Our History

Corporate Center - Ottumwa

Community 1st Credit Union opened our Corporate Center at 1100 Hutchinson Ave. in northeast Ottumwa in fall of 2019. The Corporate Center provides office space, conference rooms and training facilities for approximately 75 administration and support employees with growth capacity for an additional 25. It allows us to consolidate multiple departments under one roof, creating significantly more efficiency and collaboration.
 

Amana Branch Closing
Community 1st Credit Union's Amana branch - located at 2800 220th Trail (Whirlpool) in Middle Amana, Iowa - permanently closed its doors on Friday, December 22, 2017.

Two New Branch Facilities & Indianola
To better serve our members and the community, two C1st branches received new buildings in 2013. In May, our Oskaloosa branch moved to its new location at 1311 A. Ave West, and in December, our Fairfield branch also moved into its new building, which remained at the same location on Burlington Ave. The doors also opened to Community 1st Credit Union's 16th branch location, in Indianola, on December 2, 2013.

75th Anniversary, Chariton & Venture Dr.
2011 was a big year for Community 1st Credit Union. Our Member Relations Center (Call Center) was opened in April, located at the former HI-TEC building in Ottumwa. On June 1, doors opened at two new branch locations - one located at 1934 Court Ave. in Chariton, IA and the other located at inside the Walmart Supercenter in Ottumwa, Iowa. The credit union also proudly celebrated 75 years of service to its members with events held at each branch and specials throughout the summer months.

Albia
On May 31, 2007, official groundbreaking began to launch the construction of Community 1st Credit Union’s Albia branch. The branch was designed to provide service for, as well as expand upon, an already significant membership base in Albia and the surrounding communities. The 4,000 square foot facility opened in January.

Cedar Rapids – NE
In July 2005, Deere Community Federated Credit Union added a branch at 1030 Sierra Dr. in Cedar Rapids, in a merger with Cedar Rapids Community Credit Union. This enabled the credit union to further expand into the Cedar Rapids market and establish another area for training purposes, as well as more space for credit processing, mortgage, and business/agriculture lenders.

Ottumwa - North
In March 2002, a second branch was established in Ottumwa located at 739 Pennsylvania Ave. In order to better serve the increasing amount of members, this building was equipped with a training facility for the growing number of employees.

Grinnell & Bloomfield
The credit union expanded to its first location north of Interstate-80 in 1998, with a new branch located at 205 W. St. in Grinnell, Iowa. On Feb. 1, 1999 the doors opened at 301 Franklin St. in Bloomfield, Iowa, to better serve members who lived in this area. At the time, over 1,200 credit union members lived in Davis County.

Oskaloosa Branch
The first branch outside of Ottumwa was opened in 1994, in Oskaloosa, Iowa, in order to better meet the needs of the many current members who lived in the Oskaloosa area. With recent growth of the credit union, it was becoming necessary to expand into area communities to ensure continual long term growth.

Growing Operations
With a staff of six and room to double in size, the credit union became a five million dollar organization. The famous slogan of the credit union was “Not for Profit, Not for Charity, but for Service.” The Federal Examiners based out of Toledo, Ohio, said that Deere Employees Federal Credit Union was the best credit union in the district. In 1978, good news came for credit unions, as permanent share draft legislation was passed, allowing credit unions to offer share draft "checking" services to members.

The First Office
By 1951, the company established a 9’x12’ corner room of the building near the front gate that became the credit union office. Business hours were one hour prior to the plant’s working hours, lunch time, and one hour after the work day was through. In November 1952, the credit union hired a full time manager and assets had grown to $250,000. In 1953, the credit union found a new home outside the plant when a new building was constructed on Vine Street in Ottumwa to specifically accommodate the engineering, personnel, and other offices, including the credit union.

Dain Employees Federal Credit Union
Community 1st Credit Union was established and officially started operation on June 23, 1936 in Ottumwa, IA as Dain Employees Federal Credit Union, when a group of Dain Manufacturing employees dropped their plant savings plan and came together to organize their own credit union. Services were granted to Dain Employees and their immediate families. Products were limited to savings accounts and loans. Those 12 individuals include: E.C. Moss, F.E. McClellen, T. Toms, W.V. Wonderly, H.C. Roths, C.O. Tollman, John Drenner, Jack Shipley Jr., Ed West, Albert Bowers, Ed Jennings, and Carl Edmund.