ITHACA, N.Y.–CFCU Community Credit Union has officially begun operating under its new name, Beginnings Credit Union.

As the CU Daily reported earlier when it announced the name change, the rebranding is taking place due to changes since the credit union was originally founded.

“With the rebrand, our values will be communicated more clearly and effectively. Our new name, Beginnings, reflects our commitment to supporting members as they pursue their goals — helping them realize all that’s possible — and confidently begin their journey, wherever it may lead,” President and CEO Lisa Whitaker told the Central New York Business Journal.

Since announcing the planned rebranding in April, changes in brand appearance within the credit union’s branches, advertisements, and official social media pages have been underway.

Updates Underway

Each of the credit union’s 17 locations, including those of its former division CORE in Syracuse, is in the process of aesthetic updates, Katie Foley, vice president of marketing and sales at Beginnings Credit Union, said in a statement.

A new color palette is part of the rebrand.

The $1.43-billion credit union was founded as Cornell Federal Credit Union in 1953, and changed its name to CFCU Community Credit Union in 2003 after converting to a community charter for Tompkins and Cortland counties in New York.

‘No Longer Means Anything’

Since that time, it has further expanded its field of membership. 

“The acronym, CFCU, no longer means anything,” Cathy Benson-Aloi, chief lending officer at Beginnings Credit Union, said in a statement to the Business Journal. “It is time we have a name that resonates with our membership and our staff.”

According to the credit union, the Beginnings logo’s intersecting arrows and butterfly shape represent the credit union’s positive connections and continuous transformation.