A financial partner for life
At Benchmark Federal Credit Union, our slogan is “With You Every Step of the Way…Financial Solutions for Life’s Benchmarks.” We live by this slogan each and every day by being there for our valued members. At Benchmark, our members enjoy a level of personalization they just can’t find at a megabank. We work to anticipate and meet every member need and provide a personal feel to our member relationships. As a true financial partner, we also strive to educate and assist the community in improving their financial well-being. The financial strength of our communities is a benefit to all of our members as well.
Lending decisions made locally
A big part of member satisfaction in financial services is meeting the borrowing needs of individuals in our community. With many larger lenders, a borrower is nothing more than a credit score. At Benchmark Federal Credit Union, lending decisions are made locally and on a case-by-case basis. We understand that each borrower is an individual with his or her own personal story and circumstances. We work to understand each situation before we make our lending decision. Even more importantly, it’s not simply a computer making a lending decision based on that credit score, it’s a human credit committee that meets twice each and every day to discuss every loan application. At Benchmark, we realize that doing our job correctly means knowing the personal financial situation of the applicant. That means digging deeper before denying a loan. It also means a quicker turnaround time for our borrowers in many cases. As a not-for-profit, we understand that a focus on individual attention is particularly important when striving to meet the borrowing needs of members in an array of financial situations.
A higher level of personal service and satisfaction
In this increasingly digital world, consumers are still seeking a much more personalized financial experience that megabanks can’t deliver. They want a relationship with a financial service provider that they can value and where they feel truly valued. Although many of us want the ease of mobile and online banking, personalization is quickly becoming the primary way to increase both customer satisfaction and providing that value.
The answer to customer satisfaction in financial services is simple and it’s our focus every day. Know your customer and know their individual financial situation. Build relationships and encourage your entire team to focus on relationship building as well.
Unfortunately, most consumers today don’t feel their primary financial institution really knows anything about their financial life or even cares for that matter. Many larger institutions don’t work to educate and assist their customers on an individual basis. At Benchmark, we work to be a trusted financial partner. We realize our members expect us to anticipate and understand their needs and deliver personalized solutions to meet those needs.
A trusted financial relationship
Consumers are placing increasing importance on the quality and customization of each experience they have with their financial institution. It all begins with knowing our members. In fact, analyzing the data provided by online and mobile banking can often provide a helpful look at member financial needs, enable areas to provide financial education and advice, and enhance existing relationships.
Although local credit unions offer the same services as the megabanks, we stand apart because we engage our members and we deliver on providing personalized solutions to meet their financial needs. We engage and educate across multiple channels in real time each and every day.
There truly is a credit union difference. This difference not only means a more personalized relationship, but it also means lower fees and lower balance requirements, competitive loan and credit card rates, more flexible and personalized loan qualifications and many member benefits. Most importantly, credit unions, such as Benchmark, focus more on their members’ needs than profits.
If you are looking for a new financial partner to be there with you through all of life’s benchmarks, it may be as simple as joining your local credit union. Learn more about membership at Benchmark Federal Credit Union and share the benefits with your friends and family. After all, it’s all about community and doing what’s best for the individuals that make up our community.