History of Serving Members

More than 80 years of service

GOLD Credit Union traces its roots back to the flourishing of the electric utility industry in the 1930s.

As Pennsylvania Power & Light Company (PPL) became the singular supplier of energy to industrial, commercial, and residential customers in central and eastern Pennsylvania in the 1920s and 1930s, they continued to absorb smaller companies across the region.

Unifying similar interests

Within this powerhouse energy company, two major communities of employees pooled their resources to take care of the financial needs of each other and their families. They each pursued state charters in 1937 and became the P. P. & L. General Office Credit Union, and the P. P. & L. Lehigh Division Credit Union. After more than five decades, the two credit unions merged, forming the PP&L G.O.L.D. Credit Union in 1989.

In 2007, and over many years following, the Credit Union's Board of Directors began to accept requests from a small group of Select Employer Groups outside of the PPL Select Employer Group. With a strong connection to our membership, the Credit Union has slowly and carefully welcomed additional Select Employer Groups.

Branching out

In 2009, the Credit Union opened a 1,600 square foot branch within the PPL Plaza in downtown Allentown--the "GO Branch," followed in 2010 with a 6,400 square foot "LD Branch," and administrative headquarters, all focused on serving the growing membership. In 2014, that membership grew a little more when 820 members merged into our Credit Union family from the smaller Keystone First Credit Union, whose membership had also grown from within the PPL community.

In 2015, PPL Corporation split into two separate companies and the Credit Union continued to serve our membership by incorporating the new Talen Energy into our field of membership. Additional evolutions of PPL resulted in the Credit Union adapting to serve employees of Hansen Technologies (formerly PPL Solutions), and continuing to forge relationships with new Select Employer Groups that made sense for our membership.

New name, same heart

At our 2016 Annual Membership Meeting, the membership of PPL GOLD Credit Union voted to continue the evolution of our Credit Union's name to "GOLD Credit Union," and in October of 2018, GOLD Credit Union reinvented its presence at www.GOLDcu.org and throughout the web, and set the stage for the next surge of our Credit Union's evolution -- our digital evolution.

Our cooperative structure

As with most credit unions, our story begins with a small, passionate group of folks who were committed to the financial growth of their communities. They volunteered their time and efforts to nurturing their new financial cooperative. Being owned and controlled by its members, the Credit Union was able to provide value far exceeding that of traditional banks.

We remain dedicated to that same mission of people helping people today. It drives the development of our financial products and services and acts as the foremost motivation of our team members and volunteer Board of Directors.

Why join a Credit Union?

What separates credit unions like GOLD CU from other financial institutions? It's our not-for-profit and not-for-stockholders approach to banking that's based on putting our members' needs first.

Benefits of credit unions

Swoosh for What does the future hold for GOLD?

What does the future hold for GOLD?

These days, a solid financial foundation is more important than ever. To handle today's financial stressors, from the soaring costs of higher education to the cutthroat competition of the housing market, people need an advocate in their corner. We're proud to be that unflinching ally for our members.

As we look to the future, we're excited to apply the best emerging technology to provide our members with an even more satisfying banking experience. With increasingly personalized convenience services and industry-leading digital security, we're primed to remain your choice financial partner for life.

See the advantages that only credit union membership can bring.

Become a member of GOLD Credit Union today!

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