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2009 Best Credit Union: Redwood Credit Union

With 15 full-service branches in the greater North Bay, Redwood Credit Union (RCU) is a financial cooperative, serving its members rather than stockholders. Those 145,000 members benefit by getting lower loan rates, higher savings yields, lower fees and expanded services, like more ATMs—28,000 and counting, all free.

RCU has been doing business in Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Mendocino and Lake counties (San Francisco, Contra Costa and Solano counties, too) since 1950.

“We know we work for our members, and we never forget it,” says President/ CEO Brett Martinez. “This is captured in Redwood Credit Union’s vision, mission, values and service standards. And we’re passionate, committed and focused toward delivering on these principles and ensuring we’re a strong, safe, sound and trusted financial institution.”

With assets totaling $1.8 billion, RCU is now the 55th largest of 8,100 credit unions nationwide in terms of asset size. That’s a long way from its founding, when seven employees of the County of Sonoma got together to further the credit union mission, which is pooling resources for the good of its members. Today, that includes free financial literacy and educational seminars, complimentary financial plans from certified financial planners and free access to financial counselors.

“In the coming year, we’ll continue to assist members and our communities through these challenging economic times,” Martinez says, “by listening to them and understanding their individual situations, and by identifying trusted options and solutions.”

RCU members can inquire about auto, RV, boat, motorcycle and personal loans, investment services from stocks and bonds to 529 plans and annuities, first mortgages, reverse mortgages, small business services and more, including basic checking and savings accounts.

“Our service surveys tell us our members respond most to these four things,” Martinez adds, “our service, the value they receive, the fact they can trust us and our demonstration of commitment to our communities.”

In dedicating itself to the communities it serves, RCU maintains a team of volunteer officials, including a nine-person board of directors and a five-person supervisory committee, who, along with 340 employees, volunteer for myriad causes.

The company also cares about the larger environment, committing itself to green practices like the use of recycled business supplies and remodeling its 1960s-era Santa Rosa administrative building to achieve LEED certification. It achieved this distinction in part by using recycled materials, redoing restrooms and landscaping to save 2 million gallons of water a year, and by using more natural light.

www.redwoodcu.org