KALAMAZOO, Mich.— Educational Community Credit Union (ECCU) is reporting that it has exceeded the $10 million mark in commercial loans, up 270% from a year ago. This growth is a result of the credit union’s revitalized focus on providing members with a solution-driven approach and its attention to care by a strong commercial lending services team.
“It’s about knowing our members and being able to serve their needs, no matter the size of the loan or business,” adds ECCU VP/Commercial Lending Services Kenny Leonard. “We’ve also expanded our staff and do all of our (loan) processing internally, which enables us to actively seek the business, close the loans faster, and provide better member service.”
Leonard joined the staff of ECCU in March of last year and has built on the department’s already excellent foundation. The CLS portfolio, which was $3.7 million in March of 2014, has grown as a result of Leonard’s growth plan and leadership. He reformulated the current staff’s roles and added new experts in commercial lending to serve members in broader capacities. He also restructured the department from its previous CUSO (Credit Union Service Organization) status to a thriving internal department, ran independently by ECCU. “Now we have complete control over all of our projects,” explains Leonard. “We can handle more in our pipeline and the turnaround time for members is excellent.”