DFCU Financial was founded in February 1950 when a group of Ford engineering employees was granted a credit union charter from the federal government to serve Ford Motor Company Engineering and Styling employees working in Dearborn, Mich. Since that modest beginning, the credit union has expanded considerably.

Growing Over the Years
To reflect its changing membership, the credit union has modified its name over the years. What began as Ford Engineering Employees Federal Credit Union in 1950, became Ford Dearborn Federal Credit Union in 1954, then Dearborn Federal Credit Union in 1960. In 2003, the name was changed to DFCU Financial Federal Credit Union as the organization prepared to expand with its membership base to new markets in the metropolitan Detroit area.

Leading to Success
The Board of Directors of DFCU Financial is comprised of representatives from the employer groups listed in the credit union’s charter. The non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors is Dr. Robert Chapman. On the management side, DFCU Financial is led by President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Shobe.

Dr. Chapman joined DFCU Financial in the late 1970’s, where, as a young member, he was able to obtain his first car loan. Years later, in 2000, Dr. Chapman was elected to the DFCU Financial Board of Directors. In 2004, he was elected Vice Chairman of the Board. And in September 2006, Dr. Chapman became Chairman of the Board.

Dr. Chapman’s experience as medical director of the Josephine Ford Cancer Center and previously, chief of Henry Ford Hospital’s Medical Oncology Department make him an insightful and visionary leader of the Board. As Dr. Chapman explains:

Every year, over 4,000 new cancer patients come to receive their care at Henry Ford’s Josephine Ford Cancer Center. The management of the care of our patients is highly complex and represents hundreds of millions of dollars in health care. What makes me particularly proud is the knowledge that all of that care is rendered in a way that yields the highest marks in patient satisfaction in the entire health care system. The transition to patient satisfaction to member satisfaction at DFCU was smooth and natural. Over the last six years, I’ve been privileged to be a part of DFCU setting the standard for member satisfaction while also achieving strong ratings for the quality and integrity with which it is managed.

Mark Shobe joined DFCU Financial as President and CEO in July 2000 and brings more than 30 years of expertise in the financial services industry to DFCU. He has lead DFCU Financial to become one of the top 30 largest credit unions in the United States and one of the top performing credit unions in the nation.

Under Shobe’s leadership, the $1.8 billion credit union has grown by 51% in assets and 246% in net income since 2000. Shobe has been instrumental in soliciting and acting on membership feedback. As a result, during Shobe’s tenure, full-service, advice-based investment services have been introduced; platform sales and service program have been implemented; and a major branch expansion program has been undertaken to better and more conveniently serve members.

It was Shobe who developed DFCU’s landmark new program, the Career Transition Assistance Program, which provides $10 million in educational assistance to DFCU Financial members who are desirous of enhancing their skills to obtain new or alternative employment opportunities. As Shobe recounts:

When the DFCU Financial Board of Directors and I heard about the sweeping cuts at Ford Motor Company, we realized that many of our members may be adversely affected and we just had to do something. Our history begins at Ford and our success is linked to Ford, and therefore we had to develop a program to help our members. It’s times like these when people and businesses need to band together. DFCU is proud to lead the way and offer a means for members to help put their lives back in order.

Shobe’s vision and leadership have created a level of pride and satisfaction among employees that has resulted in DFCU Financial being named one of Metropolitan Detroit’s 101 Best & Brightest Companies to work for, three years running: 2004, 2005 and 2006. In fact, Shobe was honored and thanked for his leadership and vision by the employees of DFCU Financial during the 2005 Annual Employee Meeting, in which he was given an award by employees.

Shobe also was included in Crain’s Detroit Business’ list of Who’s Who in the Financial Services Industry in November 2005, proving that his expertise and contributions to DFCU Financial are well-noted and appreciated, not only within DFCU Financial, but outside the organization as well.

Moving With Our Members
DFCU Financial operates 12 full-service branch offices; four in Dearborn, one in Livonia, Canton; Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit; Visteon Village campus in Van Buren Township, and our newest branches in Commerce Township, Garden City, Riverview and Madison Heights.

When DFCU Financial was first chartered in 1950, the scope of our world was contained in Dearborn and it remained firmly rooted there for several years. But over the years, more and more of our members have moved out beyond Dearborn and Detroit. As a result, we have members living all over southeastern Michigan – in addition to all over the globe.

It’s the growth and disbursement of our member base and the desire to make doing business with DFCU Financial easy, that has driven our branch expansion. When making all major decisions -- whether it’s building a new branch, or introducing a new product, it’s the best interest of the entire membership that drives this decision making.

Banking on Education
By building strong partnerships, DFCU Financial works to make a positive impact on the communities where we do business. Foremost are activities to support education. In 2006 alone, DFCU Financial has donated more than $100,000 to support the public school systems in Dearborn, Livonia, Canton, Garden City, Riverview and Commerce Township.

DFCU Financial is the largest donor to the Dearborn Public Schools, where we are headquartered. Year in and year out, DFCU Financial provides not only financial support, but we sponsor a student-run credit union branch at Dearborn High School. Student volunteers are hired and trained by DFCU Financial personnel to run the branches and earn real-life banking experience. Through the student-run branch at Dearborn High School, and another at Franklin High School in Livonia, students benefit by learning the importance of saving money, managing finances and setting personal financial goals.

One of the specific programs DFCU Financial supports for the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools, the district where our Commerce branch is located, is a district-wide K-5 financial literacy initiative that will launch in the 2006/07 school year. This program will help create a foundation for lifelong financial fitness for Walled Lake Consolidated Schools students.

DFCU Financial also participated in Oakland University’s Applied Technology in Business (ATiB) program. This program provides a select group of students the opportunity to enhance their education with hands-on projects that get students out of the classroom and into the workplace. Through the program, two students came to DFCU Financial to work on a particular project. ATiB provides a problem-based learning environment that benefits the student and the sponsoring organization.

As an organization, we strongly believe that a sound education is the best way to help young people reach their full potential as adults. Therefore, we commit both financial resources and volunteer time to educational initiatives in our communities.

Meeting Growing Needs
At DFCU Financial, since education is the core of what we do, we believe that it should begin early.

We help educate children ages 1-13 through our one-of-a-kind Wise Kids Club. This special club teaches young children the basic money management concepts of saving, spending and sharing. Our staff travels to schools throughout the area conducting seminars to help teach kids about managing money.

At age 13 to 18, our young members graduate to the Teen Connection Program that features age-appropriate products. We couple these products with free seminars that teach how to properly use financial tools, such as credit cards, and other important money management skills that serve teens well as they grow into adults.

The education process continues with adults. Over the past five years, more than 5,000 people have attended DFCU Financial’s free financial management seminars. These seminars are now more relevant than ever because of the economically challenging times we’re experiencing in southeastern Michigan. Members continue to tell us that they are finding it difficult to keep up and financially adapt to new and unexpected circumstances, such as wage cuts, early retirement and layoffs. In an effort to help members, we’ve begun holding additional seminars at more branch locations to make attending more convenient for members. The seminars offered are Personal Money Management and Credit Management. Soon a third seminar called Wealth Management will be offered as well. All seminars are free and open to the public and conducted by Charles Hoff, an accredited financial counselor through the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education.

Expertise Beyond Products and Services
DFCU Financial offers a full range of financial services -- from basic checking and insured money market accounts, to mortgages and consumer loans and long-term financial planning.

Through DFCU Financial Partners, a division of DFCU Financial, individuals can meet with financial consultants who offer financial planning expertise and numerous investment options available through CUSO Financial Services, L.P., the credit union’s broker-dealer. The president of DFCU Financial Partners is James Badge.

The experienced financial staff at DFCU Financial has been recognized for providing outstanding levels of customer service when compared with financial institutions of similar size. In addition, Mortgage Originator Magazine named two DFCU Financial employees among the top producing mortgage officers in the country in 2004.

The Future
Our world and our membership looks a lot different than it used to 56 years ago when the credit union began with the intent of just serving engineers from Ford Motor Company. Today the membership we serve is large and diverse. As membership has grown over the last decades, DFCU Financial has been fortunate to have the resources and foresight to evolve and implement changes that so that we can continue to serve our entire membership well. This is how we became Michigan’s largest credit union and one of the best run in the country – and why so many people entrust us with their finances.

As we look to future, here are some plans so we may keep pace with our ever-evolving world:

• Continue to find ways to maintain and improve member satisfaction scores which are currently number one in the nation
• Increase the number of free advisory and educational programs to help members budget, consolidate debt and deal with their finances during these economically challenging times – especially displaced workers
• Expand our educational series specifically for elementary students, middle school students and high school students that will teach money management skills. This is important so children grow to be financially responsible adults
• Expand our community outreach programs that are meaningful to members in the communities in which we live
• Develop additional ways to get feedback from members on your financial needs and preferences
• Continue to open new branch offices throughout Metropolitan Detroit for members’ convenience

If you are already a member with DFCU Financial, we thank you for entrusting us with your finances. If you’re looking to become a member, we hope you will consider DFCU Financial’s range of products and highly personalized service when selecting your financial institution.