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United Services Credit Union: Building Credit, Building Lives

United Services CU 
at a Glance

Original Name: 
Memorial Mission Hospital CU and St. Joseph's Hospital CU (later merged and called Asheville Hospitals CU)

Founders: 
Hospital employees

Founded: 1954 (Mission) and 1972 (St. Joseph's)

Merger with Self-Help: 2013

Original Founding Location: 
Asheville, NC

The staff of United Services Credit Union and its predecessors aimed to give their members more than just checking accounts and loans: they gave them a chance. This is the story of what having that chance has meant to some of the credit union’s members and employees over the years. In the words of one longtime member, “I think the credit union is there…to really help people with their lives.”

United Services Credit Union has a rich history in North Carolina, with roots in Asheville, Maiden, Morganton, Old Fort, and more. Its Asheville story goes back to 1954, beginning with Memorial Mission Hospital Credit Union, an institution that served hospital employees. The Western NC credit unions that merged with United Services in the years that followed did so in part because they recognized they had a similar mission: to believe in their members, to give their members opportunity, and to help members build their lives.

Many of the staff and members from the early days are still with us in Western North Carolina today, now as part of the Self-Help Credit Union family. We hope you enjoy this look back at United Services’ legacy of opportunity.

To learn more about the history of the multiple credit unions that merged into the United Services family over the years, check out our recent blog post on United Service's history.

 
Photo Gallery
aerial view of Mission Hospital in 1954

An aerial view of Memorial Mission Hospital in 1954. Hospital employees created Memorial Mission Hospital CU this same year. The hospital was a major employer in Asheville, NC throughout the 20th century and into the 2000s. 

Carolina Mills in Maiden, NC

Workers at the Carolina Mills facility in Maiden, NC produced flannel, yarn and other textiles. These workers formed Carolina Mills CU in 1974, later merging with Henredon Furniture Employees Association to become Financial Partners CU and eventually United Services CU.

Old Fort Finishing Plant

Old Fort Finishing Plant in Old Fort, NC was a major textiles processing plant in Western NC for many years, at one point processing over 2 million yards of fabric daily. Workers there formed the Old Fort Finishing Employees CU in 1948. After the plant closed in 1984, the credit union joined United Services.

United Services in the old days

An undated photo of the teller line at United Services CU. United Services served members in Asheville and across Western North Carolina for many decades before it became part of the Self-Help family in 2013.

old aerial photo of Henredon Furniture plant in Morganton

An aerial view of the Henredon Furniture plant in Morganton, NC, where employees founded the Henredon Furniture Employees Credit Association. After a late '70s merger with Carolina Mills CU to become Financial Partners CU, the credit union joined the United Services family in 2009.

USCU Family Tree Graphic

The history of United Services Credit Union and the many credit unions that merged in over the years is a bit complicated! This "family tree" lays out the connections.