Cornerstone League modifies branding

The trade association representing credit unions in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas has tweaked its branding, dropping the words “credit union” from its name to simply go by the Cornerstone League.

Caroline Willard, president and CEO of the Cornerstone League
Caroline Willard, president and CEO of the Cornerstone League

The rebrand, announced Wednesday, also includes similar changes to subsidiary organizations. Credit Union Resources, a credit union service organization that assists, among other things, with strategic planning and recruitment, will now be known as Cornerstone Resources. The league’s philanthropic arm will now be known simply as the Cornerstone Foundation. All three organizations have also debuted new logos.

“Our goal has always been to advocate on behalf of credit unions, empower them with development opportunities, and deliver solutions that help them serve their communities,” Caroline Willard, president and CEO of the league, said in a press release. “This rebrand is representative of the unified efforts of the League, Resources, and the Foundation to provide top-notch service to our members.”

The rebrand was an 18-month process and comes on the heels of a soft launch of the league’s new website.

League officials said the thought process behind the change was to better unify what the organization does in order to reinforce its value proposition to member institutions.

“It may sound counterintuitive, but by creating a differentiation between the league, Resources and Foundation, we’re strengthening the brand as a whole,” said Sylvia Lawson, VP of marketing. “We’ve struck the perfect balance between shining the spotlight on each component’s unique mission and set of services, and unifying the brand under the league umbrella.”

Cornerstone’s change comes soon after a similar tweak in the Dakotas.

While some institutions have dropped the words "credit union" from their branding, Cornerstone is believed to be the first trade group to do so.

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