Apr 24, 2015 2 min read

Washington Community Federal Credit Union has a shiny new name – Chrome FCU.

The local financial institution, which has locations on Racetrack Road, North Strabane Township, and Griffith Avenue in Washington, has $131 million in assets and 11,000 members. It announced the rebranding campaign Friday in a news release.

In addition to the new name, the organization is also developing a new website and expanding its flagship store.

“Chrome is simply good banking,” said Christopher George, president and chief executive officer. “To us, that means easy-to-use accounts, less fees, more stores and smart people who can’t wait to help. We’ll also be serving up state-of-the-art online and mobile banking, ‘Chrome Confidence’ privacy and security assurance, and more.”

The employees of Washington Steel Corp. founded the credit union in 1971, and it later expanded to serve all residents of Washington and Greene counties. Last year brought new leadership and vision under George, and the institution’s management team went to work creating a new culture unified under what it believes will become a challenger brand in the Pittsburgh region.

“Washington Community FCU was lengthy to say, tough to write and hard to remember,” explained Amanda Lunger, vice president and chief brand officer. “We were also getting confused with the many other banks and credit unions in the area that have the word ‘Washington’ in their name.

“What we’re doing is special and different, and we wanted our name to reflect that while paying homage to what got us here, which is steel.”

Chrome is rebuilding its flagship store at 440 Racetrack Road, doubling it in size to include a community room/small business incubator. It is also working on a new website, updated online/mobile banking and seeking expansion into new markets.

Lunger said Chrome will also continue to maintain its branch at 45 Griffith Ave.

“We are flipping the model upside down. We feel banking is going digital, and everyone holds a bank in their pocket,” George added. “The store is there to host a conversation about financial goals, so we can explain how we can make our customers’ lives easier with our simple products and services.”

The Racetrack Road store remodel and the new chromefcu.org website are scheduled for completion in July.