Celebrating ICU Day!
International Credit Union (ICU) Day® is taking place a week from today so it seemed only fitting to share more info about this very special celebration!
Credit unions have been celebrating what makes us different (and better!) on ICU Day® since 1948. The day is held to recognize the history and achievements of CUs around the world while raising awareness about all the great work they are doing. Credit unions everywhere will celebrate in various ways including fundraisers, giveaways, contests, and open houses.
This year, we are highlighting what makes credit unions truly unique under the theme of “The Authentic Difference” launched by the World Council of Credit Unions that works as an advocate for credit unions in matters of legislation, education and training, networking, outreach and encouraging the co-operative model.
It’s a little known fact that credit unions have played an important role in the Canadian financial industry. With over 100 years serving its members, credit unions are responsible for many important “firsts”. Some of them are:
• First to provide ownership and membership to all members
• First personal loan based on borrower’s character
• First payroll deduction service for deposits and loan payments
• First open mortgages
• First to lend to women in their own names
• First variable rate mortgage
• First personal line of credit
• First full-service ATM network
• First home equity line of credit
• First debit card service
• First point-of-sale debit payment service
• First registered education savings plan
• First fully-functional online banking
We know—credit unions are pretty awesome!
We haven’t forgotten our members either. We will be handing out a special gift to show appreciation to all members who stop in to see us on October 20th.
Be sure to check out #ICUDay on social media next week to see what all the credit unions are up to on ICU Day®!