Fitzsimons Credit Union Receives National Excellence in Lending Award
Fitzsimons Credit Union (FCU) was one of only six credit unions in the nation honored with an Excellence in Lending Award at the 2017 Lending Council Conference hosted by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) that took place November 12-15, in Nashville, Tenn. The Aurora-based credit union won the Excellence in Lending Award in the category of Low to Modest Means Lending (Assets $250M or less).
Fitzsimons Credit Union began its journey as a credit union that serves the underbanked in the mid-1990s, when it transitioned from being a military-based credit union to a community credit union. Predatory lending practices, such as payday lenders and “buy here pay here” auto dealers are common in the Aurora area. To combat the problem, FCU began to offer payday alternatives such as its “Partners Instant Cash” loan that offers much lower interest rates than the typical payday loan. The Aurora-based credit union also offers credit-building loans to help those in the community with damaged or no established credit.
In 2011, Fitzsimons Credit Union began an initiative to serve Hispanics, which comprise 28% of the population in Aurora. To serve this typically underbanked segment, FCU offers accounts for those with alternative forms of identification, including Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs), and a 0%-interest loan for those looking to pay for citizenship expenses. Furthermore, all information is available in Spanish, so the Hispanic community can make informed decisions. For its efforts, Fitzsimons Credit Union received the Juntos Avanzamos (Together We Advance) designation by the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions in 2016.
Robert Fryberger, President & CEO of Fitzsimons Credit Union, had this to say regarding the Excellence in Lending Award and the credit union’s vision of being a recognized leader in the community: “We are honored to be acknowledged for our work carrying out the credit union movement’s philosophy of ‘people helping people’ and I am proud to lead a team whose hard work, dedication, and passion for serving our members can be witnessed on a daily basis. When our members see us a as a trusted partner, the credit union and the community grow and thrive together.”
About Fitzsimons Federal Credit Union Fitzsimons Credit Union, A Partnering Credit Union is a community-based, not-for-profit financial cooperative, locally owned and controlled by the members who use its services. Fitzsimons Credit Union serves everyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Aurora, Watkins, Bennett, Strasburg, or eastern Centennial; is an active or retired military; a family member of those who meet the above criteria; and family members of those who work for any of the Select Employee Groups (SEGs). Fitzsimons Credit Union was first chartered in 1955 and is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). For information on Fitzsimons Credit Union, visit FitzsimonsCU.com
About CUNA
Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America’s credit unions, which are owned by 110 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit CUNA.org.
CUNA Lending Council
The CUNA Lending Council is a member-led community of credit union lending professionals dedicated to providing best lending practices and educational opportunities to its members. The CUNA Lending Council is one of seven CUNA Councils, a network of more than 6,900 credit union professionals. For more information, visit CUNACouncils.org.
