NORCO, Calif. – From her office at CRC Federal Credit Union, Amelia Blair can gaze out the window and watch riders on horseback trot down the bridle path that runs along the main street in this southern California town.

It is that kind of rural flavor – amid the hustle and bustle of surrounding cities in the Inland Empire – that residents savor. It is a lifestyle they seek to preserve even as the metropolitan area creeps ever closer. The credit union, itself, maintains a similar low-key approach. In its present location on Sixth Street since 1996, there are no signs boldly proclaiming the existence of the financial institution, only a sign on the roof that says, "CRCFCU" with the telephone number and the notation, "Chartered 1963."

Members are greeted cheerfully by name as they enter the small lobby. Blair, herself, seems to know each and every person from among the more than 1,500 members. When she sees a member whom she hasn't seen in some time, they hug each other and exchange pleasantries as if they have been old friends forever.