LONGVIEW, Wash. — Members and others had a whole lot to say about Weyerhaeuser Employees' Credit Union's new name.

Earlier this month, the $390 million credit union said it would change its name to Red Canoe Credit Union effective Jan. 1. After reviewing more than 300 choices, it went with Red Canoe because it was "uniquely Northwest," and "[spoke] to being a progressive and active financial institution," said Bob Kane, president/CEO. Meanwhile, as of Oct. 3, more than 130 comments had been posted on The Daily News Web site ranging from disapproval to support. Some said it sounded more like a beer–"Red Canoe Amber Ale," the newspaper reported. Others said that red is not a color they like to associate with their finances and that canoes are not the most stable of boats. "You could call it the Pineapple Piggy bank and I would still go there," one comment read. Amy Davis, vice president of marketing at Weyerhaeuser Employees' CU, said they were expecting some negative reaction to the new name because of the CU's 69-year tie to its sponsor. "It's been an emotional reaction," Davis said. "A lot of people are very passionate about the organization because we are different."

The credit union tapped Weber Marketing Group, a Seattle-based branding, naming and marketing firm for the credit union industry, to help with name choice. The firm said it recently helped the University of Iowa Community Credit Union come up with its new name–Optiva Credit Union.