Morton Credit Union

At the heart of the credit union movement is a spirit and dedication to member service. For the past 65 years, Morton Credit Union has exemplified that spirit and made it their mission to deliver on that promise. This commitment is shown in the ratio of employees to members: it is a remarkable 248 members per employee. When it comes to choosing technology partners, Morton Credit Union demands the same type of personalized service which is why they have chosen to work with Hutchinson, Kan.-based DCI (www.datacenterinc.com), a privately held company owned by many of their customers.

For the past few years, Morton has worked closely with DCI to implement and develop their debit card program. According to Jayne Buhrman, manager of the credit union, “our debit card program has been very successful – our members really like using them.” While she currently manages Morton Credit Union, Jayne has been in the credit union industry for many years in a wide variety of positions from teller to member service representative to loan officer. She has worked with numerous vendors over the years, but has always enjoyed working with DCI in particular. “I have worked with DCI at another credit union before coming to Morton and always found them to be a really helpful company,” says Jayne.

There are many aspects to DCI’s debit card program that Morton Credit Union likes, but perhaps the main one is the fact that DCI runs an online, real-time system. Jayne explains that “other systems that I have worked with update every few hours or so, but DCI’s system updates instantly.” With DCI, one connection provides a single source for account entry, maintenance, card / PIN ordering, monitoring, transaction reporting and customized service options. Because of the real-time nature of DCI’s system, members are not as likely to be confused about their balances and card charges, which help reduce calls into the credit union.

As for Morton’s staff, they appreciate the tight connection between DCI’s card system and their core system. Jayne explains that “we get excellent reporting back to our core system from DCI. It is also easy to do research on any disputed charges that may arise.” The employees also like the fact that DCI is quick to help with any lost or stolen debit card issues. “Although it is often out of their hands, DCI helps as much as possible when we have any debit card problems,” notes Jayne. She adds that “they have really nice people working there, and I can’t say enough about their customer service.”

Another benefit to working with DCI is that Morton Credit Union members enjoy surcharge access to more than 250 ATMs. That is because DCI operates their cooperative ATM system called the InstaKEY® Network. Jayne confirms “there are four or five surcharge free ATMs in our town, and our members use them quite frequently.” At the point of sale, Morton Credit Union encourages their members to use their debit cards in signature mode so that the credit union can receive interchange income. But even if a member uses their debit card in PIN mode, which causes the credit union to incur a fee, Jayne points out that “DCI’s pricing is very reasonable.”

Because Morton Credit Union is owned by its members, and DCI is owned by their customers, there is a strong philosophical tie between the two organizations. They are both uniquely responsive to and responsible for their members’ and customers’ needs. These commitments are reflected in the high satisfaction levels of Morton’s members and DCI’s impressive 98 percent contract renewal rate. Jayne sums it up well when she says that “DCI is very service–oriented, and I would highly recommend them to any credit union.”