Third Quarter 2007

CU Locate a resource in times of crisis

Should a natural disaster strike, there is a system in place where credit unions can communicate to their members about the status of their operations.

The Illinois Credit Union League and CUNA are pleased to provide all credit union members in the United States access to an initiative called CU Locate via a toll-free number, 1-877-CULOCATE. The system was developed as a result of the lessons learned from past disasters.

The need to communicate with credit union members has been identified by the CUNA Disaster Preparedness Committee as a critical element in planning for any disaster. CUNA Strategic Services, in conjunction with its strategic alliance provider, VoiceGard, will provide access to a pre-recorded message on the status of each credit union. At the time of a disaster, members will dial the toll-free number (1-877-285-6228) to hear a brief message from their credit union with information on how to contact them or a message that the credit union is not in a crisis situation.

In the event of a disaster in our area, this is the number we will begin publishing to the media for member information. We recognize this will not solve all member communication issues. This system is intended to assist the credit union in delivering a brief update only. Each credit union needs to carefully consider how to communicate with its membership in a disaster situation. We suggest that credit unions also have the ability to redirect their phone lines to an appropriate destination for calls from members and staff.

The Credit Union National Emergency Information System may be redundant to something you already have in place, but it does give the credit union movement one number to share with the media. Make updating these recordings a part of your on-going disaster planning.

There is no charge to the credit union for this service. If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Bergenske from CUNA at 1-800-356-9655 ext. 4340.