President’s Report

This past year was a remarkable one in many respects. While the holiday season always prompts a bit of reflection and gratitude, I am particularly thankful for you, our Members, as I look back on this past year.

I’m grateful for our Members who inspire our organization to be the extraordinary credit union we have become. Last year as we celebrated our 80th birthday, we impacted the lives of thousands of families. Here’s just a snapshot of what we did together in 2016.

At the urging of long-time Member David P, we installed an ATM on Riverside Drive. After just a few months, it became evident that David’s intuition was right on. The Riverside ATM quickly became one of our busiest. David played his part as a valuable Member of our cooperative and made a real difference by sharing his ideas and confirming what we already knew: Our Members know best.

Based on your feedback, we added staff to improve service at three financial centers and opened a brand new location at Gregory Gym on The University of Texas campus. We also extended membership to the faculty, staff, and students who attend or work for Austin Community College. As an institution chartered on the UT campus, both of these accomplishments are special to us.

This year, we made great advances in our technology services, including launching our Digital Specialist program. This new service makes it easy to have personal, face-to-face time with an expert who is ready to listen to your concerns and respond with answers. Our digital specialists can help you get up and running with Online and Mobile Banking. For now, you can call or go online to set a meeting with a specialist.

We ended the year with the special honor of being named Austin’s #1 Mortgage Company by the Austin Business Journal. Our team of loan officers listened to the needs of many of our Members and then successfully guided them to home ownership. I’m proud to be part of that.

There is one outstanding constant that runs through all of these achievements: You. Our mission is to provide for the well-being of our Members. How do we do that? By listening, by understanding that you must be at the center of everything we do, and by responding to your feedback.

With the dedication and willingness of Members like you and David P, we can continue to build on 2016’s successes. We can strengthen our cooperative and vitalize our community. We depend on you, not just as Members but as owners of this incredible cooperative effort we call University Federal Credit Union.

The next time you have an idea, reach out. We’re hoping to identify every opportunity to be of better service. We strive to listen, learn, and implement the best ideas that come from you and from our more than 600 employees who work hard every day on your behalf. We’re working to deliver some great things in 2017, including a more modernized Online and Mobile Banking experience, more superior, technology-based products, and expanded digital service offerings.

I’m honored to lead you and grateful to learn from you, be of service to you, and continue to provide for the well-being of you and your families.

Warmest regards,

Tony C Budet
President/CEO

(This article originally appeared in the Winter 2017 edition of Currency Affairs.)