Governmental Affairs Day in Rhode Island heralds the contributions of the state’s credit unions
MALBOROUGH, MA (January 14, 2016) — Rhode Island marked its Credit Union Governmental Affairs Day at the State House in Providence yesterday with a late afternoon gathering that saw more than 50 credit union executives network with lawmakers and their aides.
Association President Paul Gentile hosted the affair, calling on Gary Furtado, Chairman, R.I. Advocacy Committee and President/CEO Navigant Credit Union, to also welcome those in attendance and help introduce several of the ranking lawmakers, notably General Treasurer Seth Magaziner, Lieutenant Governor Daniel McKee and Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed.
Lieutenant Governor McKee expressed his appreciation to the gathering for the quality of their work and service to the citizens of the state, a message repeated and underscored by Paiva Weed who noted an assortment of milestones distinguishing that service:
- Consumers save more than $31 million per year in direct financial benefits through their business with local credit unions.
- Approximately 358,000 Rhode Island residents, 34% of the state’s population, are credit union members personally served by 21 credit unions with over 67 local branches operating in the state.
- Rhode Island credit unions employ approximately 945 full-time and 82 part-time employees in the local workforce. They pay more than $51 million in wages annually to employees.
- With financial literacy and education continuing to be a top priority for Rhode Island credit unions, the CU 4 Reality Financial Literacy Program conducted four reality fairs in 2015 impacting more than 500 students. The fairs were hosted by Wave Federal Credit Union, Community & Teachers Federal Credit Union and Westerly Community Credit Union.
Cordial networking and discussions continued after the conclusion of the formal presentations as some 15 lawmakers found time to break away from their duties to stop by the gathering and engage their constituents.
About Cooperative Credit Union Association
The Cooperative Credit Union Association is a regional trade organization serving as the voice for nearly 180-member credit unions located in the States of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. CCUA member credit unions hold combined assets in excess of $73 billion and serve a collective membership base of more than 4.7 million consumers. Last year, CCUA credit unions provided more than $500 million in direct financial benefits to their members and had a combined financial impact of over $5 billion on their states. For more information, visit www.CCUA.org
