Desertview celebrates 50 years

By By

Desertview Federal Credit Union started as Castle Valley Credit Union and a one man show in a house on the East side of Huntington in 1960. The charter was signed and approved for Castle Valley Credit Union on June 13, 1960. Instead of the $25 needed today to open an account, at that point you only needed $5. After awhile the credit union moved to Main Street where the Savage building currently is. It was only a two room office which wasn’t in good shape. Since the front of the building was about to fall in, the front of the building was remodeled.
During one point of remodeling when the front door and window were not in place, the then current manager Steve Byington slept at the credit union to protect it. This is very different from the many cameras and security measures the credit union has in place now. The building was successfully remodeled and the next very big change that occurred was the purchase of the first computer. Before the computer all information was kept by hand. The only services the credit union offered at that time were regular savings accounts and car loans. If a member wanted to withdraw money they were issued a check that they could take and have cashed somewhere else. When a member wanted to get a loan the only requirement was to put 10 percent of your loan proceeds back into savings. There wasn’t any paperwork you had to fill out or a credit check required like today.
In 1981 another significant change occurred when Castle Valley Credit Union merged with American Coal Credit Union and the name was changed to Desertview Federal Credit Union. About the time the two credit unions merged, more services including checking accounts were added along with the purchase of another computer. Instead of sending statements to a statement processor, statements were hand folded and stuffed in the envelope by employees of the credit union. Reminders and notices for loans were hand typed instead of computer generated.
With the merge, the credit union doubled in size and had outgrown the Main Street Location. Since the credit union needed more room, it purchased the First Security Bank building. At that time there were a few more computers that were added and quite a few more employees.
The credit union no longer required members to have a percentage of their loan amount set aside in savings. The credit union also handled cash and had a drive up window. Even though the credit union had just moved to a bigger building, it was still growing and would eventually need more room.
The board discussed remodeling the current building and eventually decided to construct a bigger building that would be more suitable to the credit union’s needs especially for the long run. The new building, which is the current building, opened the day after Labor Day of 1998. The old building was sold to Turnquist and was made into a duplex living center. About the time the new building was opened, the credit union changed computer systems to one that would last for over 10 years.
As the credit union kept growing a branch was placed in Ferron in 2004. And, three years later on the opposite side of the street, the credit union purchased the current location to show they were committed to the members at the south end of Emery County.
The credit union currently manages about $30 million in assets. Although the credit union has gone through many changes, the focus of the credit union throughout its history has always been the same. When offering new products or services, the credit union’s focus will always be to meet the needs of the members.
So, in celebration of 50 years of service, Desertview is planning to give away more than 50 items to thank members for their support in helping the credit union continue towards another 50 years of quality service.
Visit Desertview Federal Credit Union in Huntington, Ferron, or online to see all the latest planned festivities and Desertview wants to thank everyone for their support throughout the last 50 years.