NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – St. Anne CU marked its 100th birthday with a plaque from Gov. Deval Patrick and numerous tributes from state senators and representatives and city officials.
The $17-million credit union, the third-oldest in Massachusetts, was chartered in 1911, opening the first accounts for a total of $125.
St. Anne Church in the city’s South End originally housed the credit union. Later, the credit union’s bookkeeper for more than 45 years operated it out of her living room until 1950, when it then moved to its first office. In 1993, it moved to its current location, 93 Union St.
At first, the credit union could only be used by members of St. Anne Church. They would take loans of $10 or $15, paying them back the next week, and deposit a nickel at a time, a lot of money for the day. Eventually it expanded to handle the business of five French-speaking churches in the city and later to include Bristol and Plymouth counties, making it the community credit union that it is today.
