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Our History
The Values of Yesteryear, The Visions for Tomorrow
The origin of Bellwether Community Credit Union can be credited to employees of the Bell Telephone System. Because of a lack of viable lending options early in the twentieth century, telephone workers often had no choice but to obtain loans from unscrupulous lenders who charged usurious interest rates and imposed excessive fines on those who did not pay promptly.
In response, a group of Bell Telephone System employees organized Telephone Workers Credit Union of N.H. in June 1921. Although not sponsored by the company itself, the Credit Union was created solely for the "promotion of thrift" among its members by accumulation of savings and the subsequent loaning of those funds at modest interest rates to other members.
Telephone Credit Union of N.H. was originally located on Concord Street in Manchester, and was relocated several times during the 1970s to accommodate continuous growth. In 1965, Richard D. Mahoney was hired by Telephone Worker's Credit Union and within a few short months became manager, overseeing three full time employees and performing a variety of functions including taking loans, reconciling bank statements, payroll duties and even helping at the counter as needed. In 1976, Dick Mahoney was elected President of the Credit Union, a position he held for 25 years.
Originally open only to employees of the Bell Telephone System, the Credit Union expanded its field of membership to include the relatives of employees in 1975, then other communication industry employee groups in 1984, and became Telephone Credit Union of N.H. (TCU) to emphasize a commitment to serve the rapidly expanding communications industry. In 1991, we were pleased to move into our current facility at 425 Hooksett Road.
In 2001, we received our charter to provide membership to anyone living or working in New Hampshire. 2001 is also the year that Michael A. L'Ecuyer was appointed President/CEO, taking that role over from his predecessor, the late Richard D. Mahoney. In 2004, Telephone Credit Union of N.H. merged with Greater Nashua Federal Credit Union, and through that merger added our second branch location. That branch, located on Burke Street in Nashua, was closed in March 2007 when the newly constructed Amherst Street branch was opened. In 2005, the Credit Union changed its name from Telephone Credit Union of N.H. to Bellwether Community Credit Union (BCCU) to better reflect the diversity of its members.
The credit union continued to grow and in June 2006, the members of Compass Credit Union voted to approve a merger with BCCU. September 2006 marks the month Compass Credit Union, with their branch located on Valley Street in Manchester, became the third branch of Bellwether Community Credit Union. Today, we are proud to provide our products and services to families across the state of New Hampshire and beyond, with a total membership that exceeds 20,000.
Throughout our history, BCCU has adapted and diversified to meet the changing financial needs of our members. Our founders could not have imagined the multitude of services and conveniences we now offer, especially as technology has enabled unprecedented capabilities. BCCU is proud of our heritage and our preparedness to serve our members into the twenty-first century. As always, our focus is to provide exemplary member value and member service. We look forward to helping you with all your financial needs, now and well into the future.
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