REGIONAL federal credit union has committed itself to supporting its members in every aspect of their lives. It offers its members a wide variety of services, including a mobile wallet deposit system, debit and credit card options, and even youth services that enable young members to learn about finances and practice saving their money. REGIONAL has partnered with over 5,600 shared branch locations across the country, enabling its members to access their funds whether they're at home or on the road. It also offers several types of loans, which range from home equity and business loans to educator loans that support new teachers. REGIONAL Chief Marketing Officer Kevin Kosek says that REGIONAL supports its members. It seeks to support and enrich the Region as well.
"Our service sets us apart from the competition," Kosek said. "We're committed to serving not only our members but the Northwest Indiana community as a whole. We are very involved in the communities that we operate in, namely those within Lake and Porter Counties. We do our best to contribute to these communities as much as possible. Whether it's promoting financial literacy, supporting local schools, or even backing an important initiative to a particular city, if it fits into our mission and vision, we do our utmost to support those initiatives in every community."
REGIONAL's story began in 1958 when Hammond Teacher Charles "Jim" Garrett established an agreement with the treasurer/manager of the Gary School Employees Federal Credit Union. The agreement stipulated that employees of Hammond schools would be allowed to join the Gary School Employees Federal Credit Union until they established a credit union of their own in the next two years. The Hammond Schools Employees Federal Credit Union (HSEFCU) was founded in 1961 and received a charter from the National Credit Union Administration. With Garrett as its first treasurer, HSEFCU opened its first office, an alcove in the boiler room of Hammond High School, in 1962.
After transferring its office to Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, HSEFCU moved into its newly completed office on Kennedy Avenue in Hammond in 1973. In 1984, HSEFCU was renamed to REGIONAL. Over the next 20 years, REGIONAL would secure several charter expansions and mergers with other credit unions and open two more locations. In 2005, REGIONAL received a charter expansion that stretched its reach into Porter County and the upper half of Lake County. 13 years later, it received another charter expansion that enabled it to serve the rest of Lake County. In an exciting development, REGIONAL opened a fourth branch in Winfield earlier this month.
Kosek anticipates that the new Winfield location will do much to help make REGIONAL'S top-quality service available to even more residents of the Region and views it as a sign of great things to come for the credit union.
"We are Winfield's first-ever credit union, which is very exciting," Kosek said. "We look forward to bringing our services, brand, and commitment to Winfield and its surrounding community. We're also adding new products and services at our other branches, including a call center. We're also bringing in new talent to help REGIONAL perform even stronger in the long run. REGIONAL focuses on strengthening our third-party vendor partnerships and updating our technological infrastructure. As the chief marketing officer, I'm proud to say that I believe we are serious competitors against the banks in our area, and I predict that things are only going to get bigger and better in the next few years."
Kosek feels that the caliber of REGIONAL's team members gives the credit union an extra edge when serving members.
"The services that banks and other credit unions in the area offer are very similar to ours, but the people we employ differentiate us," Kosek said. "The sheer talent, experience, and expertise that each team member at every branch possesses is simply amazing. We're a family, and we trust each other. This enables us to operate smoothly and effectively. We want our members – especially the new ones we'll be serving in Winfield and Crown Point – to know that we're here to help, even with things that might be considered trivial. If they have a question about anything, they can feel free to ask. They're not bugging us at all. We can get them the answer, even if that answer is 'I don't know.' In that case, we won't stop until we get the answer to the question. I would encourage all of our potential members to check out our services and see if REGIONAL is the right choice for them."
Please visit regionalfcu.org to learn more about REGIONAL federal credit union's rates, services, and offers.
