The numbers are in and the $185 million MCT Credit Union, headquartered in Port Neches, Texas, found this year a good time to cross sell cards as the CU set out to grow its credit card portfolio.

The credit union saw the number of accounts in its portfolio increase by 565% this year, including the three months the CU participated in a specialized promotion offered by its card processor TNB Card Services. According to Callahan and Associates, the privately insured credit union ended September of this year with just under 2,900 credit card accounts worth almost $6 million.

The credit union began in-branch card promotions in January of 2009 and saw its monthly card account openings move from an average of seven or eight per month to 18 per month. The numbers climbed even more during the TNB sponsored in-branch promotion, which made table tent cards, posters, buttons and donated prize items available to MCT and other participating CUs. The promotion also featured a drawing for a $1,000 MasterCard gift card to help provide incentives for the employees of participating CUs.

"Our branches were heavily engaged in this promotion," said Sandra Duvall, director of marketing for MCT Credit Union. "Each branch was decorated and each Friday employees dressed up in Hawaiian attire. The decorations, along with TNB's promotional materials, were conversation openers, which made it easy for us to talk with our members about our credit card."

"The branch is the most cost-effective channel to obtain new cardholders," said Mark Fenner, TNB's senior vice president, "MCT Credit Union has had great success with leveraging TNB's expertise to make their branches a growth channel for their credit card program."