Commsave Credit Union

Commsave Credit Union Limited is a not-for-profit member-owned financial co-operative, based in Northampton in the English Midlands. In 2020, it absorbed Northamptonshire Credit Union (trading as Harvest Money). It has 2,800 members with over £2m worth of savings.[1]

Commsave Credit Union
Founded1991 (1997)
TypeIndustrial and Provident Society
Location
  • 6 Duncan Close, Moulton Park, Northampton NN3 6WL
Websitecommsave.co.uk

History
See also: History of credit unions

Commsave

Northamptonshire Postal Workers Credit Union was originally established in 1991, becoming East Midlands Postal Workers Credit Union in 1996 and finally, Commsave Credit Union in 2002.

Harvest Money

Northampton Borough Council Employees Credit Union was originally established by the payroll department to help council workers in 1997. It became Northampton Credit Union in 2003 and finally, Northamptonshire Credit Union in 2013, rebranding as Harvest Money on its twentieth anniversary in 2017.[2]

In 2013, Golden Sheaf Credit Union, established in Kettering in 2001 and The Five Wells Credit Union, established in Wellingborough in 2001, transferred engagements to Northamptonshire Credit Union.

In 2015, the credit union was awarded a grant of £67,500 by the Lloyds Banking Group Credit Union Development Fund to increase its capital asset ratio to support growth in membership and assets.[3]

More recently, Weston Favell and District Credit Union, established in Northampton in 1980, transferred engagements in 2016, followed by Blackbird Leys Credit Union, established in Oxford in 1994, in 2017.

At the time of the merger with Commsave, Harvest Money had 2,205 members and assets in excess of £1m.

Activities

The members of a credit union are required to share a common bond. In the case of Northamptonshire Credit Union, membership was restricted to people residing or working in the county of Northamptonshire or the surrounding districts of Milton Keynes, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Cherwell, the City of Oxford, Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire.[4]

Membership of Commsave Credit Union is restricted to people living or working in the NN postcode area or who work for one of a number organisations, including Departments of HM Government and their associated agencies or public bodies or who are members of Unite the Union.[5]

The credit union operates a one-stop shop at Northampton Guildhall[6] and a number of collection points, including Daventry, Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, South Northamptonshire and Cherwell,[7] where it formerly operated as the Cherwell Community Bank.[8]

The Changemaker Credit Union is a joint initiative between the credit union and University of Northampton, providing financial services to students and members of staff.[9]

A member of the Association of British Credit Unions Limited,[10] registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts, Commsave Credit Union is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and PRA. Ultimately, like the banks and building societies, members' savings are protected against business failure by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.[11]

See also

References
  1. Commsave Credit Union and Harvest Money complete merger Association of British Credit Unions, 5 June 2020
  2. Northamptonshire Credit Union rebrands as Harvest Money on 20th year anniversary Association of British Credit Unions, 8 December 2017
  3. 2015 Winners Credit Union Foundation (retrieved 5 August 2018)
  4. About Us Northamptonshire Credit Union (retrieved 7 March 2015)
  5. Who can join? Commsave Credit Union (retrieved 26 August 2020)
  6. New information point offering advice from Northampton Credit Union opens at the Guildhall Northampton Chronicle and Echo, 2 April 2014
  7. Rivers, David Community scheme aims to keep Kidlington people from pay-day lenders The Oxford Times, 3 March 2015
  8. Cherwell Community Bank Northamptonshire Credit Union (retrieved 26 July 2015)
  9. Changemaker Credit Union The University of Northampton (retrieved 7 March 2015)
  10. Credit unions in membership of ABCUL Archived 3 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine Association of British Credit Unions (retrieved 1 November 2014)
  11. Credit Union Guide Financial Services Compensation Scheme (retrieved 2 April 2015)
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