Two institutions were recently named as the 2016 Community Credit Union of the Year by the Credit Union National Association: BayPort CU of Newport News, Va., and 1st Financial FCU of Wentzville, Mo. The awards were handed out during CUNA's recent Community Credit Union Conference in Dallas, which was held concurrently with the National Federation of Community Development CUs' annual conference.
The Community Credit Union of the Year Award celebrates community credit unions that "best demonstrate the fundamental values" of the movement and are a "positive influence" in the field of service.
The two awards were issued according to asset size. Bayport CU ($1.5 billion in assets) won for credit unions with more than $250 million in assets; 1st Financial FCU ($222 million in assets) won for credit unions with less than $250 million in assets.
"BayPort CU and 1st Financial FCU represent the best the credit union movement has to offer," Todd Spiczenski, CUNA chief products and services officer, said in a statement. "They, along with all of our 2016 entrants, show how credit unions that are fully devoted to the principle of 'people helping people' can make a difference in the financial lives of not only individuals but also their communities as a whole."
Lower Valley CU of Sunnyside, Wash., and Redwood CU of Santa Rosa, CA. received "honorable mentions" in the under $250 million category and above $250 million categories, respectively. Lower Valley has $111 million in assets, while Redwood CU has $3.1 billion.
