Firstmark Credit Union

Firstmark Credit Union

Firstmark Credit Union's Administrative Office
Type	Credit union
Industry	Financial Services
Predecessor	San Antonio Teachers Credit Union
Founded	1932
Headquarters	San Antonio, Texas, United States
Key people	Donald Pinson, Chairman Nathanael Tarwasokono, President/Chief Executive Officer Mike Grundon, SVP/Chief Financial Officer Gregg Thorne , SVP/Chief Lending Officer Wendy Beswick , SVP/Chief Retail Officer
Products	Personal and Commercial Account Services, Checking, Credit cards, Consumer loans, Commercial loans, Mortgage loans, Insurance, Savings, Investments, Financial planning, online banking FMCU Financial Group, LLC
Total assets	US$1 billion
Number of employees	311
Website	firstmarkcu.org

Firstmark Credit Union (formerly San Antonio Teachers Credit Union) is a federally insured, state-chartered, member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative. The credit union was founded by educators in 1932, and changed its name to Firstmark Credit Union in October 2002.^[1] Serving over 100,000 ^[2] members and managing assets of more than US$1 billion,^[3] the Credit Union is the fourth largest in San Antonio, Texas’.^[4] With sixteen financial centers(including the acquisition of Southside Credit Union and St. Joseph's Credit Union), the Credit Union offers a full range of financial products and services, both personal and commercial. Firstmark Credit Union is community-chartered. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school in Bexar County. Educators, students and their families, in the following 12 surrounding counties are also eligible: Atascosa, Bandera, Comal, Dimmit, Frio, Guadalupe, Kendall, La Salle, McMullen, Medina, Wilson, and Zavala.

Firstmark Credit Union is insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), is an Equal Housing Lender and a member of the Better Business Bureau.^[5]

Mergers & Acquisitions

Southside Credit Union(2013).^[6] Southside Credit Union was chartered in 1996 and largely focused on servicing members in the southern communities of San Antonio. Firstmark Credit Union acquired Southside in November 2013 to develop and strengthen their relationships with members throughout south San Antonio. With the merger, members of these communities were able to take advantage of the expanded products and services available, technology, and larger ATM network. Firstmark also gained 3 additional financial centers branches through the expansion. ^[7]

St.Joseph's Credit Union (2015).^[8]St. Joseph’s Credit Union was chartered in 1933 to support the catholic communities in San Antonio, Del Rio, and Fredericksburg. Firstmark acquired St. Joseph’s in 2015, expanding Firstmark’s member base and helping the credit union achieve over $1 billion in assets. The merger provided St. Joseph’s with the additional resources needed to help ensure its members had access to the recent advances in technology services, cybersecurity, a larger ATM network, and an expansion in products and services. ^[9]

Community involvement

Credit Unions for Kids.^[10] Since 1987, Firstmark Credit Union, along with other local credit unions, have supported a fund raising program called Credit Unions for Kids (CUFK) that benefits The Children's Hospital of San Antonio in partnership with the Children's Miracle Network.^[11] Through their many years of partnership, Firstmark has donated more than $900,000 total to CUFK through various fundraising and community events. ^[12]

SA Reads.^[13] Firstmark Credit Union is a partner of SAReads which is a project of Literacy San Antonio. Each summer, SAReads holds a city-wide book drive where book banks across the city, including Firstmark branches, collect donations and then distribute the items collected to schools, learning centers and non-profits throughout the community. In addition to supporting the annual drive, Firstmark donated a 2,000 square foot space at one of their branches to serve as an SA Reads program office and book bank. ^[14]

Academic Planners. At the start of each school year, Firstmark distributes academic planners to educators and academic office staffs. The planners are distributed to school districts, private schools, colleges, universities, and after-school programs throughout San Antonio and the 12 surrounding counties, as well as Fredericksburg. The planners feature the entire academic calendar with space for additional notes and include important holidays each month. ^[15]

Educator and Student Scholarships. Each year, Firstmark Credit Union awards fifteen $1,000 Frank Price and Helen Shipman Cunningham scholarships to outstanding high school seniors; ten $500 scholarships for classroom use to elementary, middle, and high school teachers.^[16] In 2007, the credit union also contributed $5,000 towards the Northeast Lakeview College Scholarship Fund.^[17]

Firstmark Credit Union supports many other community organizations including: San Antonio Lighthouse of the Blind,^[18][19] San Antonio Youth Centers/YouthBuild San Antonio,^[20] United Way Days of Caring,^[21] and San Antonio Parks Foundation and Friends of the Parks.^{[22] [23]}

Recognition

Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award.^[24]In 2013, Firstmark was awarded the Dora Maxwell Award for its commitment to community, institutional well-being and cultivating literacy among youth and adults. The award is designed to recognize credit unions that are dedicated to improving the lives of nonmembers in communities for nonmembers through various fundraising and public events.

Super Advocate of the Year.^[25]In June 2016, Firstmark was recognized as the Super Advocate of the Year by the Cornerstone Credit Union League. Firstmark was chosen based on its legislative engagement, employee commitment, participation in CU:ROAR, and it’s regulatory focus. The award recognizes credit unions who are advocating for their members through legislative and political activities specific to industry.

Top Summer Vacation Savings Account.^[26]Firstmark’s Summer Savers Club Account was chosen as one of the Top 6 Summer Vacation Savings Accounts by GoBankingRates in 2014. Designed to help members save money for their dream getaway, the Credit Union’s program offered higher interest rates than the national average, convenient set up through direct deposit, and any un-used funds at the end of the summer are transferred over to another Firstmark account held by the member.

Services Provided

• Business Banking
• Certificate of Deposits
• Checking Accounts
• Consumer Loans (Auto, Motorcycle, Boat & Jet Ski, Mortgage)
• Credit Cards
• IRAs
• Online Banking
• Real Estate (home equity, improvement and property loans)
• Savings Accounts
• Auto and Real Estate Loans

References

See also

• History of credit unions