PURCHASE, N.Y. – Kraft Foods Federal Credit Union is slipping into a new brand name that will better reflect its expanded membership beyond its sponsor. Effective December 1, 2005, the $535 million credit union will be known as Quorum Federal Credit Union. According to KFFCU President/CEO Bruno Sementilli, the new name expresses that growth to select employee groups, since one meaning of the term "quorum" is "a select group." The name change is only the latest step in a larger yearlong effort to be prepared to serve more select employee groups. "As part of the Kraft and Altria families, our credit union has always been a competitive option to larger commercial banks. We've adopted innovative ideas that will enable Quorum to grow where others can't and remain the very best choice for all our members' financial needs," said Sementilli. "For example, the deployment of our highly successful full-service kiosks and our 62,000 surcharge-free ATM network enables us to bring service to remote or low population locations that other institutions won't." Founded in 1934 as a cooperative effort within the Kraft company, the credit union now serves more than 40,000 members nationwide. When it came to changing the name, Sementilli says turning to an outside agency that specializes in name branding was a must. "One of our board members really put it in perspective and that this is something we are only going to do once so it has to be done right," said Sementilli. "And the process was more than just selecting a name but also helping us identify what we value in ourselves, what members value in us and playing up our strengths." Quorum FCU Marketing Director Kimberly Smith adds that member research running the gamut from focus groups to surveys was vital. While there were no surprise findings, the process helped reaffirm the member perception of the credit union as progressive and trustworthy. With a clear direction an initial list of 900 quickly went down to 64, which got further whittled down to seven and then finally one. "By the time you get through all the names that have already been used it does help with the elimination process," said Sementilli. "We were excited about Quorum because people do associate it with a club and membership and those who are not familiar with the word ask about it." While the name is fresh and new, the Quorum logo pulls from the existing Kraft Foods FCU logo colors of blue and green to promote continuity and help members through the transition with something familiar. "What remains the same, and will never change, is the personal attention, security and trust we bring to every interaction with our membership," said Sementilli. "We will continue to provide the convenience and benefits of a large financial institution while remaining friendly and easy to deal with." Smith says all signage, promotional materials, letterhead, business cards and the Web site will be changed over on December 1. [email protected]