South Jersey Federal Credit Union

What South Jersey Federal Credit Union does

First Harvest Credit Union, operating under a former identity as South Jersey Federal Credit Union, is a member-owned, federally chartered credit union serving communities across New Jersey. It operates under a cooperative ownership model, is federally insured by NCUA, and holds NMLS registration (#771963) for mortgage lending. Headcount sits in the 51–100 range with primary operations in Deptford, NJ, and reported 2025 community-impact activity including $85K+ contributed to community partners, $5.5M+ in dividends paid to members, and participation in 300+ community events.

Its product surface spans a full retail and small-business banking ecosystem. Deposit products include Growth Checking (2.00% APY), Growth Savings (up to 3.00% APY), Share & IRA Certificates (3.75% APY for a 15-month term), educational savings, and business savings/non-profit accounts. Lending products include auto loans (rates as low as 4.99% APR), personal loans, credit builder loans, student loans, mortgages, home equity loans, and business loans. Ancillary products include credit cards delivered through a white-label GroundworkCard partnership, insurance, debt protection, plus a Plan & Invest vertical (investing, retirement, estate planning, complimentary consultation). Underlying technology consists of a web digital-banking platform, iOS and Android mobile apps (com.southjerseyfcu.mobile), a branch & ATM locator tool over a surcharge-free ATM network, a 2026-launched AI-powered Virtual Assistant, and a free MoneyEDU financial-education integration via member access code.

The revenue model is dominated by net interest income from consumer and small-business lending funded by member deposits, supplemented by transaction-based fees (overdraft, ATM, wire, credit card interchange via GroundworkCard) and professional-services revenue from insurance, debt protection, and wealth/retirement/estate planning. Go-to-market is community-led: acquisition flows through the New Jersey branch network, community sponsorships, financial education outreach (Financial Reality Fairs, blog, calculators, videos), scholarship programs, and self-serve digital channels including online account opening and online loan applications. Pricing is largely product-level (tiered APYs, fixed loan APRs, a Skip-A-Pay processing-fee program), with no publicly disclosed subscription tiers. Customer concentration is low by virtue of the distributed field-of-membership model.

Name

South Jersey Federal Credit Union

Legal name

First Harvest Credit Union

Website

https://southjerseyfcu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

First Harvest Credit Union is a member-owned, federally insured (NCUA) community credit union serving individuals, families, and small businesses across New Jersey with checking, savings, lending, digital banking, credit cards, and wealth/retirement services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Credit Union Services

NAICS

Credit Unions (52213)

SIC

Savings Institution, Federally Chartered (6035)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus) (FSABAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bank & Credit Union Personal Loans (Unsecured Installment) (FSAKAAAL), SME Deposits & Business Accounts (Operating, Savings, CDs) (FSABABAC)

Keywords

• Retail banking services
• Credit union loans
• Personal banking accounts
• Business banking solutions
• Digital banking platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Sewell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Interest Income from Lending: Interest income generated from auto loans, personal loans, credit builder loans, student loans, mortgage loans, home equity loans, and business loans. Primary revenue driver for credit unions.
2. Deposit Taking and Interest Expense Savings: Accepts member deposits (checking, savings, certificates, IRAs) and uses float and spread between interest paid on deposits and interest earned on loans to generate revenue.
3. Credit Card Fees: Revenue from credit card accounts including interchange and fees, administered through GroundworkCard partnership.
4. Service Fees and Charges: Various account service fees including overdraft fees, ATM fees (for out-of-network), wire transfer fees, and other banking service charges.
5. Insurance and Financial Planning Services: Insurance products and debt protection plans offered as member benefits; investment and retirement planning consultation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

South Jersey Federal Credit Union is a non-profit, member-owned cooperative financial institution offering personal and business banking products including checking and savings accounts, certificates and IRAs, auto loans, mortgage loans, credit cards, business checking, business loans, and small-business savings. It supplements these deposit and lending products with digital banking services, a mobile app, bill pay, investing and retirement planning, insurance, debt protection, financial education, and a Skip-A-Pay program, all delivered to individual consumers and small businesses in the South Jersey region.

Product overview

First Harvest Credit Union offers a comprehensive, single-platform banking ecosystem serving both personal and business members across New Jersey. The product portfolio centers on a Digital Banking platform providing account management, bill payment, and direct deposit services, complemented by extensive lending products (auto loans, mortgages, personal loans, credit builder loans, student loans, home equity, and business loans), deposit products (checking, savings, certificates, IRAs), and wealth management services (investing, retirement planning, estate planning). The institution also provides insurance and debt protection products, financial education through MoneyEDU, and a Skip-A-Pay program for loan flexibility. Credit cards are delivered through a partnership with Groundwork Card. All services are accessible via web and mobile applications (iOS and Android).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Growth Savings Member savings account product offered to individual consumer members of the credit union to earn competitive returns on deposits.
• Growth Checking Member checking account product for individual consumers providing everyday transactional banking with member-owned credit union benefits.
• Certificates & IRAs Term certificates of deposit and individual retirement accounts offered to members for longer-term savings and retirement planning.
• Auto Loans Consumer auto loan product for individual members financing vehicle purchases through the credit union.
• Mortgage Loans Residential mortgage loan product offered to individual members for home purchases and refinancing.
• Credit Cards Consumer credit card product issued to members for everyday spending and credit needs.
• Business Checking Business checking account product for small business owners offered as part of the credit union's dedicated business banking line.
• Business Loans Lending products tailored to small business members for working capital, equipment, and growth financing.
• Business Growth Savings Savings product tailored to small business members for building business cash reserves.
• Digital Banking Online banking platform providing members web-based access to accounts, transfers, and financial management tools.
• Bill Pay Online bill payment service enabling members to pay recurring bills directly from their credit union accounts.
• Mobile App Mobile banking application providing members on-the-go access to accounts, transfers, and digital banking features.
• Investing Investment services offered to members through the credit union for building wealth beyond traditional deposits.
• Retirement Retirement planning services offered to members to help prepare financially for retirement.
• Estate Planning Estate planning services provided to members to assist with wills, trusts, and legacy planning.
• Insurance Insurance products offered to members through the credit union to protect against various life and property risks.
• Debt Protection Debt protection product offered to members to safeguard loan repayments in cases of hardship.
• MoneyEDU Financial education program offering members resources and tools to improve financial literacy.
• Skip-A-Pay Program Member program allowing qualified borrowers to skip a scheduled loan payment for added short-term financial flexibility.
• Virtual Assistant AI-powered virtual assistant launched by the credit union to help members with banking inquiries and tasks through the digital channel.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GroundworkCardcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerGroundworkCard provides co-branded credit card services to First Harvest members. First Harvest members access credit cards through firstharvestcu.groundworkcard.com. This is a white-label/card program partnership for issuing credit cards to members.
• MoneyEDUminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMoneyEDU is a free online financial education platform partner providing personalized financial education content to First Harvest members. Members access the platform using a unique code (FHMEMBER). This is a marketing and education partnership to support member financial literacy.
• Apple App Store / Google PlaycoreTechnology or IntegrationFirst Harvest mobile banking app is distributed through Apple App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android). The apps enable full-service mobile banking for members. App package identifier: com.southjerseyfcu.mobile.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Affinity Federal Credit Union: New Jersey-headquartered community credit union serving consumers and businesses with a comparable product suite (deposits, lending, digital banking). Closest like-for-like peer given shared NJ geography, member-owned cooperative model, and similar scale.
• Garden State Federal Credit Union: New Jersey community credit union offering personal and business banking, loans, and digital services to a similar geographic membership base. Direct competitor for NJ community banking relationships.
• Jersey Shore Federal Credit Union: Federally insured NJ-based credit union serving members with deposit, lending, and digital banking products. Direct geographic and product-line competitor within the New Jersey community credit union segment.
• Atlantic Federal Credit Union: New Jersey community credit union with personal and business banking products including lending and digital channels. Competes for the same NJ consumer and small-business members.

Emerging players

• Connexus Credit Union: Mid-sized community credit union known for aggressive deposit pricing and digital experience. Comparable to First Harvest's emphasis on competitive APY rates and digital transformation initiatives.
• Alliant Credit Union: Large digital-first credit union offering competitive deposit rates and a broad lending product set nationally. Comparable on digital banking focus and competitive-rate deposit strategy.
• SoFi: Digital-first financial platform offering high-yield deposits, personal loans, mortgages, and investing — directly competing with First Harvest on deposit APY, personal lending, and digital experience for younger members.
• Marcus by Goldman Sachs: Goldman Sachs' digital banking arm offering high-yield savings accounts and personal loans. Competes for the same deposit and unsecured personal loan customers, particularly digitally-engaged members.

Broad incumbents

• TD Bank: Major regional bank with significant New Jersey branch presence offering consumer and small-business banking, lending, and digital services. Competes directly for the same NJ deposit and loan customers.
• Chase: Largest US retail bank with extensive NJ footprint, full product suite (deposits, cards, mortgages, wealth), and heavy digital investment. Competes for the same retail and small-business banking relationships across New Jersey.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@firstharvestcu
• Facebookfacebook.com/firstharvestcu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firstharvestcu
• Instagraminstagram.com/firstharvestcu
• Xx.com/FirstHarvestCU

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Jersey Federal Credit Union