Community First CU First in Wisconsin Awarded SBA Preferred Lender Status

APPLETON, Wis. -- For its long history of helping small business owners, Community First Credit Union recently earned the Preferred Lender Status from the Small Business Administration.

The $860 million CU is ranked eighth in the nation among credit unions that offer SBA loans, according to Eric Ness, district director for the Wisconsin SBA office. In 2006, Community First was ranked the second largest SBA lender in Wisconsin among both banks and credit unions based on the number of SBA loans granted.

"The Preferred Lending Program designation, which enables CFCU to underwrite and approve certain SBA loans, will afford us the opportunity to respond even faster to our member requests for SBA guaranteed programs," said Deb Dribin, senior vice president, business services at Community First. According to Catherine Tierney, CFCU president/CEO, "through our partnership with the SBA, we are able to help many more people start their own businesses, which in turn helps the economy and our member-owned financial cooperative. We're proud to be a valued partner of the SBA."

--msamaad@cutimes.com