Gesa CU Selects TNB to Process its $15 Million Credit Card Program

DALLAS – Ramping up a new card program is no easy task, even for an $855 million credit union, which is why Gesa Credit Union of Richland, Washington, is turning to TNB Card Services to launch its new business card program, followed by the conversion of its $15 million retail card portfolio.

On April 1, Gesa CU will roll out its new business member program, including checking and savings accounts, lending, a debit card, and a business credit card, to target companies operating in the Tri-Cities, Walla Walla and Wenatchee.

The credit union is also handing over the reins of its retail card processing to TNB after having managed the program internally since its inception. More than 8,600 card accounts will be converted to TNB’s processing platform. TNB will give Gesa unparalleled processing capabilities, along with sophisticated yet easy-to-use reporting and management tools that allow the credit union to make decisions at the cardholder level.

“Even though we are a large credit union, our system is limited and doesn’t offer the economies of scale that TNB brings to our partnership,” said Christina Brown, CEO of Gesa Credit Union.   “TNB offers a wealth of experience, along with technology innovation and reporting tools that will enable us to stay on top of the latest trends and processing capabilities.”

Through the new processing agreement, Gesa plans to add a new consumer credit card product that will include TNB’s Rewards2U®. Gesa will also add a student card to serve its younger members. The credit union will leverage TNB’s portfolio consultants to assess the portfolio and realign its pricing based on individual cardholder risk.

Brown added, “In addition to the overall usability of TNB’s system, we also evaluated the company’s service orientation. TNB has a strong reputation for service and helping credit unions grow their portfolios. These were the key elements in our choice of TNB as our credit card partner.”

Gesa credit union is one of a growing number of credit unions that have selected TNB as their processing partner within the last year. TNB signed a record number of new debit and credit card clients in 2008.

“Gesa selected TNB in part because of the investment we have made in the last few years to strengthen our processing system and capabilities,” said Mark Fenner, senior vice president of TNB Card Services. “Our capabilities, coupled with our card expertise and account management team, provide unmatched value to credit unions interested in growing their card programs.”

Gesa is a community chartered credit union with 85,000 members, nine community branches and four high school branches.

About TNB Card Services
TNB Card Services, owned and directed by credit unions since 1976, provides electronic payments processing, as well as an agent issuing solution for credit unions nationwide. Serving more than 550 financial institutions of all sizes and managing more than 2 million cards, Dallas-based TNB enables credit unions to enhance member loyalty through credit union-branded card products. For more information about TNB, go to www.tnbcard.com or call Mark Fenner at 1-800-422-0733 ext. 6655.