In 2005, Delta Community Credit Union thought about changing itsname and with it, a shift away from a then 65-year tie with itslongtime sponsor, Delta Airlines.

The $4.3 billion financial institution inAtlanta took the idea to focus groups consisting of members and thegeneral public. The reaction was overwhelmingly against removingDelta from its moniker. In the end, Delta Employees Credit Union transitioned to Delta CommunityCredit Union and went on to become Georgia’s largest credit unionserving more than 275,000 members and the entire metropolitanAtlanta area, including 11 surrounding counties.

“It’s critical that we listen to our members to continuouslyfind out what they want and where we can improve,” said HankHalter, the newly appointed president/CEO of Delta Community.

After serving as interim president/CEO of the credit union sinceJan. 1, Halter was named the permanent president/CEO in earlyApril. Halter succeeds Rick Foley, who retired in December 2012 after eight years atthe helm and 26 years of service at the ­credit union.

With Halter now in the top post, Delta Community is poised foradditional transitions as it continues to build brandawareness. Indeed, it’s only been eight years since DeltaCommunity has been able sign up members not affiliated with DeltaAirlines. Today, roughly 50% of the credit union’s members are notemployees of the carrier.

Jim Diffley, chairman of Delta Community’s board of directors,said the board took the time it needed to do an extensive searchfor a leader who could build the credit union’s success and uniqueculture.

“We interviewed some very experienced candidates but ultimatelycame back to Hank as our first choice for the job,” Diffley said.“During his interim appointment, Hank demonstrated strongleadership skills and established an excellent working relationshipwith the credit union’s management team and employees.”

Mike Mercer, president/CEO of the Georgia Credit UnionAffiliates, said Halter is the right man for the job. “The creditunion would be unlikely to find a better leader,” Mercer said.“Hank is well-connected with the major sponsor, knows finance andrisk management, has great people skills and, perhaps mostimportant, emphasizes value creation for the members above allelse.”

Halter is no stranger to the ­credit union or the carrier. Acertified public accountant, Halter worked at Delta Air Lines from1998 to 2012. He served in a number of finance positions therebefore being promoted to chief financial officer in 2008. Prior toDelta Air Lines, Halter worked at American ­Airlines and Ernst& Young.

He will do double duty as the credit union’s president/CEO andserve on Delta ­Community’s board of directors, the latter­position he’s had since 2006. Halter said the dual roles willprovide a broader eagle’s eye view.

“The focus will be on the CEO role of providing governance andsupervision. From my chair now, it makes my role easier on theboard because I’m more close to the day-to-day operations,”Halter said.

It’s been a busy start to 2013 but what helped was a robust2012, Halter noted. Last year, Delta Community had $42 million inearning and 13% member growth, a record, and ahead of single-digitindustry averages, he added.

One of the credit union’s ongoing goals is building long-termrelationships by marketing to all ages and demographics, Haltersaid. Delta Community views casting a wide net as a way to startbusiness with young individuals and expanding their connectionswith the credit unions as they grow and have families.

“The greatest challenge for us is the greatest opportunity,which is targeting those who are not yet members and helping themto ­understand what we have to offer,” Halter said.

Delta Community has well over 100 products and services and bygetting the message across that one doesn’t have to be an employeeof Delta Airlines to take advantage of them is another of thecredit union’s ongoing missions, Halter explained. Serving topAtlanta-based companies such as Chick-fil-A, UPS and Racetrac hashelped to woo the uninformed.

The area that Halter said he is most proud of is DeltaCommunity’s approximately 725 employees.

“When you look at our financial institution across the board andhow they deliver service–from the frontline people to memberservice agents to those who process mortgages, car loans orMBLs–they really understand that the members’ success is ourfinancial success,” Halter said.

He acknowledged the one area that the credit union can improveis in technology. Those upgrades range from what members are askingfor to what can help drive efficiency behind the scenes.

“Not that we’re lacking but we need to continue to lead the paceof change,” Halter offered. “It’s critical for us to prioritizewhere our greatest return will occur.”

Despite a strong 2012, Delta Community was embroiled in a majorlegal snafu last year. In July, the credit union confirmed reachingan agreement in a $75 million alleged breach of contract suit witha David R. Pearson, a real ­estate developer. Pearson claimedDelta Community backed out of a $30 million deal that would haveallowed him to purchase several properties along Florida’s GulfCoast from lenders who wanted to sell them. Both sides were­prohibited from sharing any details about the agreement, only saying the matter had been settled to thesatisfaction of both parties.

Halter said he couldn’t discuss the case but did reiterate thatboth sides were satisfied with the outcome.

“We never compromised the experience of the members,” he pointedout.

The agreement has not stopped Delta Community from ­offeringcommercial real estate and member business loans although they arenot a significant slice of the credit union’s loan portfolio,Halter said. Residential and consumer loans, including auto loans,generate more volume, he added. According to its March 2013 NCUACall Report, the cooperative had roughly $2 million in unfundedcommitments for CRE loans and $6 million in construction and landdevelopment loans.

Some have speculated whether Foley’s announcement to ­retire,which came a week after the agreement with the real estatedevelopment was announced last July, was connected. At the time,Delta Community’s general counsel said it would not comment onwhether any management changes would occur as result of theagreement with Pearson.

In February, Delta Community made several key promotions on itsmanagement team. Matthew Shepherd was named executive vicepresident and chief ­operating officer, replacing Todd Marksberry,who served in the role from February 1997 to February 2013,according to his LinkedIn profile. Shepherd joined the credit unionmore than five years ago and most recently served as senior vicepresident, marketing and member service.

William Buchanan was appointed senior vice president, corporateaudit having previously served as vice president, internal auditand Robert Manning was promoted to senior vice president andgeneral counsel after joining Delta Community more than two yearsago as vice president and general counsel.

Shepherd and Manning report to Halter and Buchanan reports tothe credit union’s board of directors. Halter said the threeindividuals had all exemplified tremendous service and thepromotions were a result of that.

“Organizational design is ­always subject to review. Just aswe’re changing, the organization needs to evolve and change,”Halter said.

As for the rest of 2013, Delta Community is continuing to focuson superior member experience, Halter said. A major part of that isfollowing a roadmap put in place under Foley’s tenure. “We wereoriginally founded to serve Delta Airlines. In 2005, we embarked ona community strategy ­because we recognized an opportunity toexpand in the marketplace. We’re encouraged by what we’reseeing.”