Hawaiian Tel Federal Credit Union has changed its name and now is known as Hawaiian Financial Federal Credit Union.
The new moniker became official on Aug. 31. The credit union has $628 million in assets and serves 59,726 members. The CU has 12 branches, including one on Maui.
The credit union was chartered in 1936 as Mutelco Oahu Employees Federal Credit Union. In 1999, it changed its membership charter to include everyone who lives or works on Oahu, becoming the first credit union in Hawaii with an island-wide charter.
Through mergers and other expansion opportunities, HiTel FCU eventually became the largest community-based credit union in the state and fourth-largest overall. In 2012, HiTel FCU became the first credit union in Hawaii to have a branch in a retail location when it opened its Kapolei Walmart location.
Glen Moribe, the credit union’s board chairman, said the name change “is the beginning of a very exciting chapter.”
“We have served the financial needs of our members for more than 80 years, and we are incredibly proud of our history and our roots,” Moribe said in a statement. “This change is really just the latest of many steps we have taken to positively position our credit union for sustained, steady growth for the next 80 years and beyond.”
“The timing was right for our name change to happen,” said Norman Okimoto, the credit union’s president. “We believe the name Hawaiian Financial FCU brings us a more inclusive identity, and is a more accurate representation of our membership base, as we have been the leading merger partner for 15 valuable credit unions. It is a name that will grow with us.”
In 2018, the credit union was recognized as one of the top three credit unions in the state by Forbes Magazine.
