Our History
A Strong Beginning
Like many of us, Maps Credit Union has teachers to thank for its success. We were founded by a group of educators and school employees who wanted a safe place for teachers and their families to house their money and get low-cost loans.
In 1934, the Federal Credit Union Act became law under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This new law created unprecedented possibilities for people with common bonds to pool their relatively scarce resources for their greater good. Instead of traditional banking, people of all walks could now purchase shares in a credit union and find the financial independence necessary to build a new and better quality of life—even amid the hardships of the Depression.
On June 6, 1935, one year after the Federal Credit Union Act became law, an organizational meeting was held in what was then called Salem Senior High School. That day, 20 teachers agreed to volunteer their time and talents to start a credit union that would benefit all employees of Marion County Public Schools and Willamette University.
Since 1935, we’ve grown from just 20 members to over 70,000 members and we’ve changed a lot along the way. For one thing, our community now encompasses the entire Willamette Valley—not just teachers and school employees.
Our products and services have changed a lot over the years too, but the security of our members and the cooperative values we were founded on are at the forefront of each development. We keep this commitment because our members allow us to provide increasingly innovative and forward-thinking financial services while also empowering us to give back to the communities we serve.
We will keep growing, but we’ll never forget our roots. After all, we owe our progress and sustained service to the educators who laid the foundation for us.
I am a firm believer in education, so I love that Maps gives back to the community in the form of grants for teachers and scholarships for students. Maps has made Salem a better place to live.
Maps is extremely inclusive, diverse, and I never feel any judgment.
Being a part of Maps Credit Union means more than just having financial services; it means being a part of a cooperative that prioritizes members’ needs and well-being.
