Gwinnett Federal Credit Union (Gwinnett Federal) won the Credit Union National Association's Louise A. Herring Philosophy in Action Award. The award recognizes Gwinnett Federal's program for assisting the local Bosnian immigrants. Gwinnett Federal has mainstreamed its financial products and services to the Bosnian community who had little to no trust of "banks". The credit union is willing to take time to establish relationships with these immigrants and educate them on the benefits of credit union membership. Understanding the Bosnian language and their culture has been a foundation in these relationships.

Gwinnett Federal helps its Bosnian members by not only addressing their loan needs but by having at least one Bosnian speaking employee at each location. "The credit union understands that most immigrants have a legitimate reason for not having a credit history, so Gwinnett Federal assumes they are creditworthy" stated Marshall Boutwell, CEO & president of Gwinnett Federal. "Our efforts are aimed at helping integrate immigrants fully into the American economy, thereby benefiting the immigrants and the communities in which they live. By serving the underserved within our field of membership, we illustrate the credit union philosophy and demonstrate the human side of what we do" stated Boutwell.

This annual award recognizes credit unions that, in day-to-day operations, demonstrate the credit union philosophy of "people helping people" in an extraordinary way. The award recognition will be presented in February at the 2007 Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C. The Louise A. Herring Award for Philosophy in Action is named after the late Louise A. Herring, who managed several Ohio credit unions and who helped organize nearly 500 credit unions in that state.

More about Gwinnett Federal Credit Union

Gwinnett Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members and operated with the purpose of promoting thrift through convenient, competitive savings opportunities and providing low cost loans to our members. For more information about Gwinnett Federal Credit Union, visit gwinnettfcu.org.