by mulcair-cu | Oct 8, 2024 | Latest News
For a record-breaking 10th consecutive year, credit unions have topped the league table for best customer experience in Ireland, according to the 2024 Customer Experience Insight (CXi) Report. Furthermore, credit unions are also the only brand to have maintained a constant presence in the top ten since the survey began ten years ago, a testament to the consistency of their CX excellence.
Credit unions achieved an incredible overall CX score of 8.26, with a score of more than 8.0 considered to be the measure of CX Excellence. In contrast, the average score in the financial services sector was 6.91.
The CXi survey sought feedback from consumers across a diverse range of areas including their perspective on emotional drivers related to brands and how it impacts them, their interaction experience with brands, cost of living experiences, sustainability and the use by brands of new technologies such as AI, to name a sample.
Commenting on the announcement, Alice Grant, Head of Brand & Member Experience of the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) said that the ILCU was delighted to see that credit unions continue to set the standards when it comes to delivering superior customer experience.
“This unprecedented tenth win is recognition of the dedication and hard work of credit union staff and volunteer directors across Ireland. Their relentless focus is always on being there for our members and for communities which we serve
She continued:
“There has been a great deal of change in credit unions in recent times with enhanced digital journeys and new product offerings. What hasn’t changed, and what won’t change, is our absolute commitment to put our members first. Our unique social ethos allows us to focus solely on how to best deliver for our existing and potential new members, rather being focused on profiting from their needs”
The CXi Report is published annually and is based on a survey which is carried out by Amarách Research. This year’s survey ran from June 8th to the 30th of July 2024. A representative cross section of Irish consumers was asked to give feedback on their experiences with 150+ companies across 11 sectors.
by mulcair-cu | Sep 4, 2024 | Latest News
Fraudsters are continually coming up with new ways to convince students to hand over deposits for properties that don’t exist or have already been rented to multiple tenants, with some even going as far as sending a fake contract and fake keys. They prey on students who feel panicked due to accommodation shortages and pressure them into paying a deposit without doing the necessary checks.
Remember if its too good to be true it probably is!
Our advice to students and parents:
- Familiarise yourself with the average rent price in your search area. If the rent is unusually low and it seems too good to be true, it usually is!
- Do your research, check the Eircode and visit the accommodation to make sure it exists as advertised.
- Check short-term rental sites to ensure the property is not being used by a fraudster for “viewings” who will take your deposit money.
- It is crucial to keep copies of all correspondence between you and the advertiser, including bank details and the advertisement itself. The best approach is to use legitimate well-known rental agencies. If this is not possible, don’t hand over any money until you have seen the property and are happy with its condition.
- Do not make payments until you have been given the keys and signed the rental contract.
- Always check that the keys fit in the lock.
- Remember, don’t transfer any money unless you have carried out all the relevant checks and you are absolutely sure that the listing is genuine.
- Do not be embarrassed if you have been scammed. Report it to your local Garda Station and contact your bank.
By staying alert and taking steps to protect yourself, you can reduce your risk of falling victim to fraud and avoid becoming target for scammers.
by mulcair-cu | Sep 2, 2024 | Latest News
Later Opening Thursday 5th September
Doors opens @ 11.30am.
To facilitate staff training our office will be opening late this Thursday 5th September.
The office doors will open @ 11.30am.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
by mulcair-cu | May 30, 2024 | Latest News
The Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU), which represents over 90% of the total active credit unions in the Republic of Ireland, has released the Q2 2023/24 quarterly performance results on behalf of its member credit unions.
The results for the quarter (January to March 2024) highlight a continued strong lending performance up 2.7% in the quarter and 13.6% for the last 12 months with a significant increase in mortgages.
Arrears remain close to all-time lows. Credit unions have funds to lend and are continuing to provide much needed affordable finance to 3.25 million members throughout the country as the market leader with over 50% market share in the personal unsecured lending market.
Savings & Loans
The assets of ILCU affiliated credit unions stood at €18.1 billion at the end of March 2024. This has increased by over 40% over the last 10 years reflecting the continued growth of credit union activity. Similarly, savings in ILCU affiliated credit unions have increased to €15.2 billion illustrating the ongoing and continued trust by members in their credit union. This represents an increase of 0.9% in savings during Q2 2023/24.
With regard to lending, Q2 2023/24 showed an extraordinarily strong performance across all areas of 2.7%, when compared to a growth of 2.4% in the same quarter last year. In total, there were over 90,400 new loans issued in the quarter, this is up 4% on the same quarter last year which equates to over 1,000 loans issued every day.
There has been a phenomenal increase in credit union mortgage lending in recent years. For the 12 months to 31 March 2024 the value of credit union mortgages issued is up 71%. The credit union mortgage loan book has passed a key milestone of €500m and is on target to reach €1 billion over the next two years. Public demand for credit union mortgages continues to grow, driven by competitive rates but also importantly by a personalised service with quick turnaround times. The Credit Union (Amendment) Act 2023 is an enabling piece of legislation that will facilitate credit unions to increase their national presence in mortgages.
The increases in lending are in the context of near historic low arrears of 2.7%. This compares to a current 90-day mortgage arrears ratio of 4.1% (CBI Residential Mortgage Arrears report published 26 March 2024[1]). This highlights the quality of credit worthiness assessment, vigilance, prudence and constant monitoring displayed by credit unions throughout Ireland.
Current Accounts & Digital Payments
Credit unions processed in excess of 20m electronic payments in the last quarter, of which 50% were card based and 50% SEPA transfers. Of the card-based transactions, 95% were point of sale or online with 5% ATM withdrawals. In terms of point-of-sale transactions, contactless was by far the preferred method, with 62% of all point-of-sale transactions paid using contactless payment. In terms of current account growth, over 1,000 new credit union current accounts were opened weekly in the quarter showing continued growth in the number of people choosing to bank with their local credit union.
Credit unions in over 280 locations across the country are providing current accounts which are potentially accessible to 2.5 members. Credit union current accounts provide instant access to your money through our Mastercard® Debit Card with contactless, a secure app, online portal and apple pay, google pay, fit bit functionality.
David Malone, CEO of the Irish League of Credit Unions commented; “These robust financial results highlight the continued growth trajectory and future potential of credit unions, and opportunities that they offer members all across Ireland.
“Coupled with the over 90,000 loans in the quarter issued by our credit unions there is a constantly growing pipeline of demand for loans which our members are ready to facilitate given the funds we have to lend at competitive rates.
Mr Malone continued, “Credit unions were recently identified by the public as the most reputable organisation in the country for the second consecutive year, according to the 2024 RepTrak® study. This level of reputation and trust provides the platform for us to further grow and develop and in this context, we are looking forward to the forthcoming results of the Central Bank’s review of the lending framework. We are hopeful that the review will yield targeted changes to allow more choice for consumers and remove crisis-era restrictions. The changes that we are looking for will allow more mortgages and business lending to improve competition in a safe and prudent manner.
“Credit unions are in every community in Ireland, with over 400 locations, 3,000 staff and 3,000 volunteers, and the trust placed in us is reflected in the ongoing growth in demand for services.”
by mulcair-cu | Mar 13, 2024 | Latest News
This weekend, 15th to 17th March 2024, the European SEPA Payment Schemes will undergo a planned maintenance which may cause delays in processing payments.
This means that any payments made Friday 15th March may not reach the intended beneficiary until Monday 18th March.
As a result, if you want funds to reach an account by Friday, we advise you to make a payment by Thursday 14th March to ensure that the beneficiary account is credited on Friday.
Please note, you will have full online access as usual during this period. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
by mulcair-cu | Feb 21, 2024 | Latest News
The Irish League of Credit Unions, on behalf of its affiliated credit unions, has released Q1 2023/24 quarterly performance results on behalf of its affiliated credit unions in ROI.
The results for the quarter (October to December 2023) highlight a continued upward growth trajectory in loans, with a significant increase in mortgages and business loans. Arrears remain close to all-time lows.
Commenting on the report, ILCU CEO David Malone said
“Credit unions delivered over 110,000 loans in the quarter which is over 8,000 loans per week. To put that into context that’s €631 million per quarter of lending to people or over €48 million per week. What these latest quarterly results show is that not only are people availing of credit union services but that there is a growing pipeline of demand for loans which our members are ready to facilitate.
He continued, “Looking to the future and building on this continued growth, the Central Bank’s review of the lending framework is crucial. This is in the context of the dramatic increase in mortgage lending as changes are needed to meet customer demand, increase flexibility, allow credit unions compete on a level playing field and provide real competition in mortgages and business lending. We have engaged with the Central Bank on its lending review but are now looking for targeted changes to allow more choice for consumers and to reduce the dominance of the retail banks. The changes we are looking for will allow more mortgages, remove crisis era restrictions and allow more business loans thereby enhancing competition in a safe and prudent manner”.
