Ecusta Credit Union
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1932
- HeadquartersBrevard, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Ecusta Credit Union firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ecusta Credit Union
- Legal name
- Champion Credit Union
- Website
- https://ecustacu.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1932
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ecusta Credit Union industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Credit Union / Community Retail Banking
- NAICS
- Credit Unions (52213)
- SIC
- Personal Credit Institutions (6141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus) (FSABAEAA)
Keywords
Where Ecusta Credit Union is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brevard
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Ecusta Credit Union business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Interest Income from Lending: Champion Credit Union generates revenue primarily through interest earned on loans including auto loans, personal loans, mortgages, credit cards, and business loans. As a not-for-profit cooperative, earnings are returned to members in the form of higher savings returns and lower loan rates.
- Fee-Based Services: The credit union earns revenue from various fee-based services including account maintenance, ATM fees (for out-of-network usage), wire transfers, overdraft fees, and loan origination fees.
- Investments and Dividends: Income from investment of member deposits and reserves, generating returns that support operations and enable competitive rates on savings and checking accounts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Savings Account - Minimum $5 deposit required to secure membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Checking Accounts - Free Checking and Champion Checking (earns dividends) |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Auto Loans - Competitive rates for new and used vehicles, refinancing available |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Merchant Loans - Up to $15,000, rates from 11.99% APR, terms up to 84 months |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Credit Cards - Platinum and Platinum Rewards VISA cards |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Mortgages - Fixed Rate up to 30 years, ARM options, renovation loans |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Internship Program - Paid at $15/hour |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Ecusta Credit Union product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ecusta Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit community-chartered financial cooperative providing personal and business banking products — including checking, savings, money market, youth and senior accounts, mortgages, auto and personal loans, credit cards, business lending, CDs, IRAs, and merchant partner financing — to residents across nine Western North Carolina counties. Service is delivered through 7 branch offices and a digital banking platform including mobile app (iOS/Android), online banking, digital wallet, remote deposit, and virtual assistant.
Product overview
Champion Credit Union offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services as a not-for-profit credit union serving Western North Carolina since 1932. The core banking platform consists of Digital Banking (online and mobile banking), which integrates with the Mobile Banking App, Digital Wallet, and Remote Deposit Capture for account access and transactions. Deposit products include Checking Accounts (Free Checking, Champion Checking, Senior Rewards), Savings Accounts (Regular, Money Market, Christmas Club, Miscellaneous), and Explore Accounts for youth banking. Lending products span Home Loans (Fixed and Adjustable Rate Mortgages, Conventional, VA, USDA, FHA, Manufactured Housing, Second Homes, Champion Renovation Loan), Auto Loans, Personal Loans (including Share Pledge and Credit Builder), Credit Cards (Platinum and Platinum Rewards Visa), Merchant Loans, and Business Loans. Investment products include CDs and IRAs. Business services include Business Checking, Business Bill Pay, and CCU Your Choice At Work employee benefits. Additional offerings include the Member Relief Fund for hardship assistance, A. Roland Leatherwood Memorial Scholarship, Financial Education resources, Member Education programs including Mad City Money simulation, and the Round Up Program for automated savings. The digital banking platform integrates with QuickBooks and Quicken for accounting, Repay for payments, SavvyMoney for credit monitoring, and Coinstar for coin deposits.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Digital Banking State-of-the-art digital banking platform providing online and mobile banking access, enabling members to manage accounts, perform transactions, view personalized financial insights, set custom alerts, and access enhanced analytics for spending habits and financial goals.
- Mobile Banking App Upgraded mobile banking application with improved responsiveness mirroring the web-based site, featuring remote deposit capture, card management, account access, and transaction capabilities on iOS and Android.
- Digital Wallet Digital payment solution allowing members to add debit and credit cards for convenient and secure mobile payments via Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
- Checking Accounts Checking account options including Free Checking for easy access with benefits, Champion Checking earning monthly dividends, and Senior Rewards accounts for members 62+.
- Savings Accounts Savings products including Regular Savings, Personal Money Market for higher earnings, Christmas Club for holiday savings, and Miscellaneous savings for specific needs. Requires $5 minimum balance for membership.
- Explore Account (Youth Banking) Youth banking account designed to help children start on the path to financial literacy, with Special Savings and Explore Teen checking accounts as next steps.
- Home Loans Mortgage products including Fixed Rate Mortgages (up to 30 years, up to 90% LTV), Adjustable Rate Mortgages (up to 100% LTV, no PMI), Conventional, VA, USDA, FHA, Manufactured Housing, Second Homes, and Champion Renovation Loan.
- Auto Loans Vehicle financing including new and used auto loans and refinancing options, with competitive rates for members and auto loan calculators to compare rebate vs. low interest financing.
- Personal Loans Unsecured personal loan options including Share Pledge loans, Credit Builder loans for members establishing credit, and lines of credit.
- Credit Cards Platinum and Platinum Rewards Visa credit cards offering fixed, low-interest rates with various rewards and benefits programs.
- Merchant Loans Point-of-sale financing offered through partnership with local businesses, allowing customers to obtain loans up to $15,000 at rates as low as 11.99% APR with terms up to 84 months.
- Business Loans Commercial lending products including commercial real estate loans and business Visa credit cards to support businesses and organizations.
- Investments (CDs and IRAs) Investment products including Certificates of Deposit (CDs) and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) to help members grow wealth over time.
- Business Checking Business checking accounts providing money market options and tools for managing business finances.
- Business Bill Pay Online bill payment service designed specifically for business accounts.
- CCU Your Choice At Work Employee benefits program allowing employers to offer credit union products and services to their workforce, including on-site enrollment, payroll deduction setup, and dedicated support.
- A. Roland Leatherwood Memorial Scholarship Scholarship program for high school seniors within the field of membership to attend community or university college, requiring a minimum 3.0 non-weighted GPA and full-time enrollment status.
- Coinstar Coin-to-Deposit Service Through partnership with Coinstar for Financial, members can securely convert coins directly to their checking account at participating Coinstar kiosks; the credit union also has coin machines in Canton and Waynesville offices.
- Remote Deposit Capture Mobile check deposit feature allowing members to deposit checks anytime using the mobile banking app without visiting a branch.
Quantifiable outcome
- Serving over 38,000 members across 9 counties in Western North Carolina
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ecusta Credit Union
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ecusta Credit Union technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature6 records
Ecusta Credit Union partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Blue Ridge Community CollegecoreChampion Credit Union is a participating employer in Blue Ridge Community College's Business & Banking Apprenticeship program. The program provides recent high school graduates and qualifying adult learners with a practical pathway to a career in banking. Apprentices earn pay and receive mentorship and training onsite at Champion Credit Union branches, with free tuition and full-time compensation and benefits.
- Carolinas Credit Union FoundationcoreThe Carolinas Credit Union Foundation, a 501(c)(3) grant-making public foundation supported by the credit union system in the Carolinas, manages the Champion CU Member Relief Fund. The foundation also partners with Champion Credit Union on scholarship programs, automatically entering unsuccessful CCU scholarship applicants into their scholarship pool for additional consideration.
- E-VerifyminorChampion Credit Union participates in E-Verify, a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to verify employment eligibility for all employees.
- Local Merchant Partnersminor32+ local businesses serve as merchant partners offering Champion Credit Union financing options to their customers. Partners include home services (heating/cooling, roofing, plumbing), automotive (dealers, repair shops), dental, and specialty retailers. Financing available up to $15,000 at rates starting at 11.99% APR.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ecusta Credit Union competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Self-Help Credit Union: Durham, NC-based CDFI credit union with statewide reach focused on serving underserved communities, offering consumer and small business lending. Comparable cooperative mission-driven model with significantly larger scale and a more pronounced community development focus than Champion.
- Allegacy Federal Credit Union: Winston-Salem, NC-based credit union serving the Piedmont Triad and broader North Carolina with full personal/business banking, mortgage lending, and digital banking services. Comparable full-service community credit union model with significantly larger scale than Champion.
- State Employees' Credit Union (SECU): North Carolina's largest credit union with multi-billion dollar asset base serving members statewide through an extensive branch network. Operates as the dominant incumbent competitor across NC including Western NC counties where Champion operates, offering the same core depository and lending products at greater scale.
- Truliant Federal Credit Union: Multi-state regional credit union serving North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, and Tennessee with comprehensive personal and business banking products. Comparable community-focused operating model but materially larger asset base and broader geographic reach than Champion.
- Local Government Federal Credit Union: Raleigh, NC-based credit union serving public sector employees and their families across North Carolina with personal and business banking products. Comparable community-charter credit union model serving a defined membership base, but with significantly greater scale and a different membership-eligibility focus.
- Coastal Credit Union: Raleigh, NC-headquartered credit union serving the Research Triangle and broader NC market with personal banking, business banking, mortgage, and investment services. Operates a similar digital-first community credit union model but at materially greater scale across a different NC region.
Direct peers
- Mountain Credit Union: Waynesville, NC-based community credit union operating in the same Western North Carolina geography as Champion, with overlapping Haywood County footprint and similar member eligibility, branch-based community banking model, and consumer/mortgage lending products—making it the most direct head-to-head competitor.
Regional players
- Founders Federal Credit Union: Lancaster, SC-headquartered credit union serving the Charlotte metropolitan area and parts of North Carolina with full personal and business banking. Comparable community-charter model but operates primarily in a different geography (SC/Charlotte metro vs. WNC mountains) with overlapping NC presence.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ecusta Credit Union social profiles
Digital presenceEcusta Credit Union compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Ecusta Credit Union financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ecusta Credit Union leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Ecusta Credit Union funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ecusta Credit Union M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ecusta Credit Union
What does Ecusta Credit Union do?
Ecusta Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit community-chartered financial cooperative providing personal and business banking products — including checking, savings, money market, youth and senior accounts, mortgages, auto and personal loans, credit cards, business lending, CDs, IRAs, and merchant partner financing — to residents across nine Western North Carolina counties. Service is delivered through 7 branch offices and a digital banking platform including mobile app (iOS/Android), online banking, digital wallet, remote deposit, and virtual assistant.
Is Ecusta Credit Union a public or private company?
Ecusta Credit Union is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ecusta Credit Union founded?
Ecusta Credit Union was founded in 1932. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ecusta Credit Union based?
Ecusta Credit Union is headquartered in Brevard, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ecusta Credit Union make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Interest Income from Lending is the primary driver. The others are fee-Based Services and investments and Dividends.
Who are Ecusta Credit Union's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Self-Help Credit Union, Allegacy Federal Credit Union, State Employees' Credit Union (SECU), Truliant Federal Credit Union, Local Government Federal Credit Union and Coastal Credit Union. Mountain Credit Union is listed as a direct peer. Founders Federal Credit Union is listed as a regional player.
Does Ecusta Credit Union have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ecusta Credit Union.
What industry is Ecusta Credit Union in?
Ecusta Credit Union's product category is Credit Union / Community Retail Banking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAEAA, Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus). Its NAICS code is 52213 and its SIC code is 6141.