Erayne Hill, the credit union's director of community/public relations, said Unity is currently devoting close to 50% of its marketing budget to U Give-style campaigns.

"Community relations and building partnerships are key elements of the credit union's strategic plans, particularly in reaching the Latino community," said Hill whose railway-based credit union maintains a branch presence in both St. Paul and Fort Worth. Its 24,000- membership rolls include employees of the old Burlington-Northern/Santa Fe Railway Co.

Williams, the CEO, said his credit union is deeply involved with schools, libraries, youth groups and community organizations. "We are able to build our brand in the communities we serve by partnering with those recognized, reputable organizations that impact the everyday lives of people."

Elaborating on reaching the Latino market, Williams said also this segment "is also generally younger and once you help them, they are very loyal members."

"What we have found is that first and second generation Hispanic immigrants predominantly speak Spanish as their primary language, and they still have strong cultural ties to their country of origin, primarily Mexico for Hispanics in Texas," he said. "They also generally distrust financial institutions and prefer to deal in cash, and so the Hispanic market generally requires a different approach to marketing."

The Unity CEO noted that the credit union recently opened a branch in the heart of a large Latino community in Fort Worth and attracted most new members through community events it sponsored in addition to referrals.

Still, Unity's biggest challenge, he went on, is to break the hold that check cashing outlets and payday lenders have on much of the community and on that slow progress is being made.