ORNL FCU 75 Years
In 2020, the world changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost overnight, along with its members, communities, and the rest of the world,
OUR OWN WORDS We’ve been very fortunate over the last 75 years to have had leadership with foresight. COVID-19 was a prime example of that foresight. We already had digital banking, the shared ATM network, Interactive Tellers at our busiest branch locations, and overflow Call Center services. We can look back and say we made good decisions. We weren’t like other organizations out there trying to figure out what we were going to do. We had everything in place. Our biggest challenge was to change how we did business in a way that was safe. Employees, members, everyone—we were all scared. But we all pitched in; it was like cross training for a lot of us. The good news is we had a lot to work with and were able to meet the challenges. We
ORNL Federal Credit Union had to adapt to a new normal. Deemed an essential business by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the credit union continuously adjusted its services to not only meet the guidelines recommended by the
had the tools and all the resources because we’ve had great people all along making sure that we had all the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed. CISSI REAGAN Vice President, Retail/Branches
World Health Organization, the CDC, and the State of Tennessee, but to meet the financial needs of its members.
ORNL FCU temporarily closed and then reopened branch lobbies, initiated several new loan programs to help members in need, supported community partners, and implemented a work from-home policy—all while giving top priority to the health and safety of its 457 employees and 181,000 members. When the stay-at-home order was issued in March, the credit union closed all branch lobbies and required appointments for service. While this temporary closure limited face to-face interactions, the technology was in place to support twenty-four/seven access to the call center. During that time, unprecedented growth was seen in digital banking and increased use of drive-thru and interactive teller machine (ITM) services. The credit union recognized the challenges members were facing and launched programs to support those who were impacted: the Pandemic Loan Extension Program permitted impacted members to extend due dates and avoid late payment fees and adverse credit reporting; the nationally recognized Pandemic Loan Program provided small loans with low rates to members suffering temporary income loss; HERO loan discounts offered home and auto loan refinancing discounts to health-care professionals, EMTs, active military personnel, fire/rescue workers, and law enforcement officers; and the Paycheck Protection Program took advantage of monies available as part of the federal government’s economic stimulus package. Despite the many challenges presented by the pandemic, the credit union experienced growth and financial stability throughout 2020. Mid East Tennessee Community Credit Union (MET CCU) was acquired, adding three counties to the charter—McMinn, Meigs, and Rhea—and increasing the service area to nineteen counties in East Tennessee. This merger also saw the addition of
82 | 75 YEARS ORNL FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
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