Patelco Credit Union CEO Andrew Hunter Named 2006 Callahan Award Winner by FSCC

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2006--Andrew Hunter, CEO of Patelco Credit Union, was named the 2006 Callahan Award winner by Financial Service Centers Cooperative, Inc., (FSCC) during its Annual meeting on Wednesday, June 21st at the Venetian Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Each year, FSCC selects an individual whose efforts on behalf of shared branching have significantly advanced the program within the credit union movement. The award is named for Edgar Callahan, former Chairman of FSCC, passionate advocate for cooperation and shared branching, and past CEO of Patelco Credit Union.

"Andy worked tirelessly in FSCC's early, difficult years to ensure the success of shared branching," remarked Sarah Canepa Bang, CEO of FSSC. "In addition, Andy made the case for using shared branching to retain members and increase their use of credit union services. His hands on contributions to so many important projects in shared branching made him an excellent choice for this year's award."

As a result of Mr. Hunter's efforts, Patelco Credit Union was one of the first to pioneer the outlet concept, opening its doors to members of other credit unions. In turn, credit unions around the country saw that it could work and began opening their doors as well. To this day Patelco Credit Union is the largest single credit union acquirer in the FSCC network.

By encouraging others to follow that bold lead, Patelco helped ensure that its own members could use shared branches in California, across the country and even overseas. As a result, Patelco is one of the top five of issuers on the network allowing its members to use any of the 2,200 shared branches within the shared branching network.

"It's gratifying to have my small contribution to the shared branch network recognized," said Mr. Hunter. "But what's really important is that Patelco members have access to 2,200 branches in 46 states."

In addition to Mr. Hunter's award, Patelco Credit Union was recognized with the Exceptional Performance Award as an acquirer on the FSCC Network for 2005. Patelco's system was available for processing guest member transactions online 100% of the time, whereas the Network standard is 98.5%. The Achievement Award honored Patelco as the largest acquirer in California and the largest acquirer for the Network in 2005. Patelco acquired just under 2 million transactions at all of its branches that are shared.

San Francisco-based Patelco Credit Union is a national credit union serving over 220,000 members nationwide. Formed in 1936 with just $500 in assets, Patelco now has $3.8 billion in assets and ranks among the largest credit unions in the nation.

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