West Virginia Public Employees Credit Union was founded in 1981 to provide financial services to state employees and their family's. Today, the credit union has expanded and serves retired state employees, political subdivisions of the state who participate in the West Virginia Retirement System or Boards of Education, Family Members of Eligible Participants, and organizations of such persons. Numerous member groups are associated with the credit union as seen on the member group page. Effective January 1, 2002, the Credit Union changed it's name to "The State Credit Union" to better reflect our growing membership.
Numerous people helped the credit union form and become one of the largest member based credit unions in the state. The Governor at the time was Jay Rockefeller and the Commissioner of Banking who issued the Credit Union's certificate of authority was Phyllis Huff Arnold. One of the original incorporators of the Credit Union, Chairman Charles McDaniel, continues to serve in a voluntary role, and many others are still members. At the initial organizational meeting, over 200 people attended. Today, we have 10,000 plus members being served by normally a dozen employees. This is something we are quite proud of. When you call us, you get fast results and little waiting because your time is important.
What is a credit union?
A credit union is a cooperative, not-for-profit financial institution organized to promote thrift and provide credit to members. It is member-owned and controlled through a board of directors elected by the membership. The board serves on a volunteer basis and may hire a management team to run the credit union. The board also establishes and revises policy, sets dividend and loan rates, and directs certain operations. As a result, members are provided with a safe, convenient place to save and borrow at reasonable rates.
How did credit unions start?
The first credit union cooperatives started in Germany over a century ago. Today, credit unions are found everywhere in the world. The credit union movement started in the U.S. in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1909 with the St. Mary’s Cooperative Credit Association, a church-affiliated credit union. Today, one in every three Americans is a credit union member.
Are savings deposits insured?
Yes, all savings accounts are insured up to at least $250,000.00 by NCUA, the National Credit Union Administration, an agency of the federal government. If you would like to know how share insurance rules apply to your share accounts, what’s insured and what portion (if any) exceeds coverage limits, click here to use NCUA’s Share Insurance Estimator.
Who owns a credit union?
Most financial institutions are owned by stockholders, who own a part of the institution and intend on making money from their investment. A credit union doesn’t operate in that manner. Rather, each credit union member owns one “share” of the organization. The user of credit union services is also an owner, and is entitled to vote on important issues, such as the election of member representatives to serve on the board of directors.
What is the purpose of a credit union?
The primary purpose in furthering the credit union goal of service is to encourage members to save money and to offer loans to members. In fact, credit unions have traditionally made loans to people of ordinary means. Credit unions can charge lower rates for loans, as well as pay higher dividends on savings, because they are nonprofit cooperatives. Rather than paying profits to stockholders, credit unions return earnings to members in the form of dividends or improved services.
Who can join a credit union?
A credit union exists to serve a specific group of people, such as a group of employees or the members of a professional or religious group. This is called a “field of membership.” The field of membership may include where they live, where they work, or their membership in a social or economic group.
Click here for our field of membership guide.
Over the years, the Credit Union has evolved and now can be a person's primary financial institution offering many products and services. See the Services Page.