Wescom Credit Union Honored Nationally as One of the 50 Best Places to Work; SHRM and GPTW Name Top 50 ``Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America''

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 27, 2006--Wescom Credit Union has been named among the top 50 Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America. The list was announced on June 26 before an audience of more than 12,000 at the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM) 58th Annual Conference & Exposition in Washington, D.C. Wescom's Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Jane Wood and Vice President of Human Resources Michelle Esser attended the event and accepted the award on behalf of the Credit Union.

This is the third year of the list, which ranks the top 25 small and top 25 medium-sized companies in America that use smart people management strategies to develop successful organizations with highly productive and satisfied workforces. The organizations, ranging in size from 50 to 999 employees, were announced by SHRM and selected and ranked by the Great Place to Work(R) Institute (GPTW). The results were based on a randomly distributed employee opinion survey. Each company evaluated was given a score based on employees' responses to a detailed questionnaire about the organizations' workplace cultures.

Stories about the winning organizations will appear in the July issue of HR Magazine, the Society's flagship publication with a circulation of 200,000 (available at www.shrm.org/hrmagazine). The winning organizations will also be listed on the GPTW web site at www.greatplacetowork.com. SHRM highlighted Wescom for its efforts after Hurricane Katrina where the Credit Union gave two weeks leave to any employee volunteering for the Red Cross. In addition, SHRM cited Wescom's President and CEO Darren Williams on his efforts to visit all 38 branches and various departments to meet with employees, and on the company's benefits package that includes up to $4,000 per employee to support kids in college.

"We are honored to be recognized by SHRM and GPTW as one of the best places to work in the country," said Darren Williams, president and CEO of Wescom Credit Union. "At Wescom, we are committed to providing the best possible working environment for our employees as we believe that will help better serve our members."

"Small and medium-sized companies make up the majority of the American economy and workforce," said SHRM President and CEO Susan R. Meisinger, SPHR. "These winning organizations such as Wescom Credit Union demonstrate that making effective use of the workforce is key to their success, and they must be recognized for their accomplishments."

Great Place to Work(R) Institute cofounder, Robert Levering, said, "These companies stand out because their employees find them to be places where they can trust the management, have pride in the work they do and have fun at work. Other companies have much to learn about how to both be productive and do right by their people."

SHRM is the world's largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 200,000 individual members, the Society's mission is both to serve human resource management professionals and to advance the profession. Founded in 1948, SHRM currently has more than 500 affiliated chapters and members in more than 100 countries.

Great Place to Work(R) Institute, Inc., is a global research and consulting firm dedicated to "building a better society by helping companies transform their workplaces." Great Place to Work(R) Institute works with FORTUNE Magazine, HR Magazine and other leading publications in 28 countries around the world to publish and recognize the "Best Companies to Work For." In addition to its global headquarters in San Francisco, Great Place to Work(R) Institute has 28 affiliates in countries throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia. For more information contact SHRM Media Affairs at 703-535-6012.

WESCOM CREDIT UNION is one of the largest credit unions in the country with $3.5 billion in assets. It is a not-for-profit, financial services cooperative serving 275,000 members at 38 branches throughout Southern California. Credit Union members have access to more than 20,000 free ATMs nationwide and a wide range of financial services, including free checking and free online bill paying. Membership is open to people living and working in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Ventura counties. Wescom was established in 1934 as a credit union for telecommunications employees.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

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