Edwards Federal Credit Union (Edwards FCU), based in Edwards, Calif., has announced plans to partner with PSCU on card processing services. Edwards FCU is $173 million credit union serving more than 16,000 members in the Antelope Valley area of California.
The move to PSCU – the nation’s leading CUSO – will give Edwards FCU cardholders access to a multitude of new features immediately, including 24/7/365 member support. According to Dave Pavone, Vice President of Information Technology at Edwards FCU, the driving force behind the initiation of a partner search was the desire to enhance Edwards FCU’s current debit and credit program.
“Our overall objective in seeking out a partner like PSCU was to revitalize our existing payment offerings to provide our members with the features and benefits large national issuers offer,” said Pavone. “Converting our debit and credit portfolios to PSCU will enable us to provide more robust, competitive offerings to members.”
Pavone’s secondary goal was to consolidate credit and debit offerings into a single vendor relationship and simplify vendor management. Ownership of Edward FCU’s card programs was previously split among several different departments. It will also make a huge operational difference as dispute and chargeback processing has previously been handled in-house, said Pavone.
Edwards FCU began the search for a vendor partner after observing the adoption of credit cards was low. There were also issues with having the credit union’s credit portfolio in-house and the debit portfolio housed elsewhere. The credit union immediately recognized the benefits of PSCU’s economy of scale in terms of negotiating for services and delivering offerings.
“Our partnership with Edwards FCU illustrates the value and the power of the cooperative model that is at the core of who PSCU is as a company,” said Chuck Fagan, President and CEO of PSCU. “By working with us, Edwards FCU will be able to offer its members around-the-clock support and more competitive product offerings, resulting in a revitalized card program and increased revenue potential.”