Altura Credit Union

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Altura Credit Union
Credit union
Industry Financial services
Founded 1957
Headquarters 2847 Campus Pkwy Riverside, California, United States
Area served
 Riverside County
Key people
 Mark Hawkins, President/CEO
Products Savings; checking; consumer loans; mortgages; credit cards; investments
Website alturacu.com

Altura Credit Union is a credit union headquartered in Riverside, California, USA, licensed by the California Department of Financial Institutions and insured by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF). The credit union is also part of a network that allows shared branching (CU Service Centers) and a shared network of ATMs (CO-OP Financial Services). Altura Credit Union offers financial services ranging from checking account to loans products.

RCCU name change to Altura

To better reflect its expanding geographic service area, Riverside County's Credit Union adopted a new name and brand identity, Altura Credit Union, on October 1, 2004. Publicity for the name change said "Our new name means height, elevation, altitude."

Pronounced "all-TOUR-ah," the name is accompanied by new design elements and a new brand identity. The colors reflect the water, agriculture and mountains of the Southern California communities served by Altura Credit Union.

Membership

Altura Credit Union's field of membership is set by the California Department of Financial Institutions. As with all credit unions, membership in Altura is limited to individuals sharing the common bond defined in its credit union charter. Membership in Altura is open to anyone who lives, works, attends school or worships in Riverside and San Diego counties, plus the residents of selected cities in Orange County [Anaheim, Garden Grove, Irvine, and Santa Ana] and San Bernardino County [Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and Fontana]. Effective October 1st, Altura adopted Visterra's membership guidelines. Anyone living within 75 miles of the Altura branch located at 23540 Cactus Ave, Moreno Valley CA is also eligible for membership.

Branch locations

City of Riverside:

  • Riverside Ave [6403 Riverside Ave 92506]
  • 14th St [3451 14th St 92501]
  • Magnolia [10725 Magnolia Ave. 92505]
  • Canyon Springs [2692 Canyon Springs Parkway, Ste C, 92507]
  • University [1616 University Avenue 92502]

City of Moreno Valley:

  • Cactus [23540 Cactus Avenue 92553]
  • Stoneridge [27130 Eucalyptus Avenue, Ste. E, 92555]

City of Murrieta:

  • Murrieta [40412 Murrieta Hot Springs Road 92563]

City of Corona:

  • Corona Plaza [2331 Compton Ave 92881]
  • Lincoln, [650 S. Lincoln Avenue, Ste. 101, 92882]

Desert Region:

  • Rancho Mirage [36-101 Bob Hope Dr 92270]
  • Indio [81-096 Hwy-111 92201]
  • West Hemet [320 S. Sanderson Ave 92545]

Affiliates

Altura Credit Union's affiliates include:

  • Auto Expert is an automotive buying service that assist Altura's members (as well as members with participating credit unions) in searching for their next pre-owned and/or new vehicle. Their services is very similar to their competitor Autoland in Southern California.

History

In the late 1950s, Peggy Green, a secretary at Riverside Middle School, decided that classified school employees needed a credit union of their own. Her husband was a teacher, and belonged to a teacher’s credit union, but only certificated employees could join – membership was not available if the person was classified. In October, 1956, she invited other school secretaries to a meeting to organize a credit union for classified personnel within the Riverside Unified School District.

On August 22, 1957 they were granted a state charter, listing the following six organizers: Ethel C. Collier, Louise Bailey, Ruth C. Klock, Frank W. Meyer, George W. Peters, and Charles Sandell. Ethell Collier handled the business from her desk at the RUSD payroll office. The credit union moved to a portable building at Palm School, and then to its own office on Brockton Avenue. On March 1, 1973, it moved to its present location on Riverside Avenue, which was remodeled in 1978 and again in 1990. In 1981 the first branch office, in Cathedral City, was opened, followed by the Corona Branch in 1986, Moreno Valley in 1992, and the Member Service Center in 1995.

Altura Credit Union milestones:

  • 1957 Charter granted for Riverside City Schools Employees Credit Union to Serve Riverside Unified School District classified employees.
  • 1963 Charter enlarged to include all school employees of Riverside County Name changed to Riverside Schools Credit Union Charter expanded to include certificated employees
  • 1965 Reached $1 million in assets
  • 1973 Moved to Riverside Avenue location
  • 1981 Began offering share-draft (checking) accounts Opened Cathedral City Branch Office
  • 1984 Opened 10,000th account. Began offering VISA card
  • 1985 Opened Corona Branch Office – closed both Corona offices (school and county and opened McKinley) - began offering Home Equity loans Audio Response System installed (Money Talks)
  • 1988 Mark Hawkins replaced Shirley Barden as President - reached $40,000,000 in assets
  • 1989 Flashcard ATM card introduced - name changed to Riverside County Schools Credit Union
  • 1990 Remodeled main office (Riverside Ave.) - RCSCU’s first Children’s Art Contest
  • 1991 Opened 20,000th account
  • 1992 Opened Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) Branch Office - Member Scholarship Program initiated - RCSCU’s own ATM network, Flashcash installed
  • 1995 Opened Phone Branch (Member Service Center) - reached $100 million in assets - RCSCU Foundation (for scholarships) approved by the IRS - introduced VISA Check Card
  • 1996 Closed Cathedral City Branch Office and moved to Rancho Mirage - introduced 100% home equity loan
  • 1997 Introduced Anytime Loan Line, 24-hour loans by phone
  • 1998 Introduced Shortcut Internet account access and Web Bill Pay
  • 2004 Name changed to Altura Credit Union
  • 2005 Altura welcomed its 100,000th member
  • 2011 Altura Credit Union wins the Marketing Association of Credit Unions Gold Award for advertising campaign
  • 2015 Altura Credit Union announced intent to merge with Visterra Credit Union
  • 2015 Altura Credit Union announced they will once again offer 1st mortgages to members
  • 2016 Altura Credit Union merges with Visterra Credit Union in March

[1]

Anti-immigration activists for the Citizens' Alliance for a Secure America in Temecula picketed Altura's Riverside offices in March 2005 for accepting members who provided Mexican consulate identification cards. The group expressed concerns that illegal immigrants could easily forge the documents. Ricki McManuis, senior vice president of marketing for Altura, indicated the credit union had no intention to cease accepting Matrícula Consular.[2] Columnist Rick Reiss of The Californian encouraged children to write about how illegal immigrants will spread arcane diseases such as plague and leprosy in Altura's youth essay contest.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Credit union will enroll Latinos. Business Press. 4 April 2005.
  3. ↑ Banks sell out America. The Californian. 30 March 2005.

External links

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