MELBOURNE, Fla. -- While its axiomatic that credit unions seek to build close ties to their members and communities, few others have seen their debit card program receive coverage in surfing and skateboarding magazines around the country.

The $1.5 billion Space Coast Credit Union has made a splash in the pages of those specialty magazines primarily through its debit card program, which the CU has grown, in part, by steadily associating it with the most youth oriented and innovating parts of its field of membership.

"Our first ATM card, it wasn't even a debit card then, that we issued had a generic surfing image on it," explained Teresa Farnsworth, vice president of operations for the Florida credit union. "We knew even then that we wanted to do something which would pick up on the unique nature of our community and our field of membership."

Melbourne and the surrounding Florida coast has a long standing tradition among surfing and roller blading enthusiasts as being one of the best parts of the country for those sports. The credit union's field of membership includes Brevard, Volusia, Indian River, Flagler, Osceola or Seminole County and a number of cities in those counties.

Since it is situated in an area with a strong youth culture and sensibility, the credit union knew it wanted to catch the wave of that youth and enthusiasm, as well as bring more young people into the institution. The focus on surfing and youth sports helped advance that and strengthen the CU's card interchange since young consumers are generally more comfortable using cards to pay for goods and services.

SCCU's newest debit card design features 19-year-old surfing phenomenon Adam Wickwire, of Satellite Beach, Fla., executing a favorite move. The card is the latest addition to a line of more than 20 exclusive debit and credit card designs available at SCCU that include other surf and beach-themed designs, the CU explained, adding that the CU has always been interested in different card designs that would have an impact on the public.

"The attention to unique card designs started with our planet credit card design years ago," said Teresa Farnsworth, vice president of operations. "The design was influenced by the fact that aerospace was the area's single largest employee sector at the time. The design was intended to reflect a local flavor. It did exactly that and helped bring attention to our then-fledgling credit card program."

The ATM card with a stock photo of a surfer on it reflected the fact that the ocean and surfing were significant interests in the community served by SCCU. The card was a hit with members. When it was time to replenish card stock in 2002, the idea of featuring CJ Hobgood, a known local surfer who was also an SCCU member, was proposed. CJ's manager was also a member of the credit union, and an agreement was reached to use the surfer's image. Ultimately, the image appeared on a credit card and the stock surfer continued his ride on the ATM card.

But the new card drew enough attention to drive SCCU to continue to develop cards that featured local themes. In September of 2006, the credit union rolled out six additional designs, including the Indian River Lagoon photo that is the credit union's default design and the one most frequently issued. Member reaction was immediate with some members who had only carried an ATM card to that point calling in to request a debit card. Member and employee suggestions led to another 14 designs being introduced in May 2007.

"While the card designs have helped bring attention to our credit and debit offerings, I would not want to give the impression that our growth in these areas was due to pictures," stated Farnsworth. "The card design gets the member's attention, but doesn't necessarily result in a new account. We have updated our checking and credit offerings to ensure that we have what members demand in account services." Those updates included the addition of a rewards program from Fidelity National Card Services, the CU's processor, when the latest round of debit cards rolled out last May. The CU also introduced a platinum credit card with rewards in October 2007.

According to NCUA records, the number of Space Coast Credit Union's share draft accounts rose from roughly 68,000 as of December 2003 to about 94,000 as of December 2007, an increase of 38%.

--dmorrison@cutimes.com

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Working in the Niches: Florida CU Sets Sites On Youth Debit Card Market

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