How does the Credit Union work?
A Credit Union is a Financial Co-Operative owned and controlled by its members.
The purpose of the Credit Union is to provide us with good financial services, designed around our needs, mainly in the area of loans and savings. The funds saved stay within the community and provide us with loans - there are no outside shareholders or interests. We continue to improve services and strive to develop our Credit Union. We elect a Board of Directors at our Annual General Meeting in December each year, to set policy, direct and control the Credit Union. The Board elects a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and various committees to act on member’s behalf. Our Manager and staff members look after the day-to-day operational needs of our members.
Each Credit Union must appoint an Independent Public Auditor who will examine all their books and records to ensure that the Credit Union is financially sound and operating within the law; the Auditors will present their report at the Annual General Meeting.
As a member of Ballyshannon & Killybegs Credit Union Ltd:
You have an equal say in the running of your Credit Union
You have access to fair and competitive rates on savings and loans
You are helping others through the Members Savings Pool, which is used to provide financial assistance to other members
Not a Member?
Join using your Phone. We’ve created an intelligent and secure method for you to become a member directly through your mobile phone. All you have to do is download our Mobile App, for free, to take full advantage of joining as you go.
The Credit Union Story
The modern Credit Union movement traces its origins to Germany and to Friedrich Willhelm Raiffeisen, the Mayor of a small town in southern Germany, who in 1849 formed societies, which later evolved in to Credit Unions. The purposes of these Credit Unions was to enable people to help themselves in relieving debt and poverty.
A Credit Union is a democratic, financial co-operative owned and controlled by its own members. Each Credit Union is run only to benefit its members, all of whom have something in common - the common bond.
The Credit Union movement was introduced into Ireland in 1958 by Nora Herilhy with the support of a number of other dedicated pioneers.
Since then, the Credit Union philosophy of mutual self-help has proved very popular, and there are now over 530 Credit Unions affiliated to the Irish league of Credit Unions throughout the country.
In Ireland over two million members have recognized the value of credit unions, and have savings approaching several billion euro with their credit unions. There are thousands employed in the sector and many more thousands are volunteers involved in the movement.
