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UECU Awarded Best of Bauer for 33 Consecutive Years

BauerFinancial, Inc., the Nation’s Premier Credit Union and Bank Rating Firm, has announced that UECU has once again earned its top (5-Star) rating for financial strength and stability. Having earned Bauer’s (5-Star) rating continuously for 133 quarters, UECU has also earned Bauer’s highest designation as a “Best of Bauer Credit Union.” This designation is reserved solely for institutions that have earned Bauer’s top rating for a minimum of 25 years consecutively.

Bauer rates every federally-insured U.S. credit union with the same strict standards, and is honored to report that UECU continues to earn its top rating. “As a member-owned credit union, UECU keeps its focus on its field of membership (or FOM)”, remarked Karen Dorway, president of BauerFinancial. “The employees of UECU are people just like those in its FOM. That means, whatever its members are going through, the employees are likely going through the same thing, whether it be fires, floods, acts of nature, or simply an empty lot that is begging for a ballfield. They are unflinchingly by your side to help that better future come to fruition.”

UECU has been a dedicated partner for its members for 89 years. Making connections and supporting its field of membership is what it does, and what it has done since 1934. A 5-Star rating from Bauer shows confidence that UECU has the financial strength to continue to do so.

To learn more, click here for the full media release.

UECU Added to the List of the 100 Best Credit Unions in America

Bankdash, a personal finance news and research publication, has added UECU to their list of the 100 best credit unions in the nation. In an effort to help consumers find a quality credit union they could join, Bankdash compiled the list using a methodology that solved for institution stability and quality and value delivered to credit union members over multiple years. They applied this methodology to thousands of credit unions across the US, examining over 25,000 data points spanning several years. Out of a total of 5,204 credit unions in the US, UECU was identified as one of the top 100. Bankdash looked at several key areas including asset size, number of members, net worth per member, deposits per member, and dividends paid to members. In a press release published on July 8, 2022, Steve Wilson, Editor at Bankdash shared, “We believe that all consumers should include credit unions in their investigation of financial products and services and our hope is that this list eliminates a substantial barrier to being able to identify quality credit unions.”

UECU membership is now open to utility and energy industry employees nationwide, as well as Pennsylvania residents through PACC, the Pennsylvania American Consumer Council.

For more information or to join, click here.  

UECU is Ranked in the Top 200 Healthiest Credit Unions in the United States

(As Published In: DepositAccounts.com, 2021)

DepositAccounts.com has ranked UECU as one of the healthiest credit unions in America from 2019 to 2021. In the state of Pennsylvania, UECU is #2 on the list of healthy credit unions. DepositAccounts.com evaluates the financial health of over 12,000 banks and credit unions in the United States once per quarter and has been tracking healthy institutions since 2010. To determine bank ranking and recognition, DepositAccounts.com grades each institution on a number of factors, including the institution’s Texas Ratio, deposit growth, and capitalization.

To learn more, visit https://www.depositaccounts.com/banks/health.aspx.

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UECU holds a Superior Rating from IDC Financial Publishing, Inc., an independent firm that provides key performance measurement data for government-reporting financial institutions across the country. IDC Financial Publishing, Inc. calculates a one-number quality rank for each institution along with over 35 key financial ratios. There are six categories: Superior (200-300), Excellent (165-199), Average (125-164), Below Average (75-124), and Lowest Ratios (2-74) and Rank One. The analysis is based on the financial information each institution reports to the Federal Government.

Credit unions rated Superior are classified as the best in all measures. On average, they have the strongest capital ratios, the best asset quality, and are the most profitable. Many of these institutions demonstrate an ability to generate a core return on net worth (ROE) above cost of net worth (COE). For more information about IDC Financial Publishing, Inc. please visit their website at www.idcfp.com.

UECU News

News Releases and Announcements

A Message from Our President

March, 2023

Dear Member,

2022 was a year marked by extreme volatility; inflation reached its peak at 9.1% in June as the costs of goods and services climbed at rates not seen since the early 80s. To help cool inflation, the Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate seven times, and market rates, especially those represented by the short to middle part of the Treasury yield curve, increased in response. This resulted in higher borrowing costs but also higher rates on deposits. There were financial institutions that stopped offering mortgages and home equity loans, making it more difficult for borrowers to get the loans they needed at affordable rates. But not UECU; we continued to offer competitive rates on home, auto, student, and personal loans, as well as credit cards. We also renewed our commitment to you by redefining our Vision, Purpose, and Values. We purposely put Member Focus at the top of the list because it drives everything we do at UECU. In 2022, we put this value into action by helping members save more on the things they needed and achieve their financial goals. UECU issued 3,139 new loans, provided $130,000 in ATM surcharge rebates, paid $872,000 in loan payment protection claims, and awarded $1 million in VantagePoints™ rewards, the highest amount ever awarded to members in UECU’s history.

We also welcomed 4,825 new members and added New York Power Authority (NYPA), Reliable Turbine Services, LLC, North Carolina Technical Education Center (NC-TEC), Pennsylvania Petroleum Association Technical Education Center (PPATEC), Global Powerline Academy (GPLA), Lineman Institute of the North East, and Northwest Linemen College into our field of membership. We are so excited to welcome our new members, partner companies, and trade schools, and we look forward to all that we can accomplish together in the year ahead.

Financial Performance
As thousands of members took advantage of UECU’s competitive loan rates and affordable payment options, the Credit Union experienced unprecedented loan growth. In 2022, our total loan portfolio grew $118,502,000, or 26.1%. This included $46,459,000 in loans generated by our loyal members, $40,955,000 in loans originated through the credit union loan participation program, and $31,088,000 in loans granted through our indirect loan program with Upgrade. While the Federal Reserve made numerous rate hikes last year, we continued to increase our savings rates, offering rates 27 basis points higher than other financial institutions in our peer group and well above the national average. We also offered numerous CD specials and expanded our Money Market Savings account tiers to provide members with high-interest savings options. Utilities Employees Investment Services (UEIS) also had a record year, increasing assets under management from $88 million in 2021 to almost $94 million in 2022.¹ With substantial growth in several key areas, UECU’s net income totaled $9,578,000 at the culmination of 2022.

Financial Wellness
In support of our value of Continuous Learning, we moved forward with new educational initiatives to strengthen financial literacy in the communities we serve. UECU led a coalition of ten credit unions to relaunch Financial Reality Fairs for high school students in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Credit union employees donated their time to teach students valuable money lessons. Over 300 high school students had the opportunity to participate in a real-life exercise where they could choose a career and entry-level salary and then budget their monthly expenses to make ends meet. The exercise taught them how to live within their means by saving and spending responsibly. UECU staff also attended career days and taught classes about “Understanding Credit Reports and Scores.”

For the 12th consecutive year, UECU offered a student scholarship program for students entering college or a technical/trade school. Two $3,000 scholarships were awarded in 2022 – one $3,000 Utility/Partner Company/Association Scholarship and one $3,000 Pennsylvania Student Scholarship. Additionally, UEIS provided two complimentary retirement-focused seminars, “Making It Last” and “ForeCare – fixed annuity with long-term care benefits.” In 2022, we also launched The UECU Podcast to share important money tips and real-life stories about the topics that matter most to our members. Some of our utility-industry-focused episodes included “I want the guys behind me to be better linemen than me,” “National Sisterhood United for Journeymen Linemen (NSUJL): Because there is no eraser on a lineman’s pen,” and “Whether it’s college or technical school: they all cost money.” If you haven’t had an opportunity to listen to The UECU Podcast yet, please take some time to check it out on your favorite podcast app.

Product and Program Innovation
With a strategic focus on product and program innovation, we made several enhancements to our product lineup in 2022. We upgraded our Green Light Checking™ Account with more features and functionality to help members who are rebuilding their finances get back on track. This account now provides members with a Visa® debit card, mobile check deposit, Nationwide ATM surcharge rebates, and VantagePoints™ rewards. UECU’s Green Light Checking™ Account was featured on the Forbes List of Second Chance Checking Accounts for Pennsylvania in November 2022. We also upgraded PAL, our automated phone banking system, to make it easier for you to access important account information and manage your UECU accounts. In conjunction with Student Choice, we expanded our Student Loan Program to include an Energy Trade School Loan. Future line workers and trade school students now have an affordable borrowing option to finance the cost of their education and training programs with UECU.

In response to the ever-increasing risks to financial institutions presented by cyber-criminals, we continued to prioritize, mature, and evolve our information security posture and capabilities for the protection of our members. Our cybersecurity program consistently invests in beneficial cybersecurity products, services, and training and engages with governmental and private sector cybersecurity experts and professionals for the purpose of protecting our members’ personal data, privacy, and financial health.

To ensure our members have uninterrupted access to their financial resources whenever needed, we continually assess, strengthen, and test our business resiliency capabilities. Our business resiliency program is designed to identify any type of event that could interrupt a member’s access to our services and resources and implement solutions to protect against these scenarios.

As your trusted financial partner, we are excited to share that you have a lot to look forward to in the year ahead. We’re upgrading our Mobile and Online Banking services in the spring of 2023 – the digital banking upgrade will give you the power to manage your finances the way you want. With one login, you’ll be able to easily access and manage all your UECU accounts in one place. You’ll also have the ability to link your external financial accounts, giving you a complete 360-degree financial picture. Some of my new favorite features include SavvyMoney® credit score insights, person-to-person (P2P) payment options, and Yodlee’s® financial planning tools. In 2023, we’ll also further expand our product lineup to include new savings, checking, and borrowing options for students and small businesses.

Recognition
For the 32nd year, UECU received the Best of Bauer status as a 5-Star superior credit union from Bauer Financial, Inc, an independent firm that analyzes banks and credit unions. The Credit Union was also recognized by Bankdash, a personal finance news and research publication dedicated to helping consumers find quality credit unions. Out of a total of 5,204 credit unions in the US, UECU was identified as one of the top 100. Bankdash compiled the list using a methodology that prioritized institution stability, quality and value delivered to credit union members over multiple years. This recognition was such an honor for all of us here at UECU, and I would like to commend our staff for helping us build a quality credit union that continues to deliver value to our members every day. Our continued success would not be possible without our loyal members, valued partner companies, exceptional team of employees, and dedicated Supervisory Committee and Board of Directors.

Thank you for choosing UECU as your trusted financial partner and for being the inspiration behind all we do.

Sincerely,

Bret Krevolin
President/CEO

1 Securities and insurance services offered through Registered Representatives of Cetera Investment Services LLC (doing insurance business in CA as CFG STC Insurance Agency LLC), member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity.
Investment Products are: not NCUSIF insured, not financial institution guaranteed, may lose value, not a deposit, not insured by any federal government agency. 11 MERIDIAN BOULEVARD, WYOMISSING, PA 19610.

Fee Schedule

Click below to view the Fee Schedule effective August 1, 2022.

Fee Schedule

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