To provide all needed financial services for our members while maintaining our long-term financial stability.

SunState Federal Credit Union was started as Florida USDA Federal Credit Union in 1957. Marvis B. Roberts and several other Alachua County, Florida, employees of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were the founders. The original 10 charter members each put up $5 to give the credit union its first $50 in assets. SunState Federal Credit Union has now grown to over $200 million dollars in assets, with over 24,000 members.

In 1957, this credit union was originally chartered to serve USDA employees in the state of Florida.

In the late 1970s, the credit union was allowed to expand its field of membership to serve all federal employees in Alachua County, Florida, including employees of the newly built Veterans Administration Medical Center. Also in the late 1970s, the Federal Government Employees Credit Union in Lake City, Florida was merged into then Florida USDA Federal Credit Union. This expanded our field of membership to include federal employees in Columbia County, Florida.

In 1988, the National Credit Union Administration began allowing federally chartered credit unions to serve multiple membership groups, as long as the members of each individual group had a common bond among themselves. Our credit union decided to begin adding groups to our field of membership under the new provisions.

In 1993, because our membership had diversified away from the core of USDA employees, the board of directors voted to change the credit union's name to SunState Federal Credit Union. This name was chosen to reflect our evolution into a major financial resource for the communities and members we now serve.

By the end of 1994, we were serving over 100 individual membership groups, most of which were very small, with less than 20 members who were not eligible for credit union membership elsewhere.

In 1995, under new National Credit Union Administration guidelines regarding under-served populations, SunState Federal Credit Union expanded its field of membership to include the populations of Dixie, Gilchrist, and Levy Counties in Florida.

In the late 1990's, the credit union movement faced a crisis. The American Bankers Association, along with other bank-related groups filed suit to stop federal credit unions from serving multiple groups. This battle went all the way to the United States Supreme Court, and then to Congress. In the end, Congress passed a new Federal Credit Union Act and the rights of credit unions to serve multiple groups of independent common bonds was preserved.

In 1999, SunState Federal Credit Union converted from an occupational-based federal charter to a community-based federal charter.

As of April 1999, the core field of membership of SunState Federal Credit Union is anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Alachua, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, or Levy Counties in the state of Florida.

Additionally, you can join if:

1. You are the spouse of a person who died while within the field of membership of SunState Federal Credit Union,
2. You are an employee of SunState Federal Credit Union,
3. You retired as a pensioner or annuitant from SunState Federal Credit Union,
4. You are an immediate family member of a current SunState Federal Credit Union member. "Immediate family member" is defined as a spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent, or grandchild; this includes step-parents, step-children, step-siblings, and adoptive relationships.

If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for membership in SunState Federal Credit Union, please call any SunState Federal Credit Union branch.

• Branch locations and phone numbers.