Hull & East Yorkshire Credit Union

By the end of the first year, over 500 members had joined and had managed to save an incredible £300,000. The credit union employed in 2001 a part-time administrator. After a feasibility study for credit union development in the City a ‘live or work’ credit union was recommended.

In 2002 the Credit Union Board decided to accept the challenge of expansion and in fact went a stage further. East Riding of Yorkshire Council were also interested and credit union activists were busy in places such as Goole, Withernsea and Bridlington aiming to set up their own community credit unions. It seemed sensible for them to work together. So the vision of a countywide credit union for all who live or work in Hull and East Yorkshire came into being.

Work began in earnest and members of Hull City CU voted for a Hull and East Yorkshire Credit Union at their 2002 AGM.  In September 2003, the FSA agreed that East Yorkshire represented a valid common bond. The Hull and East Yorkshire Credit Union was registered in March 2004. Active branches, were run with the help of volunteers, and established in Driffield, Beverley and Bridlington.

The first ever High Street branch opened at 22 Pasture Road, Goole in September 2009. The new Bridlington branch followed in January 2010.

Savings reached over £4 million in February 2010. In mid April 2011 the Hull branch was successfully relocated from Hull Business Centre to Brook Street, right in the heart of Hull city centre.

In June 2011 adult membership went over the 8,000 mark. May 2012 the Credit Union received a National award for excellence in Marketing. The Pre-Paid card was launched to members in September, allowing them to load funds onto the card and use the VISA facility to shop online and use in shops.

The credit Union along with 30 other leading credit unions took on the task to work on the first phase of the Credit Union Expansion Project in 2013.  HRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Chief Executive took part in a special Seaside Radio show to showcase the work of the Credit Union. In November the same year an Automated Loans Processing system was introduced to modernise the processing of loans.

In February 2014, a new branch to serve the northern part of the common bond in Wetwang was opened. By the end of 2014, adult membership had passed the 11,000 mark, while junior savers rose to over 1,000. The credit union merged with North Lincolnshire Credit Union who became Northern Lincolnshire Credit Union part of Hull & East Yorkshire Credit Union on the 13th April 2015.

Total assets passed the £10 million mark (with 16% year on year growth), making one of the largest CUs in Britain. In 2017 they introduced to members Swap and Drop (swap a loan from another provider which is at a higher APR and drop to a Credit Union one with a lower APR). This has produced considerable growth at little cost and well within the risk appetite.By the end of 2017 growth was hitting 12,000 members and increasing their lending by 31%. While members’ savings deposits grew by 6% to top the £10m million mark for the first time. Deposits made by the Credit Union’s junior savers, including those made at school banks, rose by 8% to £430,000.

The latest payroll partnership, with North East Lincolnshire Council began in march 2018. A new pennies for pounds school bank opened at Barlow Church of England Primary School near Selby. Members’ loan book passed the £4 million mark for the first time. The credit union took part in filming for BBC1’s second series A Matter of Life & Debt.o extend our common bond to all YO postcodes and all departments of HM Government. extended the common bond to all YO postcodes and all departments of HM Government. and issued our 50,000th Credit union loan.

 HEYCU Charity of the Year 2019 was the Yorkkshire Air Ambulance, celebrated 20 years since the credit union was formed, with 15,000 adult members and junior savers, looking after £12 million assets that serves the whole Humber Region and selected employers beyond. The credit union also launched their Mobil APP in th spring of 2019.

In the midst of the lock-down in 2020, the credit union celebrated its 21^st anniversary of service to members. A big birthday celebration wasn’t possible for the community, however four prize draws were run on their social media  channels which generated hundreds of entries. Since the credit union was established it has issued 59,290 loans with a value of £40,977,142 and helped people in its region save well over £20 million in interest payments. More business moved to online and telephone, and by the end of the year over 53% of active members had registered to use our Web App.  A new electronic loan administration system, LACE, was introduced to make the lending process speedier and easier for members and our team, eliminating paper records. December, was the first ever virtual AGM, joined in by members from every one of the towns where we have a branch and even as far as Scotland.

 The Credit Union in 2022 now operates across the Humber Region with over 15,000 adult members and junior savers.  It has grown to become one of the leading community banks in Britain, and in 2021 was voted UK Treating Customers Fairly Champions.

The credit union expanded with the opening of a branch within Grimsby early in the year 2022 and gives thanks to the support it received from Northeast Lincolnshire Council whose £50,000 investment supports its plan for sustainable growth. The credit union’s assets increased by more than £800,000 during 2022 to stand at £16.5 million, with members’ savings accounting for £14 million of that.

Moving to 2023 the Credit Union now has more than 15,000 adult members and junior savers. As well as a head office in Hull and online, there are branches in Beverley, Bridlington, Driffield, Goole, Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Withernsea, where people can walk in and talk with their local team.

News and Clips HERE

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Want to find out more?

Visit the Hull & East Yorkshire Credit Union website, or get in touch with their team:

Telephone – 01482 778753

Email – info@hullandeycu.co.uk

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Copyright British Credit Union Historical Society 2018 – All rights reserved