Why Us
Our History
- In 1935, as our country was in the midst of the Great Depression, Employers Mutual's Credit Union was organized by nine forward-thinking employees of Employer Mutual with the philosophy "to help one another with our own money." During those early years, the credit union helped encourage thrift and sound financial management through times of financial difficulty and war and continued to grow in size and strength along the way.
- By the 1950s, the credit union was serving 1,000 members and began offering increased services such as direct deposit and mortgage loans. Assets were increasing rapidly and had reached $1.5 million by 1958.
- By 1975, the credit union celebrated its 40th anniversary with more than $10 million in assets, and shortly thereafter, the board appointed our first president: Ben Olson.
- In 1980, Employers Mutual's Credit Union was renamed Wausau Insurance Employees Credit Union (WIECU) to reflect the name change of our parent company. Membership and asset growth skyrocketed in the 1980s, and the WIECU responded by offering additional products and services such as IRAs and Money Market accounts and also began to open branch offices in Wausau Insurance locations across the country.
- In 1994, WIECU opened its main office at 2600 Pine Ridge Boulevard in Wausau to house its growing number of employees (nearly 40 by that time), and two years later, Ben Olson retired and J. David (Dave) Christenson was named President/CEO. In 1998, Wausau Insurance was acquired by Liberty Mutual Insurance, and credit union membership was extended to all Liberty Mutual employees and retirees nationwide.
- At the dawn of the new millennium, WIECU unveiled its first website and introduced online banking. Soon after, membership opportunities increased again with the welcoming of the staff, students and faculty of Northcentral Technical College in Wausau. To better reflect our growing field of membership, in 2003, our credit union's name was changed to Connexus, which in Latin means connection and union. Half way through the first decade of the new millennium, Connexus' total assets were just over $200 million and total members exceeded 18,000.
- Within the past 5 years, Connexus continued to be strong as reflected in our asset and membership size, employee growth, and number of locations. Currently, Connexus is at $340 million in assets, serves over 30,000 members, has grown to employ 80 people, and has two full-service and one self-service location in Wausau, branch locations within 4 Liberty Mutual offices nationwide, and a robust online presence to meet members' needs anytime, anywhere.
For even more information, read our Fact Sheet and our 2010 Annual Report.
Our Mission
To help our members achieve their personal financial objectives by anticipating their needs and exceeding their expectations with superior service and products.
Our Difference
Choosing the right financial institution is a very important decision, and there is certainly no shortage of banks and credit unions to choose from. So, what makes Connexus the right choice for our 30,000 members? If you ask our members, they'll tell you all about our exceptional service and fantastic rates. But what else makes Connexus special?
Anyone Can Join: Even those who aren't affiliated with Liberty Mutual, UMR, or Northcentral Technical College can join by first becoming a member of the Connexus Association.
Expertise in Serving Member Anytime, Anywhere: We're proud to serve members in all 50 states. And as 81% of our members rely on our automated services, we provide all of the phone, online and ATM conveniences our members expect plus additional innovations including Instant Deposit, ATM surcharge rebates and mobile banking.
Customized Solutions: We've never believed in a one-size-fits-all approach to banking. When you come to Connexus, we'll make sure that we work with you to provide a solution that meets your individual needs.
Safety and Security: Even in these turbulent economic times, Connexus is strong. In fact, the past few years have been our best ever in terms of the strength of our deposits, loans and earnings.
Ready to become part of the Connexus family? Start now...Join Connexus Credit Union!
