History

70 Years of Service

Since 1952, TruWest Credit Union has been serving members in the Phoenix and Austin areas. From our humble start as a Motorola Credit Union, we have worked hard to expand our membership reach in the community, our number of branches and the services we offer.

 

TruWest Credit Union Timeline

1950s

  • 1952 – On August 12, Rufus Coulter, Head of Personnel for Motorola Government Electronics Group, gathers seven fellow Motorola Employees and each contribute $5 to form Motorola Credit Union, serving only Motorola employees
  • 1952 – The first board meeting is held in September and loans of up to $300 are extended to employees
  • 1957 – The first annual meeting is held and the Credit Union grows to 1,378 members
  • 1959 – New car loans of up to $2,500 are offered to Motorola employees

1960s

 

  • 1961 – The Hayden Branch office opens and the first loan manager is hired
  • 1962 – Membership increases to 5,000 members
  • 1964 – Membership expands to include retired Motorola employees
  • 1965 – The 8,000th member is awarded a transistor radio!
  • 1966 – Membership reaches 10,000 members

1970s

  • 1973 – Peter DiSylvester is named manager of the Credit Union
  • 1975 – The slogan “Once a Member, Always a Member” is implemented
  • 1975 – Membership expands to include spouses and dependent children
  • 1975 – The Christmas Club, traveler’s checks, unsecured lines of credit and money orders are added to the Credit Union offerings
  • 1976 – The Credit Union grows to nine branches
  • 1977 – The first full service branch opens in Austin, Texas and memberships increase to over 19,000
  • 1977 – Direct deposits are introduced
  • 1979 – Memberships can now include immediate family members
  • 1979 – A new credit union logo is introduced
  • 1979 – The first three ATMs are installed



1980s

 

  • 1982 – The 30th Anniversary is celebrated with the groundbreaking of the Roosevelt Branch
  • 1982 – Membership reaches 32,000
  • 1982 – The Credit Union changes its name to Motorola Employees Credit Union – West (MECU West), to differentiate itself from Motorola Employees Credit Union – East (serving the East Coast)
  • 1983 – The first home office branch opens in Arizona, the first community branch location outside of a Motorola facility – and it has a drive up window!

  • 1986 – The Data Dial Audio Response System, or “24-hour branch” call system is introduced
  • 1986 – “New Car Central” is unveiled, a computerized, one-stop auto shopping service
  • 1986 – Motorola Employees Credit Union West merges with Four Phase Credit Union
  • 1987 – Memberships hit 35,000 and the Visa credit card is introduced
  • 1988 – A quality awareness program is launched, to ensure first-class service
  • 1989 – A first mortgage program is implemented

1990s




 

  • 1994 – A “Mystery Shopper” program is introduced to ensure quality service
  • 1994 – The first offsite community branch is opened in Austin, TX
  • 1995 – Peter DiSylvester, the Credit Union Manager, is elected to Chairman of the Board for the Credit Union National Association (CUNA)
  • 1996 – The first credit union website is launched, accepting online membership and loan applications
  • 1996 – Data Dial expands to 20 lines to allow members greater telephone access
  • 1996 – The Credit Union partners with Credit Unions for Kids, part of the Children’s Miracle Network
  • 1996 – Three new branches break ground, expanding the Arizona and Austin footprint
  • 1998 – The Credit Union welcomes its 50,000th member
  • 1999 – ON Semiconductor employees can now become members and two new branch facilities are added in Austin, Texas
  • 1999 – Visa Platinum and Gold Cards introduced

 

2000s

  • 2000 – Membership grows to over 55,000
  • 2001 – Membership expands again to welcome General Dynamics employees
  • 2002 – Approval is given from the Arizona State Banking Department and members to expand membership to anyone living or working in the East Valley of metro Phoenix
  • 2003 – Motorola Employees Credit Union West changes its name to TruWest® Credit Union
  • 2004 – Membership expands to include anyone living or working in Maricopa County, AZ, and Travis County, TX

2010s

 

  • 2012 – TruWest celebrates 60 years of service
  • 2013 – Membership passes 60,000
  • 2014 – TruWest updates its logo and brand
  • 2017 – Membership now expands into Yavapai and Pima Counties in Arizona and Williams County in the Austin Area
  • 2017 – The new Truwest.org website is launched
  • 2017 – Membership exceeds over 80,000
  • 2017 – The Credit Union surpasses $1 billion in assets
  • 2018 – TruWest partners with the American Lung Association to expand its charitable reach in the community
  • 2018 – TruWest provides financial and training support to Mesa Community College’s First-Year Program
  • 2019 – Rewards Checking is launched to all members
  • 2022 – TruWest celebrates 70 years with over 93,000 members and 12 branch locations between Arizona and Texas

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