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Our StoryYour Credit Union. Your Beginning.
The Story of NHFCU
In 1941, Arthur Bean, a State of NH employee, went to Boston to review an accounting system. While learning about the system, he stumbled across a pay stub with a deduction for a credit union. Mr. Bean was curious, so he asked what a credit union was. He was then introduced to the concept of a financial cooperative - a non-profit institution where people with a common bond pool their money to help one another. He also discovered that credit unions were owned and operated by the depositors (members), not a group of stockholders seeking personal gain. Thinking that NH State Employees could use a credit union to pool their savings together to make low-cost loans to each other, Mr. Bean and six others set out to establish a credit union. On November 19, 1941, the NH State Employees Federal Credit Union came to life with Federal Charter #4746. The Credit Union's Incorporators were: Marion Alexander, Arthur Bean, John Noble, Elphege Couture, Joseph Sandquist, Harlan Harris and Harold Fowler.
Growth & Changes
By the end of 1941, 159 NH State Employees had joined the New Hampshire State Employees Federal Credit Union with deposits totaling $551. As a matter of fact, to make the Credit Union's first loan, Arthur Bean had to make an additional deposit to his Credit Union account. Those were the days...
For its first 30 years, NHSEFCU offered only share (savings) accounts and loans. Services were simple then - members saved and members borrowed. With less than five staff members and manual accounting entries, the CU's operational costs were minimal. That's why that for more than ten years, members who borrowed received an "Interest Refund" at the end of each year. The amount of the refund was based on profits after all dividends had been paid. Like most businesses, NHSEFCU geared for the future during the 1970's. Deposit insurance became available to CUs and in 1973, the CU built its main office on Airport Road in Concord. Before then, it had been housed in state-owned office buildings and rented space. Branches were opened at the college campuses in Durham and Keene. And, members were able to borrow more money.
In 1979, the CU joined the computer age with an on-line system for processing member transactions and general accounting. The 1980's brought tremendous growth and many new services for the Credit Union. By this time, services like Certificates, Christmas Clubs and Vacation Clubs were offered along with the traditional share accounts and loans. Not far behind were Share Draft (checking) accounts and VISA® cards. To increase the availability of funds for loans and other services, the CU expanded its field of membership and added a number of employee groups to its common bond. "NH State Employees Federal Credit Union" no longer described the CU's varied membership. In 1983, it became known as simply "New Hampshire Federal Credit Union."
In 2006, NHFCU celebrated 65 years of service. Although we've grown by leaps and bounds, we still hold true to the credit union motto: "Not for profit, not for charity, but for service". We want you and your family to turn to us for guidance and assistance with all your financial needs. By borrowing from and saving with NHFCU, you help yourself as well as our entire membership.
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