Community First Credit Union of Florida has made changes to its process for electing members of the Board of Directors. Starting with terms that begin in 2010, members of the Board Nominating Committee will review all eligible applicants and select three candidates for nomination. There will be no election conducted by ballot when there is only one nominee for each position to be filled.

For terms beginning in 2010, the Nominating Committee has selected the following three candidates for election (in alphabetical order): Bruce Doueck, Dr. Gary Fane and Sandra McCracken.

Members of the Nominating Committee are: Marsha Coarsey, Chairman, Cheryl Grymes, John Jolly, Ellen Paige and Wayner Williams.

Nominations for vacancies may also be made by qualified petition starting on November 2, 2009. Petition nominations may be made in writing over the signatures of not less than 1% of the membership as of the end of the prior year. Petitions and applications shall be made available by contacting Tracy Mann at 904.371.7920. All such nominations shall be filed with the CEO of the Credit Union at the Corporate Headquarters by November 30.

If no other candidates qualify by petition, the three open positions will be filled as selected by the Nominating Committee and will be formally announced at the 2010 Annual Meeting to be held on March 13, 2010, at 5:30 p.m. at Community First Credit Union’s Corporate Headquarters.

Community First Credit Union of Florida has named 10 First Coast residents to its new Community Advisory Council.

The new Council will serve as an informal group of community members who provide input, advice and suggestions to Community First Credit Union’s board of directors and staff. This group will be one of the primary sources of future board members and will engage with and learn about the credit union and its board.

Those named to the Council are: Jon Cantrell, General Manager, Journal Community Publishing Group; Elvia Williams, Contract Administrations Specialist, JEA; Laura Gutteridge, Technical Accounting Manager, CSX; Angela Pracher, Diversity and Cultural Competence, Blue Cross Blue Shield; Marcus Haile, self-employed, Public Interest Communications; Jorina Jolly, Compliance Coordinator, Jacksonville Economic Development Commission; Malinda Prudencio, Credit and Risk Control Manager, The Energy Authority; Kristen Majdanics, Manager of Brand Marketing, Firehouse Subs; Jacquelyn Johnson, Senior Customer Relations Specialist and Project Manager, Vistakon; and Paki Taylor, Sunbelt Engineering, Inc.

"As a community-focused credit union, we are always looking for new and better ways to serve our members," said President and CEO John Hirabayashi. "Establishing the Community Advisory Council has given us a direct line to our community, and it gives a voice to our members as we work to improve and create new products and services for them. This is a bright, talented and enthusiastic group of young professionals and we are all looking forward to working closely with them, and hearing their input."

The council members were chosen by the board of directors and will participate in leadership development and the opportunity to participate in the growth of the credit union. Board of Directors member Marsha Coarsey will serve as the Community Advisory Council Liaison to interact and mentor the council members.

Council members will serve a three-year term and are eligible to serve two terms. The Council will meet quarterly to provide advice and input on improving products and services for the more than 104,000 members of the credit union.

The first "green" financial institution in St. Johns County is now open, with the start of the new Community First Credit Union branch in St. Augustine. The branch was designed and built according to Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) standards.

A grand opening celebration will be held at the branch, located at 3581 N. Ponce de Leon Boulevard, on Saturday, October 3, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event will feature food, entertainment and drawings, including a grand prize drawing for a free Carnival cruise for two to the Bahamas, courtesy of CruiseOne in St. Augustine. The celebration is free and open to the public.

The new 3,200 square foot, full service branch has three drive-up lanes, a drive-up ATM and an after-hours depository. It also features a Financial Resource Center, a children's play area, and a self-service coin counter.

"We are very excited to be in our new location," said branch manager Mary Cay Brock. "The building reflects the unique architecture and historic nature of the St. Augustine area. We are also able to offer improved services for our members such as additional drive-through lanes and the coin counter, which our members love."

This will be the second free-standing LEED-designed branch at Community First Credit Union, which opened the first Silver LEED-Certified financial institution in Duval

Attention Online Bill Pay Users who use older web browsers

Effective October 1, 2009

Those Online Bill Pay users using older web browsers may be unable to access Online Bill Pay due to security vulnerabilities. Please make sure you are using an up-to-date browser that uses secure sockets layer (SSL) version 3.0, as well as encryption strengths of no less than 128 bits. See detailed list below for acceptable browsers.

Community First Credit Union of Florida announced that Mark Fitzmorris, a registered representative affiliated with broker-dealer and Registered Investment Adviser CUSO Financial Services, LP (CFS) was a recent recipient of CFS' 2008 Gold Pacesetter Award at the 2009 CFS "Now More Than Ever" Annual Conference, recently held in San Diego, California.

The award honors the top producing registered representatives among CFS' 120-plus credit union programs.

Fitzmorris was credited with generating significant revenue while providing high quality financial and retirement planning services to Community First Credit Union members. He has served the credit union membership for 5 years.

"We are extremely proud of Mark's accomplishment and the outstanding service he has provided to our members over the years," said Community First Investment Services Director Mark Dennis. "His knowledge, experience and commitment to member service are examples and an inspiration to all of us who strive for excellence in our profession."

The annual awards are presented by CFS as a way to recognize top registered representatives for their dedication to high standards, commitment to superior service and outstanding performance in delivering investment services to members.

Credit Union has introduced a NEW alternative student loan program, Credit Union Student Choice, that helps students fill the funding gaps that federal aid can leave behind. Unlike other alternative loan products, the Community First student loan offers significantly lower rates, zero origination fees and more flexible repayment terms.

"As a not-for-profit credit union serving Jacksonville area students, we have the unique ability to design products that are truly in best interest of the student and their family," said Community First VP of Lending, Susan Verbeck. In addition to student loans, the credit union offers financial management resources for young adults and age specific products and services to help develop and maintain good financial habits. Advantage Youth Accounts with free checking, thousands of surcharge-free ATMs, first car loans and free online banking and bill pay are just a few of the services available with our student loan.

Community First Credit Union of Florida has selected five area high school seniors for its Raymond A. Vinson Scholarship. Each graduating senior will receive a $1,000 scholarship annually for four years to attend a Florida college or university.

The scholarships were awarded to Cameron Pfahler of Duncan U. Fletcher High School, and Emily Gehret, Christopher Pinto, Monya Sharp and Tyler Wester, all graduating from Stanton College Preparatory School.

The Raymond A. Vinson Scholarship is awarded annually in honor of the founder of Community First Credit Union to students who excel scholastically and demonstrate financial need. Vinson founded the Jacksonville-based credit union in 1935 as the Duval County Teachers Credit Union, which originally had 50 members and $200 in assets. Today, the credit union has more than 103,000 members and over $1 billion in assets. Community First membership is open to everyone in the northeast Florida region and has 18 branches in Duval, Clay, St. Johns and Nassau counties.

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