Wauna Federal Credit Union was chartered in 1967 by a group of local residents who recognized the advantages associated with having their own local credit union. The Credit Union name was selected due to the original common bond that our founders shared as employees of the Crown Zellerbach Paper Company (now known as Georgia Pacific Paper Company), located in Wauna, Oregon.
As the popularity of our Credit Union grew, other nearby residents requested the opportunity to become members, too. This prompted our volunteer board of directors to apply to the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), a federal government agency that oversees the credit union industry, to expand our field of membership so others could join.
Over the years a number of field of membership expansions were approved to the point where Wauna Federal Credit Union today is authorized to serve all the residents and businesses in Clatsop and Columbia Counties (Oregon), and Pacific County (Washington).
The combination of strong growth, popularity, and sound management practices, also led to the merger of smaller credit unions, such as Vernonia Credit Union. These mergers helped to ensure those members could benefit from the additional services that smaller credit unions might not be able to deliver.
Our most recent field of membership expansion occurred during the spring of 2012 when we were authorized to expand our geographic field of membership to include Pacific County, Washington, due to the request of many underserved residents in the small population county.