2001 eAward Winners

Illiana Financial CU, Calumet City, Ill. www.illiana.org. While no site won for appearance alone, this site’s eye-catching design pushed it over the edge. Aside from the nice look, the site has serious functionality, including online banking, lending, and credit card account access. This site also featured impressive content. A thorough visit through this site leaves members with few unanswered questions. America First CU, www.americafirst.com. America First CU’s site was one of the most innovative sites judged. Wireless banking, e-statements, and online brokerage services are offered. The site scored well for an alternating, Flash-driven marketing box in the center of the home page. This feature alerts members to e-statements, online banking and other CU services. T&C FCU, Pontiac, Mich., www.tcfcu.org. Easily one of the best sites in terms of content, the site even breaks down content based on varying age groups, including a section for members who are “55 or better.” Content also had a local flavor, with plenty of news and events from the local community. The site scored points for the innovative Web member service chat functionality from HumanClick, allowing members to interact with member service reps in real-time. Star One FCU, Sunnyvale, Calif., www.starone.org. Like many of the CU sites in this year’s contest, the Star One site had a ton of functionality, including online banking, lending and membership apps. What set this site apart was its streamlined layout and ease of navigation. Five headings are featured in the main menu on the home page that can take members to any section of the site. Each heading includes a highlighted drop-down menu allowing members to narrow their search. Financial Partners CU, Los Angeles, www.rfcu.org. This stylish site is easy to navigate and full of functionality, including a nice integration to the CU’s online investing solution, via its CUSO. Attractive site banners entice members to get pre-approved for a mortgage or sign up for bill pay. The site was also very timely, including a feature on falling interest rates and up to date information on some recent branch openings and closings. Mountain America CU, Salt Lake City, Utah, www.mtnamerica.org. This site featured a budding online nuance of CU Web sites – online member surveys. The survey was easy-to-use and didn’t bog down with too many questions. A plethora of online services, combined with a hip design pushed this CU into the winnner’s circle.