Skip to main content

Plans are underway to charter a new credit union that will serve the New York Fire Department


NEW YORK — Move over The Finest, here comes The Bravest.

 Plans are underway to charter a new credit union that will serve the New York Fire Department — one year after the formation of The Finest Federal Credit Union, which was designed for New York City police and correction officers. (The Finest is now a $4.6-million institution with almost 1,900 members)

The prospective credit union will be called The Bravest Federal Credit Union,
However, Bruce O. Jolly, Jr., a Virginia-based attorney who is consulting on the proposed firefighter credit union and was also involved with the creation of The Finest FCU, cautioned that chartering a new credit union “is a long, drawn-out process and we are at the first stage. The train can derail at any time.”

Jolly told Credit Union Journal that on Feb. 3, seven firefighters met in mid-town Manhattan to sign forms from NCUA necessary to start the organization of a new credit union serving firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS) throughout the state of New York.

“Recognizing it is a long process from application to opening the doors, they were heartened by the experiences of The Finest Federal Credit Union, which formally opened in May of 2015,” Jolly noted. “The organization meeting followed receipt of a letter from NCUA approving the new TIP [charter] for firefighters and EMS workers.”

As is the case with NYPD, FDNY employees do already have at least one credit union they are eligible to join, and it’s even the same one: Municipal CU. The $2 billion credit union was chartered in 1917 to serve employees of the city of New York, including both police officers and firefighters, among others.

Introduced in 2003, TIP charters allow single-sponsor credit unions to serve all employees in a specific trade, industry, or profession within a defined geographic area, according to Dollar Associates, a credit union consulting firm based in Alabama.

Jolly further said that in the coming weeks the subscribers — assisted by his legal firm Reed & Jolly PLLC and others — will complete the package for submission to NCUA, then begin looking for management and securing capital and deposits from other credit unions.

“New York City has the largest fire department in the United States and it will form the core for the new credit union’s Field of Membership,” Jolly added. “The subscribers are excited about being able to bring a whole host of financial products designed specifically for firefighters and EMS professionals.”

The FDNY employs about 10,200 uniformed firefighters and more than 3,600 uniformed EMTs and paramedics.

CU Journal
By Palash Ghosh
February 8, 2016

Comments

Post a Comment

Please no profanity or political comments.

Popular posts from this blog

New CEO Named at SF Fire CU

  In San Francisco, – SF Fire Credit Union has appointed Robert Kassab as its president and chief executive Officer. Kassab, who has served as the $1.6-billion credit union’s CFO and most recently as Interim CEO, will lead the organization as it builds on 75 years of community service and pursues an ambitious strategy for growth and member impact, the credit union said in a statement. Robert Kassab “SF Fire Credit Union has a 75-year legacy of doing right by its members, and I take that responsibility seriously,” Kassab stated. Kassab joined SF Fire Credit Union in 2022 as CFO, where he played a central role in strengthening the institution’s financial foundation and positioning the credit union for long-term growth. His appointment as CEO follows a period of interim leadership, during which he worked closely with the board to develop a strategic vision for the credit union’s future, according to SF Fire. An Institution That ‘Deserves Them Back’ “SF Fire Credit Union was built on ...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Crews Shares Vision For NCUA, Refuses To Enter Board Battle

By Ray Birch WASHINGTON—NCUA nominee John Crews used his Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing Thursday to lay out an agenda centered on reducing regulatory burden for smaller credit unions, encouraging technological innovation and reviving the formation of new credit unions, while declining to weigh in on the legality of the NCUA's current one-member board because of pending litigation. Although much of the hearing was dominated by sharp questioning of fellow nominee Christopher Phelan over the economy, inflation, tax policy and President Trump's agenda, Crews' exchanges with senators offered insights into how he might approach regulating the credit union system if confirmed. The hearing proceeded despite questions on Capitol Hill over whether it would even take place following Wednesday's political turmoil surrounding President Trump's demand that Congress pass the SAVE America Act before he signs bipartisan housing legislation and the Senate's decisio...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

NCUA Board Meeting Coverage: Here’s Where Deregulation Project Stands

  ALEXANDRIA, Va.—An update on NCUA’s ongoing Deregulation Project was provided during the Thursday board meeting. Offering the update was Amanda Parkhill, acting director of the agency’s Office of Examination and Insurance.“There’s a lot going on and we anticipate over 50 rulemaking guidance and policy actions as a result of the deregulation project and other efforts taken to reduce burden and streamline processes,” said Parkhill. “These cover a wide variety of topics from new,   innovative technology to long standing anti money laundering and consumer compliance requirements. Many of the actions we are working on involve coordination with other regulators to ensure that requirements are consistent among banks and credit unions.” Parkhill said 31 proposals have been made as part of the Deregulation Projects, two of which are still out for comment.  “We are in very stages of finalizing several of the proposed rules,” Parkhill said. adding that objective is to wrap up phas...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

DC Round-Up

  HUD Makes ACU-Requested Change; Hearing on Payments Today; CU-Backed Candidate Wins in Utah WASHINGTON–The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has updated Federal Housing Administration (FHA) quality control requirements to allow greater flexibility and alternatives to appraisal field reviews in a change that had been requested earlier by a coalition of 10 trade groups, including America’s Credit Unions .  The new provisions took effect immediately when released in a Mortgagee Letter on June 23, . According to ACU, the change removes the requirement for mortgage lenders, including credit unions, to obtain appraisal field reviews on at least 10% of origination and underwriting quality control reviews.  “The change will make field reviews optional for appraisal quality control, maintain FHA’s core appraisal compliance framework, and give lenders the ability to tailor their review methods on a case-by-case-specific risk,” America’s Credit Unions said. “The r...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Healthcare Fraud Sweep

  The Justice Department has charged 455 defendants across 45 states and US territories in a $6.5B healthcare fraud crackdown , which officials described as the largest coordinated enforcement action in its history and the second-largest amount ever charged in a single operation (behind last year’s $14.6B operation). Authorities say the schemes targeted Medicare, Medicaid, and other healthcare programs through fraudulent billing, illegal kickbacks, opioid distribution, and telemedicine operations. Those charged include 90 licensed medical professionals, while 295 defendants are tied to over $500M in false Medicaid claims. Investigators also seized more than $127M in cash, vehicles, jewelry, and other assets tied to the alleged fraud. The two-week crackdown comes amid the Trump administration’s antifraud push, with expanded data-sharing efforts across agencies (scroll to see coordinated effort ). Experts estimate healthcare fraud costs t...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Facial recognition to secure payments will exceed 1.4 billion globally by 2025

BASINGSTOKE, U.K.– The number of users of software-based facial recognition to secure payments will exceed 1.4 billion globally by 2025, from just 671 million in 2020, according to a new study from Juniper Research. “This rapid growth of 120% demonstrates how widespread facial recognition has become; fueled by its low barriers to entry, a front-facing camera and appropriate software,” Juniper said, noting the research identified the implementation of FaceID by Apple as accelerating the growth of the wider facial recognition market, despite the challenges to facial recognition during the pandemic with face mask use. The research recommends that facial recognition vendors implement robust and rapidly evolving AI based verification checks to ensure the validity of user identity, or risk losing user trust in the authentication method as spoofing attempts increase, Juniper reported. Fingerprint Sensors The new research, Mobile Payment Authentication: Biometrics, Regulation & Market Fore...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Boston Firefighters Credit Union Becomes First Responders Credit Union

New name reflects nearly 80 years of service and a growing commitment to first responders across Massachusetts BOSTON, MA, June 15, 2026 — Boston Firefighters Credit Union today announced that it has officially changed its name to First Responders Credit Union , reflecting the broader first responder community the organization serves while honoring the firefighters who founded it nearly 80 years ago. Founded in 1947 by members of the Boston Fire Department, the credit union was established to serve the financial needs of firefighters and their families. Over the decades, it has grown into a trusted financial institution serving firefighters, law enforcement professionals, EMS personnel, civilian employees of first responder agencies, and their families throughout Massachusetts. Today, more than 12,000 members rely on the credit union for banking, lending, and financial guidance tailored to the unique demands of first responder life. While the name is new, the mission is not. ...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Twenty-Five Years of Showing Up

www.NCOFCU.org/Tucson-AZ-2026    Attendee Registration Schedule at a Glance ...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

47-Second Loan Décisions. Underwriting in Minutes. How AI is Revolutionizing Turnaround Time in Mortgage Lending

May 27, 2026 CU Today TORONTO–While AI has been deployed across a host of back office functions, on the consumer-facing side its promise is increasingly being seen in mortgage lending, where lenders are promising mortgage approval decisions in as little as 47 seconds, reporting that up to a third of inquiries are now being handled by chatbots, and slashing underwriting time to just minutes. Toronto-based TD Bank Group said it has also deployed its first agentic artificial intelligence system in mortgage lending, reducing the time required to prepare applications for underwriting from an average of roughly 15 hours to less than three minutes. According to a statement from TD Bank, the new AI model automates mortgage pre-adjudication — the process that occurs before a human underwriter reviews an application. The bank said the system classifies borrower documents, extracts and validates financial information, calculates income, performs policy and consent checks, identifies discrepancie...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

AI Rapidly Reshaping How Consumers Discover, Compare & Choose Banking Products (But Trust Remains an Issue)

  Frank Diekmann May 26, 2026 SYDNEY — Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how consumers discover, compare and select banking products, forcing financial institutions to rethink their digital marketing and customer acquisition strategies, according to a new report from Bain & Company .  The report, titled “How AI Rewrites the Rules of Brand Discoverability in Banking,” found that AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini are increasingly acting as the first point of contact between consumers and banks, particularly in Australia, where consumers are using the technology to evaluate products, interpret fees and even prepare applications for loans and credit cards.  According to Bain & Company, the traditional banking sales funnel — once driven by branches, brokers, advertising and search engine rankings — is rapidly shifting toward AI-generated recommendations and responses. ‘Increasingly Influencing Choice’ “AI assistants increasingly influen...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»