Who are we
As a mutual financial institution, CUA’s vision is to become the leading member owned banking alternative in Australia. In this quest, we have the support of over 600 dedicated and passionate staff whose primary focus is serving our 400,000 plus members through three state offices and over 70 branches and regional centres down the eastern seaboard and in Perth.
Our vision
To be the leading member owned banking alternative in Australia.
Our values
- service
- social responsibility
- team work
- innovation
- performance
- trust
Our history
1946-1965
CUA has a proud heritage with roots that can be traced back to a few small credit unions in the 1940s including the Catholic Thrift and Loan Co-op in 1946, the Thrift and Loan Credit Union in 1948 and the Postal Workers Co-op Credit Society in 1949. From these humble beginnings rose several decades of mergers which saw each of these original credit unions ultimately become part of CUA.
1966-1976
On 10 February 1966 staff of the General Post Office in Brisbane saw the opportunity for a change and established the Queensland Postal Cooperative Credit Union, which later changed its name to Credit Union Australia. Mergers with other credit unions means that our true roots date back 20 years earlier.
Some of our initiatives in these early days included a field office (a caravan) to service regional centres, and new products such as line of credit, term deposits and our own travel agency. Along the way, our original 180 members swelled to 11,504.
1977-1986
The change in name to Credit Union Australia welcomed new branch openings throughout Queensland – eventually totalling more than 30 locations. The beginning of our insurance division and financial planning services, together with new computer technologies and a landmark 24-hour ATM service all combined as we continued to change and grow for our 63,958 members.
1987-1996
Australians’ way of life continued to gather speed and our change to a new core banking system and 24-hour phone service helped us to keep pace. As we added home loans and the original CUA Kids Club to our growing list of products and services, we were recognised as Australia’s fifth largest credit union with 113,723 members.
1997-2007
Our merger with CPS. Credit Society and Metropolitan Credit Union brought with it our first move to Victoria and New South Wales. But it was another merger with Australian National Credit Union which brought the biggest change and saw our rapid growth throughout New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and the ACT.
After being named ‘Credit Union of the Year’ by the Australian Banking and Finance Awards for four consecutive years and amassing more than 380,000 members, we’d changed enough to become the largest credit union in Australia. This time of change has been reflected in the adoption of the 'pathway' logo with our simplified name: CUA.
Beyond 2008
As for the road ahead, well, it’s good to know there’s one thing that will never change. And that’s our core values. The thoughts, hopes and aspirations of our members will continue to guide our every choice for the business.
Our people will grow in expertise and belief for the positive change we will usher into our members’ lives. We’ll find new ways of supporting social change in our local and global communities, bringing fresh perspective and solutions to old issues. And, not least of all, we’ll stand proudly as the number one banking alternative for change-ready Australians everywhere. Frankly, when it comes to our future, we can’t wait.
