Eastern Savings and Loans
Founded2001 (North Cambridge 1998)
TypeIndustrial and Provident Society
Location
  • 61–63 Austin Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IP2 8DF
Websiteeslcu.co.uk

Eastern Savings and Loans Credit Union Limited is a not-for-profit member-owned financial co-operative, based in Ipswich and operating through 25 local payment and information points in the East Anglian counties of Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and north Essex. The credit union has 6,500 members and manages £1.4 million in savings.

History

Eastern Savings and Loans traces its origins to the foundation of the Ipswich Credit Union in 2001, which became Ipswich and Suffolk Credit Union in 2005. South Norfolk Credit Union was formed in Norwich in 2002, becoming Norfolk Credit Union in 2007. The directors of both these credit unions agreed a merger in 2014, adopting the present name.[1]

Rainbow Saver Anglia Credit Union, formed in Lowestoft in 1999, was included in merger discussions[2] and joint meetings of all three credit unions showed a similar ethos and statistics.[3] The merger with Rainbow Saver Anglia was expected to proceed at a later date, but it ceased trading in 2022.[4]

The smaller North Cambridge Credit Union was formed in 1998, becoming the Cambridge City Credit Union in 2005; its 161 members voted to transfer engagements to Eastern Savings and Loans in 2015.[5]

Year Proposed Dividend
2017 0%[6]
2018 0% (2% interest on Junior accounts)[7]
2019 0% (2% interest on Junior accounts)[8]
2020 0.25% (2% interest on Junior accounts),[9] proposal withdrawn in light of pandemic.[10]
2021 0% (1% interest on Junior accounts)[10]
2022 0.15% (1% interest on Junior accounts)[11]

Activities

The credit union operates for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit and other financial services to its members at reasonable rates.[12]

Membership of Eastern Savings and Loans is restricted by common bond to individuals living, working, studying or volunteering inside the boundaries of Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. Tenants of a number of housing associations, students enrolled at the British Racing School, Northern Racing College, Racing Welfare or The National Stud, employees of the East of England Co-operative Society and individuals related to and living in the same household as a member are also eligible to join.[13] In 2022, it expanded to include north Essex in its common bond area.[14]

In 2014, the credit union was awarded a grant of £100,000 by the Lloyds Banking Group Credit Union Development Fund to help support its reserves and facilitate mergers with neighbouring credit unions.[15]

Products

Eastern Savings and Loans runs a payroll deduction savings and loans scheme in conjunction with the East of England Co-operative Society, Ipswich Buses and a number of local authorities. The credit union is responsible for the operation of the scheme, with the employer facilitating monthly deductions from salary.[16] A payment card, accepted at Post Office and PayPoint outlets, is also issued to members on request.[17]

As is common with credit unions, Eastern Savings and Loans doesn't pay a fixed rate of interest on savings balances; instead, the organization distributes its trading surplus to members in the form of an annual dividend calculated on average savings or as a rebate of loan interest paid.

The credit union offers business, third sector and corporate deposit accounts to organisations based in the area covered by the membership requirements.[18] The Change Account card, issued on behalf of Eastern Savings and Loans, functions in a similar way to a High Street bank account.[19]

Eastern Savings and Loans is a member of the Association of British Credit Unions Limited,[20] registered under the Credit Union Act 1979 and the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, and is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and PRA. As with banks and building societies, members' savings are protected against business failure by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ New name, new services, same friendly faces Archived 7 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Eastern Savings and Loans Credit Union, Annual Newsletter, March 2014
  2. ↑ Geater, Paul Suffolk/Norfolk: Credit unions discuss plans for merger East Anglian Daily Times, 6 September 2013
  3. ↑ Credit Union Merger Norfolk Credit Union, 6 November 2013
  4. ↑ About us Rainbow Saver Anglia Credit Union (retrieved 5 August 2018)
  5. ↑ process approved by members of the Cambridge City Credit Union Cambridge City Credit Union, 28 November 2014
  6. ↑ "ESLCU 2017 Annual Report" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "ESLCU 2018 Annual Report" (PDF).
  8. ↑ "ESLCU 2019 Annual Report" (PDF).
  9. ↑ "ESLCU 2020 Annual Report" (PDF).
  10. 1 2 "ESLCU 2021 Annual Report" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "2022 Annual Report" (PDF).
  12. ↑ About Credit Unions Archived 7 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Eastern Savings and Loans Credit Union (retrieved 6 February 2015)
  13. ↑ Membership requirements Eastern Savings and Loans Credit Union (retrieved 6 February 2015)
  14. ↑ Defined as postcode areas CO1-16, CM0-9, CM16-20, CM22, CM24 and CM77
  15. ↑ 2014 Winners Credit Union Foundation (retrieved 5 August 2018)
  16. ↑ Payroll Archived 7 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Eastern Savings and Loans Credit Union (retrieved 6 February 2015)
  17. ↑ Using your PayPoint card Archived 7 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Eastern Savings and Loans Credit Union (retrieved 6 February 2015)
  18. ↑ Business Archived 7 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Eastern Savings and Loans Credit Union (retrieved 6 February 2015)
  19. ↑ Our Visa Payment Card Eastern Savings and Loans Credit Union (retrieved 6 February 2015)
  20. ↑ Credit unions in membership of ABCUL Archived 3 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine Association of British Credit Unions (retrieved 1 November 2014)
  21. ↑ Credit Union Guide Financial Services Compensation Scheme (retrieved 2 April 2015)
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