Does it cost money to join?
Most credit unions require a deposit of $5 to $25 in a share account (savings account). This remains your money and is returned to you if you ever close your account with the credit union. For details on membership requirements, please contact the individual credit union.

Join an Ohio credit union
You may be eligible to join a credit union through an affiliation with your employer, your occupation, your community, your church, or another group with which you or a family member is associated.

1. Visit www.findacreditunion.com. This online service asks you a few general questions and provides a list of participating Ohio credit unions you may be able to join.

2. Check around. Check with your employer, church, school and professional and service organizations. You may be able to join a credit union through them. Ask your family members; you are eligible to join through a family member's membership.

3. Go Community. Some credit unions offer membership to people who live, work, go to school, or attend church in certain communities, cities, or counties.

4. Look it up. View a complete list of credit unions in your region here. (Remember, you will not be eligible to join all of them).

5. Call us. Call the Ohio Credit Union League (that's us, the state trade association for credit unions) during business hours at (800) 486-2917 or locally at (614) 336-2894, and we will help you find a credit union you may be eligible to join. You can e-mail us for more help.

 
 

What is a Credit Union?
Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperative financial institutions that are owned by their members, and run by volunteer board members. That's why we say that credit unions are "Where people are worth more than money."

Credit unions offer most financial services found at banks, including loans, savings accounts, checking accounts, IRAs, Internet account access, and more.

Credit unions generally offer better rates on loans and savings than do commercial banks, due to credit unions' unique operation. While banks must make profits for their shareholders, credit unions exist only to serve their members. As a result, consumers have ranked credit unions as the leaders among financial institutions in customer satisfaction for the last 21 years. 

The smallest credit unions in Ohio have a few hundred members and several thousand dollars in assets. The largest credit union in Ohio has more than 150,000 members and over $1.1 billion in assets. No matter what size a credit union is, each one operates as a not-for-profit, democratically-run cooperative with one primary purpose: to serve its members!

More than 2.7 million Ohioans (about 20 percent of the state's population) belong to credit unions through associations with their employers, communities, churches, or occupations. And that number is growing every day as more people continue to realize the benefits of membership!

What is the Ohio Credit Union System?
The Ohio Credit Union System is an organization that supports the Ohio Credit Union Movement. The Ohio Credit Union League is the primary affiliate of the Ohio Credit Union System.

The Ohio Credit Union League, founded in 1934, is the state trade association for Ohio credit unions. Its mission is to foster the success of credit unions and OCUL.GIF (3768 bytes)the credit union philosophy of People Helping People in Ohio. 

The Ohio Credit Union League does not offer financial services to the public. Credit unions can pay an annual membership fee to become a member of the Ohio Credit Union League.

More than 400 credit unions are affiliated with the League through 15 regional chapters. Credit unions affiliated with The Ohio Credit Union League also are members of the Credit Union National Association, or CUNA.

The Ohio Credit Union League supports the state's credit unions with operational and regulatory information, training opportunities, legislative representation, publications, and public relations, among other duties. The League also plans and hosts an annual credit union convention each spring.

The League's offices are located in Dublin (a suburb of Columbus, Ohio). The League's phone number is 800/486-2917 (toll-free) or 614/336-2894 in Central Ohio. We can be reached via e-mail at oculmail@ohiocul.org.

Directions to Ohio Credit Union League

About our affiliated subsidiaries
The League is the primary association of The Ohio Credit Union System, which includes three other affiliates:

OCUL Services Corporation is a for-profit subsidiary of the Ohio Credit Union System that provides products and services to credit unions.

The Ohio Credit Union Legislative Action Committees  (OCULAC and OCULPAC) are political action committees that raise money to support political candidates, legislators, and governmental officials who support credit unions.

The Ohio Credit Union Foundation raises and distributes money in the form of professional scholarships, small credit union support, and disaster relief.