Card Services for Credit Unions® Member Offers Credit Lines Increases, Grows Outstanding Balances 200% Year Over Year

TAMPA, Fla. (March 27, 2014) Facing increased regulatory compliance brought about by the Credit CARD Act of 2009, credit unions have retreated from offering credit line increases. Overcoming these reservations at the urging of Portfolio Consulting Services from Card Services for Credit Unions®, member SeaComm Federal Credit Union offered a total of $15 million in credit line increases and in just six weeks grew its outstanding balances by more than $2 million for a 200% increase year over year. SeaComm received a 99% acceptance rate from members who were offered an automatic credit line increase.

“Our Visa® program wasn’t at the level we knew it could be and after considering the compliance challenges, we knew the credit line increase promotion would produce greater results than the cost implications,” said Tammy Harrigan, VP Marketing & Communications, SeaComm Federal Credit Union. “The costs to gather FICO scores and utilize the Income Analyzer tool were minimal compared to our overall marketing budget, so it was well worth the extra effort and cost to adhere to the compliance.”

SeaComm employed various marketing strategies to strengthen its credit line increase promotion. SeaComm mailed greeting cards with audio sound bites to remind members of their Visa increases, maximizing the timeliness of the season by initiating the mailing in advance of Black Friday and running it through the holiday shopping season. SeaComm also incorporated sweepstakes on the Visa cards and offered double points through Card Services for Credit Unions® ScoreCard® rewards program.

“Although compliance and cost fears often prevent credit unions from offering credit line increases, the tactic can help turn members’ secondary cards into their primary cards, a move that is crucial to the long-term success of a credit card program,” said Doug Farrell, Senior Portfolio Consultant, Card Services for Credit Unions®.

For more information on Portfolio Consulting Services from Card Services for Credit Unions®, visit www.cscu.net/pcs.