As one of NC's fastest-growing credit unions, Local Government FCU has emerged as a true leader among NC cooperatives. From its very founding, the credit union has used the power of partnership to serve its members - and enrich communities throughout NC.
Chartered in 1983 by NCUA to serve local government units in NC, LGFCU faced an immediate challenge - how to serve a statewide field of membership with limited staff and resources. (At the end of 1983, LGFCU had one employee working in a 225-square-foot office administering for 5,119 members statewide.)
To meet this challenge, the credit union entered into a contractual agreement with State Employees' CU. SECU, with a statewide presence, would provide branch and ATM services to LGFCU members. This partnership not only endures to the present time, but also set a standard for how the credit union would focus on meeting the needs of members and communities in unique ways.
LGFCU’s mission, “to improve the lives of our members,” reaches far into the community and impacts everyone—not just its members. LGFCU awards $180,000 in educational scholarships each year, raises funds for the North Carolina State Firemen’s Association and N.C. Association of Rescue and E.M.S. through special debit cards, partners with the UNC School of Government on community development finance programs, and supports the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation in their efforts to work in communities throughout NC.
These programs and partnerships have fueled the credit union's rapid growth through the years. LGFCU today employs 75 people in their 15,000-square-foot facility located in the Quorum Center in downtown Raleigh, NC, with another three employees operating out of a regional office in Charlotte. Assets now surpass the $1.2 billion mark and membership numbers have topped 200,000.
Fast Facts - Local Government FCU
- Chartered: 1983
- Headquarters: Raleigh
- Members: 206,000
- Assets: $1.2 billion (Fourth largest in NC)
- Field of membership: municipal and county employees, elected officials, firefighters, volunteers and their families across the state of North Carolina
- Branches/ATMs: 240 / 1,100 (through contractual agreement with SECU)
- Web: www.lgfcu.org