CU Companies Launches Android App

LeAnn Achtenberg
Marketing Manager
651.746.6423
LAchtenberg@cucompanies.com

New Brighton, Minn (September 18, 2012) – Credit Union Owned Service Organization, CU Companies, announces the release of a free mobile application for Android devices for use by its owner and partner credit union memberships. Among the many features of the app are the delivery of mortgage rates, educational information including articles and video, and a location-based ATM finder showing more than 400,000 ATM locations worldwide.
 
CU Companies released its iPhone application, currently available on the iPhone App Store, in April of this year. “Offering the addition of the Android app broadens the reach of our owner and partner credit unions to their members,” said LeAnn Achtenberg, CU Companies Marketing Manager.
 
The CU Companies mobile applications allow users the option to watch a mortgage rate and receive push notifications every time a rate changes. App users also have the option of receiving news articles and alerts.
 
“The key features are aimed at building a relationship with the borrower,” said Brad Crandall, CU Companies CEO. “We see CU Companies’ role as being a resource to our owners and partners.”
 
Therefore, the organization is offering a choice in how its credit unions use the apps. Credit unions can promote the CU Companies-branded apps to their memberships to deliver information, or they can choose to tailor the entire app to their own brand.
 
“Offering branded mobile apps to credit unions is another example of our commitment to help them succeed,” said Crandall. “We have taken on the development, utilizing progressive technologies, so our owners and partners can participate at a fraction of the cost.”
 
The option to customize is made available at a much less expensive cost than if the credit union developed an app on its own because the original CU Companies app is being used as a model.
 
Crandall goes on to say, “Part of our role is to help our owners and partners stay relevant and engaged with their memberships. Launching a program that allows them to purchase customized apps at a discounted price plays into our original company makeup of offering a better product united than what a credit union could do on their own. It also allows those credit unions to communicate a message utilizing technology while not breaking their budgets.”
 
In addition to the features in the CU Companies-branded apps, the credit union-branded apps allow for users to find their credit union’s branches, watch credit union videos, access the credit union’s web site, link to the credit union’s social media, contact the credit union, and sign up for credit union e-news, special offers, and information changes. The credit union has complete control of their content through a secure online Content Management System hosted in a SSAE 16 data center.
 
About CU Companies
CU Companies exists to help credit unions fulfill their mission to provide superior services at the lowest possible cost to their members.
 
CU Companies was founded in 1987 by three Minnesota credit unions to offer a competitive mortgage solution for their members. They realized that by combining forces, they could offer a superior product to their membership than if they did it alone. These three credit unions created a Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO), CU Mortgage Services, Inc. in which they shared equal ownership.
 
Over the years, other credit unions recognized that their membership could also benefit from the CUSO and purchased stock in the organization. As the number of owners grew, they realized there were other areas of expertise that could be leveraged to provide an even greater product offering to their members. Over the next several years, four additional subsidiaries (Title, Realty, Preferred Investments, and Member Business) were created and CU Mortgage Services, Inc. became CU Companies.
 
For more information, go to www.cucompanies.com.

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