ESL FCU Rewards Members With $6 Million Dividend

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – ESL Federal Credit Union is among the latest in the industry to issues a dividend to its members. The $2.8 billion CU said more than 180,000 members will receive their share of a $6 million dividend this month. To calculate the dividend, the CU added the total dividends a member earned on their share accounts at ESL to the total interest paid on ESL loans throughout the year and then multiplied by the “dividend percentage factor” for that year. The factor for 2005 was rounded to 3.145%. For instance, a member has a mortgage, an auto loan and a home equity line of credit with ESL, all of which she has paid interest on. She also earns dividends from Money Maker and IRA accounts. Her interest paid and dividends earned total $8,908.52. Using the 2005 factor of 3.145%, the member would receive a dividend of $280.17. “Each year that ESL earns more than necessary to keep us strong and healthy, we return a portion of our earnings to members in the form of a cash dividend,” the CU said. “At ESL, members, not stockholders, benefit from our earnings.”