Nearly 385,000 visits were made to the Credit Union National Association’s aSmarterChoice.org in 2012, and while those numbers are solid, CUNA is working to sustain–and improve–those numbers in 2013, CUNA Executive Vice President of Strategic Communications and Engagement Paul Gentile said Friday.

Gentile said CUNA is excited that aSmarterChoice.org is a growing resource for consumers to learn more about credit unions, and find a credit union that they can join.

“But there is plenty of room for growth so even more consumers can find their credit union and begin enjoying credit union service and the credit union difference,” Gentile added.

aSmarterChoice.org is a joint project of CUNA and the American Association of Credit Union Leagues. It is aimed at helping create consumer awareness of credit unions and building membership.

The 2012 total of 385,000 visits to the website represents an almost 60% rise from 2011’s total. These visits were made by more than 250,000 unique visitors, and of those visitors 218,000 completed successful first searches to find a credit union to join.

The strong 2012 numbers came on the heels of 2011’s “Bank Transfer Day.” That event alone drove aSmarterChoice.org to record more than 240,000 visits from 198,000 unique visitors by that year’s end. 2011 featured a near stampede by consumers to find a credit union to join following Bank Transfer Day.

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