stick together, to help our families flourish.  As members of a credit union we can do what we can to keep our money in our pockets, not in Potter’s.

Happy Holidays,

Dan Robbins, President/CEO