RALEIGH, N.C.-With 1.7 million members and $23 billion in assets, State Employees' CU here is the second largest CU in the U.S. But despite its size, SECU still strives to remain innovative in ways other CUs struggle to be. SVP of Education Services Leigh Brady said that SECU's strategy is simple: Listen to the needs of the members.
"Even though we have grown pretty large, the one thing that we don't forget is meeting the needs of our core membership base: the average state employee in North Carolina," she said. "That is who we set out to serve in the very beginning, and that's who we target now."
Brady stressed that relationships are key, but not just with the membership. Because of SECU's high concentration of state employees, relationships with state government agencies often help drive the credit union's innovation, such as the extensive offerings it put together for members when North Carolina faced extensive layoffs earlier this year. SECU worked hand-in-hand with the Office of State Personnel to craft resources for members who received pink slips.
But innovation truly comes from working with both state agencies and members combined. "I can design a program that will meet the [members'] overall needs according to what the state government says, but individually we're going to meet those needs just by listening to the member."
