PR - TNB Card Services Acquires Portfolios from Five Credit Unions

Five more credit unions have sold their credit card portfolios to TNB Card Services, TNB announced today, pushing the number of portfolios that TNB now owns to nearly 140.

The latest round of acquisitions continues a strong period of growth in TNB’s portfolio purchasing activities. The company, which launched its agent issuing program for portfolio purchases in late 2002, has bought more than 35 credit union credit card portfolios in 2007 alone. TNB Card Services offers its full-service credit and debit processing solutions to credit unions, as it has for more than 30 years. The company also purchases credit unions’ card programs when they wish to sell, operating those programs in partnership with them.

The latest TNB purchases are Gulf Coast Educators Federal Credit Union of Texas, Lakes Area Credit Union of Minnesota, Remington Credit Union of New York, Oregon Territory Federal Credit Union of Oregon, and NODA Federal Credit Union of Louisiana.

This series of purchases moved more than $12.3 million in outstanding balances and 10,400 card accounts under TNB’s ownership.

Gulf Coast Educators Federal Credit Union, based in Pasadena, Texas, gave a lot of thought to the sale of its credit card program, mulling it over for a year and a half before making the commitment.

“We’re really not in the credit card business,” observed Michael Barry, vice president project development for Gulf Coast Educators FCU. “We didn’t have a rewards program, and we didn’t really have the staff or the expertise to offer one. With TNB, our members can have that.”

Established in 1948, Gulf Coast Educators FCU serves school district and other educational facility employees in three southeastern Texas counties, Brazoria, Harris, and Galveston. With 34,000 members and three branches, it has assets over $250 million.

After weighing the pros and cons of selling its credit card program for about a year, Lakes Area Credit Union of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, decided in favor of a sale, seeing it as a way to benefit members and the credit union itself.

“We were having a hard time keeping up with all the compliance issues, and the fraud protection was a little too much for us to handle,” said Cathy LaFave, CEO of Lakes Area CU. “For our members, selling the program to TNB means they will have an opportunity to be part of a good rewards program and take advantage of higher credit limits. For the credit union, it means a significant reduction in our risk.”

Established in 1953, Lakes Area CU serves residents of Itasca County, Minnesota. It has assets of $21 million, with 4,976 members.

For Remington Credit Union of Ilion, New York, the decision to sell its card program was  based on giving back to its members, said Manager Stephen Jones.

“Insurance was a major factor for us, and the high premiums hurt us,” Jones said. “Also, with our size, we couldn’t offer the range of products to serve our members that TNB can give them. Now our cardholders can have more variety, with higher lines of credit.

Jones added “We are giving our members a stronger product, plus we are distributing the revenue back to members.”

Remington CU, established in the early years of the Great Depression, serves a large number of special employee and membership groups in Herkimer County, including employees of the Remington Arms Company. With assets of $27 million, it has 5,500 members.

Oregon Territory Federal Credit Union, in Salem, Oregon, decided the time was right to sell its card program to TNB to give its members access to a broader range of products and services, including a rewards program.

“We knew our membership was looking for a better credit card than we could give them,” explained Alycia Howell, vice president of Oregon Territory FCU. “We didn’t have a Platinum card or rewards, so by selling to TNB, our cardholders can now enjoy those advantages.”

Oregon Territory FCU, founded in 1963, serves primarily federal, county, and municipal employees in northwest Oregon, as well as residents of four counties designated as underserved. The credit union has assets of $56 million and 8,200 members.

NODA Federal Credit Union sold its credit card program to TNB for the opportunity to provide better products to its members, as well as to give the program a better chance to grow.

The credit union, established in 1941, serves employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture who work in, or are supervised from, the USDA office in metropolitan New Orleans. It has 3,900 members, with total assets of $25 million.