Our History
The Valley Isle Community Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial institution serving all residents on the island of Maui. Established in 1940, our goal is to provide our members high-value financial products with excellent member service and ultimately, improve their quality of lives, as well as the quality of our community. The Valley Isle Community Federal Credit Union is a financial cooperative, owned and operated by our members. Our members’ deposit money into their accounts, and that money is lent to other members. We make loans only to members. Each member has one vote, regardless of the size of their account, to elect our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors are all non-paid volunteers, who are responsible to govern and lead our credit union. Because of our cooperative structure, we are usually able to provide higher dividend rates, lower loan rates, lower fees and better service to our members.

A Little Bit of History

Like most other credit unions, our credit union was formed simply because there was a need for one. In the early 1900s, agriculture was by far the biggest industry in Hawaii. The sugar plantations, including the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar (HC&S) Company, brought in numerous immigrants to work as laborers. The immigrants came from all over- Japan, China, Portugal, and the Philippines to name a few. They almost all came from very desolate economic situations, hoping to make better lives for themselves and their families. But when they got to Hawaii, they were not a whole lot better off. They worked very long hours for very little pay. Having no credit and minimal income, the established financial institutions were very slow to lend them money when they needed it. They were forced to turn to each other for help.

The plantation workers of HC&S needed a formal organization they could turn to in time of financial need. On January 23, 1940, nine charter members, organized by Mr. Joseph Xavier submitted the “Organization Certificate” forming the HC and S Federal Credit Union. The field of membership was limited to the employees of the HC&S Company and their immediate families. This remained the FOM for over 20 years until June 1963, when employees and families of Alexander & Baldwin Inc. (the parent company of HC&S), Kahului Development and East Maui Irrigation (both subsidiaries of Alexander & Baldwin) were added. In 1973, Wailea Land Corporation, and in 1976 Kahului Trucking, again A&B subsidiaries were added.

However the most significant charter change occurred on August 15, 2000. On that day, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), our federal regulatory agency, approved our application to convert to a community charter. We are now able to serve anyone who lives or works on the island of Maui. But, we will always remember our roots, evidenced in our sugarcane logo!