You can be a force for good

It’s exciting to be part of something. A community theater group. A choir. A volunteer effort. You know you’re playing a role in the success of the group. That your contribution to the project makes a difference. And seeing the effect your work has on others — there’s nothing better, is there? 

When you become a member of OCCU, you become a part of something bigger — a cycle of caring and of support. Your membership makes an impact that ripples throughout the community. All you have to do is invest in yourself. We’ll take it from there. 

It starts with you 

At OCCU, our vision is to enrich lives. When you become a member, our focus is to support your financial well-being.  

The paycheck you bring home every month means you can feed your family, pay your bills and save for the future. And as a part of our vision, we make sure the money you work so hard for works hard for you — earning interest, moving you closer to your savings goals, staying accessible.  

Our team of experts is at the ready to help you map out your financial journey and hit your short-term and long-term savings goals. We celebrate your successes and help you through the tough times.  

That’s part of what enriching lives is all about. 

But there’s more. 

It gets bigger 

When you invest in yourself with the products and programs we offer, you’re investing in others as well.  

OCCU is a not-for-profit cooperative. That means we’re owned and operated by our members. Every person who becomes a member also becomes a part owner of the cooperative. Unlike banks, which distribute their profits to wealthy shareholders, credit unions invest their earnings after expenses right back into their members, often in the form of reduced fees and lower interest rates on loans. 

The cooperative spirit is also embodied in the way we support the financial well-being of our members. Our members’ deposits become loans for other members. And their deposits fund your loans as well. People are able to buy houses and cars and start businesses and invest in themselves because you did the same. 

It’s a cycle of support! 

When we succeed, we can offer more loans, more services and fewer fees. It also means we can expand our reach, which means … 

We get bigger 

As our membership grows, we can provide more for our members. We have more people participating in that cooperative spirit creating more opportunities for financial health. With that success, we’re able to make upgrades (have you tried our new video teller service?) and open new branches. 

That growth means we can also provide more job opportunities throughout the area. OCCU provides competitive wages and benefits to hundreds of talented people throughout Oregon and Washington. In fact, OCCU made Oregon Business magazine’s 2022 list of the 100 best companies to work for in the state of Oregon.  

Things get better 

Credit unions are beholden to their members. We don’t have stockholders to report to. We’re here to support our members and the community.  

And sometimes, the community really needs help.  

When a large-scale emergency happens, like the recent wildfires or the pandemic, the effects hit some of our neighbors harder than others. 

Our Member Impact program was created to meet you where you are — even in tough times. And we come prepared with low- and no-interest loans to help our members when they need it most. So, whether you have a financial safety net or not, we’re standing by to catch you. 

And through the OCCU Foundation, we support relief efforts to help the community at large. In 2021 alone the foundation partnered with 10 new nonprofits and donated more than half a million dollars to organizations making an impact in our communities, from wildfire relief to community health efforts. 

All this would not be possible without our members. The contributions they provide and the support they give mean the OCCU Foundation can continue its efforts to strengthen the community well into the future. 

Together, we enrich lives. 

Yours. Your neighbor’s. Your community’s. When you join the credit union philosophy of people helping people, you become a force for good. 

And all you have to do is invest in yourself.