Credit unions that are helping members escape from payday loan debt garnered national attention this week after a member went public with his story.

Michael Lake of Oceanside, Calif., had taken out a payday loan to help pay a large insurance deductible.

By the time he made it to the $1 million Faith Based Federal Credit Union, also in Oceanside, he owed $1,500.

While Lake's original loan was not for that amount, by the time the loan recycled several times and he took out loans with other lenders to help manage his expenses while he dealt with the original loan, the total amount had grown to $1,500.

The national attention came after the Wall Street Journal mentioned his case in an editorial about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and payday lenders.

“I think he was genuinely surprised we could help him,” Daniel Scott, Faith Based CEO and founder, said. “He is on a fixed income and the amounts he was having to pay each week were just continuing to grow.”

Scott, a former community banker, said he founded the credit union in 2003 after his long-time bank employer merged into a regional bank.

“I could see the trend shaping up,” Scott said. “My bank was only going to be the first. There would be a lot more and I knew I would never be able to do the kind of banking I wanted to do again in a bank.”

Scott said he liked the kind of banking where he could take more time with depositors and really get to know them to help find the products that best suited their needs.

It was this kind of attention that he has provided to the 478 members of Faith Based and it was the same type of consideration Lake received when he came through the doors of the credit union.

“We were able to make him a loan and structure it so he could make his payments and still have enough for his other needs,” Scott said.  “We also educated  him about the dangers of payday loans and told him the same thing I tell our members, 'if you ever get into a situation where you need a payday loan, call us first, please. We can help you in a way you can afford.'”

According to NCUA financial records, Faith Based had a return on average asset ratio of 0.75% as of the end of September 2014.  The credit union also had a net worth ratio of 13.18% and a net charge-off ratio of 0.03%.