The nation's sixth-largest credit union has a new name. Alliant Credit Union is the new name for the $4.5-billion United Airlines Employees Credit Union. The name change, along with a new logo and branding initiative, is the first in the 60-year history of the credit union, one of the last big credit unions to continue to serve a narrowly defined field of membership.
That FOM is also changing. In a communication to members, CEO David Mooney said, "We are in the midst of expanding our membership to other select companies, organizations and communities."
"To protect our great rates for members, we must continue to pursue additional growth opportunities with expanded membership and a new name to support that initiative," said Mooney.
The CU, located near O'Hare Airport, is stressing to its 168,000 members that it is not abandoning the airline that represents the core of its FOM.
Alliant said it began with a list of 240 proposed names before winnowing that down to Alliant, which is meant to represent the words "all," "alliance," and "reliant." It's new three-circle logo is meant to show connection and reliance.
To emphasize its expanded membership to "neighbors and friends," Alliant is staging a sweepstakes for member referrals, with the winner receiving a year's lease on a car.
