EVANSVILLE, IN –– There are 5,572 credit unions in the United States. From the very largest of those, the credit union leader selected as the best in the nation is head of Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union.
A board of experts empaneled by the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions named Bill Schirmer its “CEO of the Year†for his dedication to bringing the best services and lowest costs to ETFCU’s 207,000 members. He will receive the award during NAFCU’s annual conference in New Orleans on June 19.
The NAFCU judges considered leadership and management ability; the ability to coordinate and work with volunteers; commitment to preserving staff morale and education; achievements; and contributions to the credit union community.
The numbers presented a strong case for Schirmer and Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union. In 2018, ETFCU:
- Returned more than $3.8 million to members in free checking benefits, including interest, rewards and outside ATM reimbursements.Â
- Added nearly 15,000 new members to increased total membership to more than 207,000.
- Increased net worth by $15.2 million for total equity of $160 million.
- Grew total assets by $190 million to $1.65 billion.
- Returned more than $580,000 to the communities it serves through scholarships, sponsorships, and donations.
Year-to-date, the credit union is on pace to return more than $4.5 million through checking account benefits in 2019. On July 1, Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union will further increase the rate of its high-interest Vertical Checking account from 3.00% APY to 3.30% APY.
A Michigan native who now resides in Newburgh with his wife and five children, Bill serves on various community boards, including Habitat for Humanity of Evansville, Junior Achievement of Southwest Indiana, and on the University of Southern Indiana Board of Advisors. He also recently served on the boards for the EVSC Foundation and the HANGERS School Resource Clothing Bank.
Schirmer was the 2018 Indiana Credit Union League Professional of the Year, and he was recently named to a three-year term on the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council.
ETFCU ranked No. 1 in S&P’s Market Intelligence “Best Performing Credit Unions†among 157 credit unions in Indiana, No. 1 in “Total Return to Member†in Indiana by Callahan & Associates, and No. 29 in SNL’s Best Performing Credit Unions among 5,600 credit unions ranked nationally.Â
The credit union was recognized by Forbes for 2018 Best-in-State Banks & Credit Unions. It received the Platinum Award for Best Credit Union in the Evansville Courier & Press Readers’ Choice Awards for a sixth consecutive year.
ETFCU’s growth continues. A branch is nearing completion in Washington, Indiana, and a new branch is under construction in Newburgh, Indiana, which will bring the ETFCU branch total to 15. Yet another is in development as a second ETFCU location in Vincennes, Indiana.
In 2016, ETFCU acquired First Liberty Financial, a mortgage-loan company with offices in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. ETFCU rebranded the out-of-market mortgage company as Liberty Financial, a Division of ETFCU. Over the past year, the credit union has established full-service Liberty Financial credit union offices in Franklin, Tennessee; Bowling Green, Kentucky; and two in Louisville, Kentucky. Additional offices are currently under construction in Louisville, Franklin, and Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with others in development in the Greater Nashville and Louisville markets.
 “This award reflects a lot of hard work by a lot of people along with the great leadership from Bill,†said Ken Wempe, a retired educator and chairman of the all-volunteer board for ETFCU. “He works tirelessly to make certain our members get great value from all of our products, and sets the tone of supporting our membership and the community for our now 500-plus employees every single day. For a credit union based in Evansville, Indiana, to earn this recognition, it’s just amazing.â€
