TORRANCE, Calif.––Western Federal Credit Union has announced a name change, along with a new brand.
It will now be known as UNIFY Financial Credit Union and will phase in the brand over the remainder of 2016.
“The decision to rebrand the credit union follows Western’s significant growth and geographic expansion to serve new members and multiple employer sponsors,” the $2.2-billion credit union said in a statement.
It was founded in the 1940s as Westernaire FCU and now is a multi-sponsor CU with more than 187,000 members and nearly 50 branches across the country.
“The Western name can imply that we are limited to the West Coast or Western United States, when in fact we serve a broad range of members throughout the nation, with branches ranging from California to Virginia,” said CEO Gordon Howe in a statement. “As our geographic scope, products, services and delivery channels continue to expand, we recognize that our brand needs to more accurately reflect who we are today as a nationwide full-service financial institution as well as position us for planned future growth.”
Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Otomo added, “The name UNIFY Financial Credit Union removes any geographic limitations, and communicates a united national network, delivering community credit union services.”
In launching the new brand, Western also announced the following new service initiatives to better connect members to their credit union:
- Starting this month, members can speak with a credit union representative 24/7 through a full-service telephone contact center.
- A new state-of-the-art online banking platform and website will be introduced later this year.
- A fully responsive mobile app will also be launched during the year.
- The credit union will continue to expand its retail locations, with new branches planned for Las Vegas, Mesa, Ariz., and Lexington, Ky., in 2016.