SAN FRANCISCO -- With a message of inclusion and helping the disenfranchised, some industry leaders said President-elect Barack Obama's campaign mantra of "change" has similarities to the credit union model.

Michael Chan, chairman of Northeast Community FCU, said the hundreds of thousands of people who donated to Obama's "people-driven, technology-driven" campaign was a strong indicator of inclusion.

"These were people from all walks of life," Chan said. "It was revolutionary in that no campaign has even been run like this."

Larry Garcia, vice chairman of the Network of Credit Union Latino Professionals and CEO of El Paso Affordable Housing CUSO, echoed that sentiment.

"Credit unions were a reaction to a problem that many immigrants had when they came to America--not being included," Garcia said. "Credit unions serve immigrants, low-income and those who have been disenfranchised by the mainstream. It's very grassroots. It's the type of campaign Obama ran."

Barbara Stephens said she can not help but make the link between the way Obama ran his campaign and the movement's founding philosophy.

"I hear it all the time. 'If it wasn't for my credit union, I would not have been able to get a loan,'" said Stephens, chairwoman of the African American CU Coalition and president/CEO of Houston Municipal Employees CU. "What happened [with Obama's election] is what has been happening at credit unions all along. There's access. Some people are very intimidated about going into a bank. They feel there is a big wall there."

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Obama Campaign Has Parallels With Credit Unions, Leaders Say

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