Central Willamette Community Credit Union

Our Story

Over fifty years ago, we had a vision of a thriving community supported by a genuine, helpful credit union. That’s how Central Willamette came to be. Ever since then, we’ve been committed to this vision – by providing our members with smart financial guidance from friendly people you can trust. It’s what sets us apart – and what keeps our members happy.

Our story begins on October 5, 1955, at a mass meeting held under the sponsorship of Local 1141 when initial steps were taken to form a credit union for government employees in Linn County.  Employees from the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the Albany and Lebanon post offices were also in attendance. On November 15, 1955, Linn Government Employees Credit Union was chartered as a state-chartered credit union!

Times have changed and so has our name:

• 1957 - Our charter was expanded to include the rare metals industry and our name was changed to Federal-Metals Credit Union.
• 1987 - We converted to a “Central” credit union which allowed us to expand within a thirty mile radius to serve those not currently being served by a credit union or were too small to form their own.
• 1999 - We decided to change our name to one that related geographically to the area we serve and we became Central Willamette Credit Union.
• 2002 - We were granted a community charter to serve those who live or work in Linn, Benton, Marion and Polk counties and became Central Willamette Community Credit Union.

We now have five locations for our members’ convenience – spanning from Lebanon to Salem. But no matter which branch you visit, you’ll find welcoming faces waiting to help you with whatever you need.  That’s something that hasn’t changed over the years.

And as for the rest of the story; it’s history in the making, my friend . . .