Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union (TVFCU)

Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union exists to enhance members' lifestyles by offering a wide variety of financial products and services in 13 counties within the Tennessee Valley.

TVFCU was founded in 1936 as the Chattanooga TVA Employees Federal Credit Union a not-for-profit financial cooperative built upon the promise of “people helping people.” Our field of membership included salaried TVA employees and their family members who worked in Chattanooga, TN.

The credit union officially began on June 5, 1936 when 57 TVA employees pooled their resources of $500 to charter the organization under the Farm Credit Administration. The purpose of the credit union was to “promote thrift through a cooperative effort and enable members to borrow money for providential and beneficial uses”.

After the Federal Credit Union Act was signed into law, the new Bureau of Federal Credit Unions was first housed at the Farm Credit Administration. Regulatory responsibility shifted over the years as the agency moved from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to the Federal Security Agency, and then the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. In 1970, the Bureau became an independent federal agency when the National Credit Union Administration was formed to charter and supervise federal credit unions, and the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) was also formed to insure credit union deposits. In the independent credit union spirit, the NCUSIF was created without tax dollars and capitalized solely by credit unions.