Corner Post Federal Credit Union | Wilkes-Barre, PA | Credit Union

Gayle Maisano, President and CEO

Corner Post Federal Credit Union	Phone: 570-823-6151 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.cornerpostfcu.org
566 S. Main Street, P.O. Box 1172 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703

Profiles In Business Excellence: Corner Post Federal Credit Union

Lauren Salem

    Ben Franklin founded the United States Post Office from humble beginnings in 1776, in Philadelphia, not unlike Emerson Everett, who in 1936 started the Wilkes-Barre Postal Federal Credit Union out of his own shirt pocket – literally.
    “If you wanted a loan, you went to see him. He’d write it down and the next day you’d have the money,” said Chairman of the Board Tom Jones.
     At the Post Office, Emerson would roll out a safe on wheels at lunch time to do business with anyone who owed or needed to borrow money. Since then, the Wilkes-Barre Postal Federal Credit Union has grown from $100,000 in assets to nearly $50,000,000 today.
    “We try to keep our loans as low as we can, and we try to keep the dividends that we pay out as interest to our people as high as we can and still make enough money to have a good operation,” Tom said.
     The Credit Union is a closed membership, open only to US Postal Service workers and select independent businesses and their relatives.
    “A lot of credit unions have a community charter, and I always thought bigger is not always better,” said CEO Gayle Maisano. “We want to keep it on that personal level. We want to keep a closed membership. I just think we give better service that way because when you get too big people become strangers; you become a number instead of a person.”
      Knowing their customers on a first-name basis goes far beyond the smiles received from teller to teller. Donna Wright, for example, though not able to recall a single instance of exceptional customer service because “everyone’s treated the same,” recalled her battle with breast cancer and chemotherapy. Her fellow employees and customers purchased special hats for her, for every day of the week, and even for holidays.
    “The members and staff were absolutely awesome,” she said. “It’s a perfect example of how we’re a big family around here.”
    The Wilkes-Barre Postal Federal Credit Union has purchased adjacent lots on each side of its present location and has plans to construct a new building in the fall, and quite possibly with a new name. You can visit its website at www.wbpostalfcu.org.