Missouri Credit Union System changing its name; will be the Missouri Credit Union Association

ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Credit Union System is changing its name to Missouri Credit Union Association, effective Jan. 1, 2003. “We feel the name Missouri Credit Union Association better reflects who we are – the trade association representing credit unions in Missouri,” said President and CEO Rosie Holub. At the same time, the group is changing it’s graphic look with a new logo and a new Web site. The new Web site went online in mid-October. Outdoor signage, at offices in St. Louis and Kansas City will change over time. AKA Design Inc. of St. Louis created the new logo. CU Village handled the Web site makeover. The legal name of the group will remain the Missouri Credit Union League. Formal adoption of the new look must pass a copyright investigation. The conversion reflects the importance to MCUS of its lobbying efforts, a league spokesperson said. “It probably begins with people outside the credit union movement who don’t understand what “system” means,” said Amy McLard, MCUS’s vice president of public/legislative affairs. “They think we’re producing something.’ “In particular, when we’re speaking with lawmakers we have to explain, `We’re the trade association representing credit unions in Missouri.’” Within the last year, association staff came to the conclusion that a change made sense. “It’s been in the back of our minds probably since the last (legislative) session last January,” McLard said. “We knew we wanted to do this.” The issue was also discussed at a summer meeting of the American Association of Credit Union Leagues, said Evan Childs, spokesperson for the Credit Union Affiliates of New Jersey, the MCUS equivalent in the Garden State. The conversation at that session came to the same conclusion. “A lot of leagues feel that when they speak with representatives, they (the legislators) don’t understand what a league does,” Childs said. Childs said New Jersey adopted its current moniker in 1998, “to give a better representation of what our organization does.” But, he noted, the legal name of the organization is still the New Jersey Credit Union League. The Connecticut Credit Union Association adopted that name in 2000. It previously had been a league. “President and CEO Kevin Stewart said while the term `league’ had universal understanding with credit unions, it was not recognized by media and legislators. So he found himself fielding questions such as, “Is that a bowling league, a baseball league, is it like the League of Women Voters?” While Stewart believes the new name is a success, its adoption isn’t universal. “Most of our members still call us `the league,’” he said. -