Dear Members:
As we reflect on 2025, I’m filled with gratitude and excitement for what we’ve achieved together — and optimism for what’s ahead.
This past year underscored the strength of CEFCU’s cooperative model as a credit union, and our shared commitment to putting members first. One of the standout milestones was returning a record-tying $55 million Extraordinary Dividend* to members. This distribution — shared among savers, borrowers, and CEFCU Debit Mastercard® users — continues our long tradition of returning value directly to the people who make CEFCU strong. Other accomplishments include:
- Once again, CEFCU received a 5-star rating from BauerFinancial, the highest rating available for a financial institution. This rating signifies CEFCU is one of the strongest Credit Unions in the nation. The rating considers many financial aspects, including capital ratio, profitability, and asset quality.
- Strong Loan Penetration. When it comes to auto and home-related loans, CEFCU outperformed many credit unions our size, with more members choosing us than industry estimates expected, according to Callahan & Associates estimates for Credit Unions with $1 billion to $10 billion in asset size.
- First Mortgages and Home Equity Accomplishments. We helped first-time homebuyers save over $1 million in paid closing costs. CEFCU also achieved its strongest year yet for Home Equity growth. And this year, we are celebrating over 50 years of offering home-related products and services to meet members wherever they are in their home ownership journey.
- New Member Center and new Market Growth. Our new full-service Member Center on Prospect Avenue in Champaign, IL — CEFCU’s first location in Champaign County — opened in December, expanding access and convenience for members. CEFCU now serves nearly 4,000 members in Champaign County.
- Launched enhancements for Online and Mobile Banking, Checking, Credit, and Debit Cards. We updated the look and feel of CEFCU On-Line and Mobile Banking home pages, adding more information at members’ fingertips to make banking easier. We upgraded our Instant Issuance software, launched co-branded Debit Cards for Bradley University and the Peoria Rivermen, and converted to a new check provider to provide a more affordable check option for members.
- Fraud Prevention. We helped prevent over $17 million in fraud loss by identifying and stopping suspicious transactions. This reinforces our commitment to helping members keep their finances safe.
None of this happens without your trust. Every account opened, loan taken, or service used fuels our ability to reinvest in you and in the communities we serve. Your engagement and feedback drive our decisions — and I thank you sincerely for choosing CEFCU.
Looking forward into 2026, we’re committed to building on this momentum. You can expect continued innovation in our products and services, thoughtful solutions that help you meet life’s financial goals, and even more ways to deliver value back to you. Thank you for being part of the CEFCU family. Together, we’re not just banking better — we’re building stronger financial futures.
The CEFCU 2026 Annual Meeting is April 30, 2026. Keep an eye on CEFCU’s Facebook page for more details.
*When business results allow, the Extraordinary Dividend is split between savers, borrowers, and Debit Card users. $52.25 million returned is shared equally between savers and borrowers, calculated based on interest paid/earned for Jan-Nov 2025. $2.75 million returned is shared between Debit Card users, calculated based on Debit Card transaction net spend (less returns) for Jan. 1, 2025-Oct. 31, 2025, with reward calculated up to a maximum of $4,425 total Debit Card spend.
