Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union

What Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union does

Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union (UCFCU) is a federally chartered, member-owned cooperative credit union headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee, founded in 1935 (originally as Carter Inx Folx Federal Credit Union for Carter Ink Company employees) and rebranded under its current name in 1995 when it received a community charter. It serves more than 7,000 member-owners (as of the 2014 merger with MedEd Credit Union) across five Tennessee counties — Bledsoe, Cumberland, Fentress, Putnam, and White — through four physical branches (Main Office and 127 South Office in Crossville, Clarkrange, and Cookeville), with combined assets of approximately $49M at the 2014 merger point. The credit union's core products span share savings and checking accounts (Classic, Advance $300, Advance $600), term share certificates, Traditional and Roth IRAs, Christmas/Wish club accounts, and the Bigfoot Buddies Kids Club youth program; its lending book includes auto loans (rates from 6.25% APR for A+ credit), recreational and farm equipment loans, mortgages and land loans, home equity lines, unsecured personal loans, credit builder loans, and Sallie Mae-routed student loans. Credit cards are issued through Elan Financial Services on the Visa/Mastercard networks, and insurance products (AD&D, auto/home, life) are distributed via TruStage and Liberty Mutual partnerships.

The technology stack is conventional retail-banking infrastructure rather than a proprietary platform: E-Branch online banking, a mobile app with camera-based mobile deposit, iTalk automated telephone banking, and integration with the CO-OP network (30,000+ surcharge-free ATMs, 5,000+ shared branches) and SwivelPay for external loan payments. No AI/ML capabilities, developer APIs, or proprietary technology differentiators are disclosed. Revenue mechanics follow the standard credit union model: primary interest income from consumer, mortgage, and credit card lending, supplemented by transaction fees (overdraft, courtesy pay, ATM foreign, account maintenance, loan application fees) and member deposits earning dividends, all under NCUA insurance coverage to $250,000. The institution is a not-for-profit cooperative returning earnings to members through pricing, with no disclosed venture, private equity, or public-market funding.

Name

Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union

Legal name

Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union

Website

https://ucfcu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union is a federally chartered, member-owned cooperative credit union founded in 1935 and headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee, serving more than 7,000 members across five rural Tennessee counties through four branches, a digital banking platform, and partner-distributed lending and insurance products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Banking

NAICS

Credit Unions (522130), Credit Unions (52213)

SIC

Savings Institution, Federally Chartered (6035)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSABAEAA

Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus)

Financial & Insurance/Banking (Commerical, Retail & Consumer)/Community & Cooperative Banking (Credit Unions, Mutuals)

Keywords

• Retail banking services
• Consumer lending products
• Mortgage and land loans
• Member-owned credit union
• Community financial services

Headquarters

HQ city

Crossville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income: Revenue generated from interest charged on consumer loans, mortgages, credit cards, and other lending products. Primary income source for the credit union.
2. Fee Income: Various service fees including checking account maintenance fees (waivable), ATM foreign transaction fees, overdraft/courtesy pay fees, and loan application fees.
3. Deposit Insurance: NCUA-insured deposits with member share accounts earning dividends. Members deposit funds that are used for lending operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union provides full-service retail banking, consumer lending, and member insurance products to residents of five Tennessee counties. Core offerings include share savings and checking accounts, term share certificates, IRAs, auto/recreational/farm equipment/personal/student/mortgage and home equity loans, personal and business credit cards, youth savings (Bigfoot Buddies Kids Club), and TruStage insurance products, delivered through four physical branches, the CO-OP shared branching and surcharge-free ATM network, and digital banking (E-Branch, mobile app, iTalk).

Product overview

Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial institution offering a comprehensive suite of banking, lending, and insurance products. The core banking platform centers on share savings and checking accounts (Classic, Advance $300, Advance $600) with integrated Visa debit cards and access to the CO-OP ATM/Shared Branch network. Lending products span auto loans, recreational/farm equipment financing, mortgages, land loans, home equity lines, personal unsecured loans, credit builder loans, and student loans via Sallie Mae. The credit union differentiates through its digital banking suite (E-Branch online banking, UCFCU Mobile App with Mobile Deposit, iTalk telephone banking) and specialized savings products (Term Share Certificates, Traditional and Roth IRAs, Christmas Club, Wish Accounts). Insurance offerings are provided through TruStage partnerships (AD&D, Auto/Home, Life) and Liberty Mutual. Youth engagement is addressed through the Bigfoot Buddies Kids Club with enhanced savings rates. All products are accessible through four physical branch locations across Tennessee's Upper Cumberland region (Crossville main office and Southbend, Clarkrange, Cookeville).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bigfoot Buddies: Kids Club program for children 12 years of age and younger, teaching financial literacy and money management with special savings accounts and reward programs.

Products and services

• Checking Accounts
• Share Savings Account
• Christmas Club Account
• Wish Account / Club Savings
• Term Share Certificates
• Traditional IRA
• Roth IRA
• Auto Loans
• Recreational Loans
• Farm Equipment Loans
• Unsecured Personal Loans
• Credit Builder Loan
• Smart Option Student Loan
• Mortgage & Land Loans
• Home Equity Line of Credit
• Personal Credit Cards
• Business Credit Cards
• Bigfoot Buddies Kids Club
• E-Branch Online Banking
• UCFCU Mobile App
• iTalk Telephone Banking
• SwivelPay Loan Payments
• Debit Cards
• ATM Cards
• TruStage AD&D Insurance
• TruStage Auto & Home Insurance
• TruStage Life Insurance

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.12% APY for Kids Club savings on first $500 balance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TruStage Insurance (CMFG Life Insurance Company)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerTruStage provides credit union members with AD&D insurance ($2,000 no-cost coverage plus up to $300,000 additional coverage), Auto & Home Insurance program through Liberty Mutual, and Life Insurance policies. UCFCU receives marketing revenue and member benefit offerings through this partnership.
• Elan Financial ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationElan Financial Services is the credit card issuer and processor for UCFCU's personal and business credit card programs. Provides zero fraud liability protection, 24/7 cardmember service, and card processing infrastructure.
• Sallie MaecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSallie Mae Smart Option Student Loans offered through UCFCU for members' college financing needs. UCFCU refers members to Sallie Mae for student lending with competitive rates and multiple repayment options.
• CO-OP Credit Union NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationCO-OP provides surcharge-free ATM access (30,000+ nationwide) and shared branch services (5,000+ locations) enabling UCFCU members to access their accounts across the country at partner credit unions.
• AutoSMARTminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCUDL AutoSMART online vehicle shopping platform allowing UCFCU members to search for preowned vehicles, compare prices, and access dealer inventory for vehicle financing through the credit union.
• Liberty Mutual InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLiberty Mutual provides Auto & Home Insurance program exclusively for UCFCU members through the TruStage partnership. Members can receive quotes and schedule appointments with local representative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ORNL Federal Credit Union: A Tennessee-headquartered community-charter federal credit union serving a multi-county region with full-service consumer banking, lending, and digital channels. Directly comparable to UCFCU in charter structure, product mix, and member-owned model.
• Eastman Credit Union: A Tennessee-based community-charter credit union serving residents and employers across multiple East Tennessee counties, with comparable deposit, consumer-lending, and digital banking products. Similar asset scale and member-owned community charter structure.
• Y-12 Federal Credit Union: Tennessee-headquartered federal credit union with community-charter expansion, full-service consumer banking, and lending products. Comparable in charter type, federal regulation, and product breadth to UCFCU.
• Ascend Federal Credit Union: Tennessee-headquartered community-charter federal credit union offering checking, savings, consumer loans, mortgages, and digital banking. Operates in a similar Tennessee footprint with an analogous member-owned community charter model.
• Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union: Tennessee-based community-charter credit union offering full-service consumer banking and lending across a multi-county region, comparable in governance, product suite, and community-charter expansion history to UCFCU.
• Mountain Empire Federal Credit Union: Tennessee community-charter federal credit union serving a multi-county rural Appalachian region with consumer banking, lending, and digital channels. Closely aligned with UCFCU in charter type, geographic concentration, and member segments.

Broad incumbents

• PenFed Credit Union: A large, nationally chartered credit union offering full-service consumer and commercial banking, lending, mortgages, and credit cards across the U.S. Offers overlapping capabilities but at materially greater scale and broader geographic scope than UCFCU.
• Navy Federal Credit Union: The largest U.S. credit union, providing full-service consumer banking, consumer and mortgage lending, and credit cards nationwide. Operates in the same overall product categories as UCFCU but with far greater scale, technology investment, and member base.
• Baxter Credit Union: A large, multiple-selector-group community-charter credit union offering consumer banking, lending, and digital services nationwide. Comparable in mission and product breadth but operates at significantly greater scale than UCFCU.

Others

• CUNA Mutual Group: A credit union industry services and insurance provider supporting credit unions like UCFCU with lending, insurance, and back-office solutions. Functions as an ecosystem/infrastructure participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UpperCumberlandFederalCreditUnion
• Instagraminstagram.com/uppercumberlandfcu/?ref=badge&hl=en

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union