Shareholder Members . . . Have an Important Voice

Membership is the most distinctive feature of the credit union system.

It involves sharing, being part of a community (whether geographic, ethnic or work-related), and enjoying such shareholder privileges as:

• being able to seek election to the credit union’s board of directors
• sharing in the distribution of earnings
• having a say in the credit union direction at the local level

Every member owns at least one share in the credit union and has an equal say in its overall direction. Through their local credit union delegate, each member also has a say in provincial and national direction.

Having "shareholder members" enables credit unions to relate products and services to member requirements.

. . . ENJOY A FULL RANGE OF SERVICES

Like other major financial institutions, most credit unions are full-service financial institutions that offer individuals and businesses:

• savings and chequing accounts
• term deposits
• RRSPs, RRIFs and RESPs
• business, farm - financial products and services


• loans, lines of credit and mortgages
• investment products
• Credit union cards can be used at more than 601,000 MasterCard\CIRRUS ATMs, over 750,000 VISA\PLUS ATMs around the world, and here in Canada at over 36,200 Interac Association ATMs and at over 482,800 retailers (these statistics include credit union counts of 17,105 point of sale terminals and 1,277 ATMs)
• access to the Top 100 Funds, as well as the credit union system's own Family of Ethical Funds® *


• full retail investment dealer services through Credential Securities Inc.**
• MasterCard credit card, payment card
• retirement planning services
• financial counselling
• financial management services
• trust and insurance services
• agricultural equipment financing through AgriFinance® services

Trust services are provided through Co-operative Trust Company of Canada. Insurance services are offered through Credit Union Insurance Services (CUIS), a joint marketing venture of The CUMIS Group and The Co-operators Group Limited.

. . . . RECEIVE WARM RECOGNITION

Credit union personnel undergo special training to ensure that they have the expertise for the job and recognize that member service is paramount. This means a friendly and courteous attitude that treats all members with respect. In many credit unions, staff recognize members by name. At credit unions, members are not just customers: they are shareholders.

Because members are shareholders, credit unions enjoy the unique advantage of being highly receptive to the special needs of members. During periods of economic difficulty in many parts of the country, for instance, some credit unions have developed innovative loan repayment options and adopted a sensitive approach to accommodate individual member needs.

Credit unions are proud of the reputation this commitment to member service has earned

. . . . REPORT HIGH SATISFACTION

The credit union system is proud that recent independent business owner surveys indicate that those who use credit unions are the most satisfied with their financial institution.

Being community-based, credit unions are ideally positioned to serve the needs of the small business owner through commercial loans, operating lines of credit and personal services to corporate officers, as well as business chequing/deposit accounts and payroll services.