America's Christian Credit union

It’s been in operation for more than six decades but may be more well-known in some parts of the country than others. Andrew Gutierrez, who moved to Spring Hill about a year ago, is trying to change that. From his position as Corporate Loan Underwriter, he’s helping introduce America’s Christian Credit Union to people, businesses, and churches throughout the South.

“We’re a Christian credit union,” he explains, “so we serve churches, ministries, private Christian schools, and individuals. And what better place to serve than the Bible belt buckle?”

The ACCU originated in California in 1958 after a local pastor struggled to get a from a traditional bank. 

“We were started by five pastors because one of them went to the bank to get a loan for land to build a church and was denied. So, the pastors decided to put their money together and help each other.”

They were soon able to help other pastors and churches, as well. Today, the idea is the same. Members become part of a cooperative, and the money they deposit is used to help fund loans for churches, Christian schools, and Christian individuals.

“For a lot of people, financial stewardship is a big thing,” Gutierrez says, “and Christians can benefit in knowing their funds are going for a higher purpose.”

He says they make millions in loans annually, and he pointed to 2022 as an example. 

"We invested $72 million in Christian-owned businesses in 2022 and over 59 million in church financing that same year."

ACCU currently has no individual bricks and mortar locations, but it does have partnerships with other credit unions that allow members of ACCU to come in and access their services. 

“We have a robust online system, and you can do a lot of your transactions on our website. And for those who want to go in and be serviced in a branch, we have that option, too, with the partners we have through our branch network.” 

You can find those local branches on their website at https://americaschristiancu.com/

ACCU offers a variety of loans for individuals, including one not readily available at most banks. 

"We're one of the few financial institutions that offer adoption loans," Gutierrez says. "We encounter many people who want to adopt, and yet the financial hurdle is too much for them. So, we've developed a plan where we can give them a small loan to help them achieve that goal."

He says during a recent promotional event in Spring Hill, he was honored to meet someone who had benefited from one of those loans.

“Someone came up to our booth who was a member of ours and said, ‘Hey, I’ve never met anyone from America’s Christian Credit Union, but I wanted to thank you because you gave us an adoption loan, and we're just so happy. We just wanted to personally thank someone.'"

He points out that one of the benefits of joining ACCU is the additional insurance on individual members’ deposited funds.

“The average rate would be $250,000 through the FDIC, but as a thank you to our members, we personally pay in to offer an additional $200,000. So, your deposits are insured up to $450,000 per depositor.”

There is additional coverage for organizational members, as well, although it’s a little bit less.  

"For our corporate side, like churches and ministries, we can do an additional $100,000. So, it comes up to $350,000 versus the $250,000 standard.” 

Gutierrez says anyone interested in learning more about American's Christian Credit Union can visit the website or call him at (626) 208-5461.

If they are already members of a credit union, the branch they're currently using may be one that partners with ACCU. If so, they can use that same branch to access their ACCU account.