Posted by Ron Jooss
I want give a huge shout-out to $1.7 billion/149,000-member HarborOne Credit Union in Brockton, Mass., which has been honored with a 2010 National Credit Union Foundation Wegner Award.
I thought it was important to spread the word as much as possible about HarborOne CU’s Multicultural Banking Center, which assists low- and moderate-income residents, minorities and immigrants, the groups targeted most often by subprime lenders, costly payday lenders and expensive check-cashing services.
Please take a minute to follow the link and read what a difference HarborOne CU has made in its community. The credit union is certainly deserving of the Wegner award. I can only hope it is just one of many accolades the credit union receives. Of course, the rewards the center offers the community of Brockton, Mass., are long-lasting and compounding.
This is about more than people helping people; it’s about creating community. To say HarborOne CU is a foundation of the Brockton community is almost an understatement. It also offers both opportunities and lessons for other credit unions. How many other businesses can fit these types of services into their business model? Or if you want to look at it from a different perspective: Do you think any other local business has created more trust in the Brockton community lately than HarborOne CU? Or differentiated itself better? That, my friends, is the credit union difference.
Ron Jooss edits the marketing and general management sections of CUES' Credit Union Management and is editor of CUES Business Lending Edge e-newsletter.
