VANCOUVER, Wash. – Members of Columbia Credit Union will now have access to trust services through Allen Trust Company, the only local independent trust firm here with a national charter operating in Washington and Oregon. The credit union recently hired Richard Van Hoose as vice president of trust services. Hoose, a Certified Trust Financial Advisor (CTFA), brings 28 years of trust and investment service experience to Allen Trust, a Portland, Ore.-based operating division of National Independent Trust Company (NITC) a charted trust-only national bank with nearly $1 billion in assets under administration. Allen Trust will partner with CCU's CUSO, Columbia Financial Network to offer such services as conservatorships; custody services; charitable trusts and life insurance trusts "It has been a vision of Columbia's for some time now to find the perfect partner to provide our members with trust services," said David Doss, CCU president/CEO. "After considerable research, we are pleased to provide our members with personalized full-service trust and comprehensive investment management services." Doss said he's "always admired Columbia's excellent reputation in Clark County, both as a trustworthy financial services provider and as an active, contributing partner in the welfare and growth of the community." CCU has 58,000 members and more than $600 million in assets. Doss said one out of every three Clark County families here belong to the credit union. According to industry data, most banks only accommodate trust clients with at least $1 million in assets. Like most credit union trust outfits, CCU will not focus on members within a certain income bracket, said Michelle Brammer, CCU communication specialist