Oak Trust Credit Union

Our History
Who Can Join
Member Testimonials
Frequently Asked Questions
Newsletters
Annual Report

A Proud History of Serving Our Community
In 1964, a group of printers decided to pool their resources and create a credit union for their employees. Originally called Master Printers Credit Union, the organization founded by the Master Printers Section of the Printing Industry of Illinois, began serving printing companies in the greater Chicago area. With growth in Minnesota, the credit union changed its name to Oak Trust Credit Union several years ago. Today, our administrative office is located in Naperville, Illinois. We have one branch office in Villa Park, IL and one branch office in Eagan, Minnesota.

A Breed Apart - At Oak Trust Credit Union you're more than an account number – you’re a part of our family! Learn more about the Oak Trust difference from an interview with President and CEO, Jim Dean, featured in The Management Association of Illinois newsletter.

>>Back to Top

Who Can Join?
To become a member, you simply check the list below to see if you meet one of the criteria. If not, you can join the credit union by making a one-time, non-refundable donation of $1 to the Illinois Press Foundation.

You live or work in DuPage, Kane, Will, DeKalb, or Kendall County, or West of Route 12 in Western and Northwestern Cook County.

Your employer offers Oak Trust as part of its employee benefit package.

You are an employee of a newspaper affiliated with the Illinois Press Association.

You are a family member of an Oak Trust member.

The first step to membership is to make an initial deposit of $5 in a Regular Savings Account. Once you're a member at Oak Trust Credit Union, you're always a member, even if you move, change jobs, or retire. Simply complete a membership application form and submit it online or mail it to 1811 W. Diehl Road, suite 700 Naperville, IL 60563.

>> Back to Top

Frequently Asked Questions
What’s a Credit Union?
Who owns a credit union?
How did credit unions start?
What is the purpose of a credit union?

What's a Credit Union?
A credit union is a cooperative, not-for-profit financial institution organized to promote thrift and provide credit to members. It is member-owned and controlled through a board of directors elected by the membership. The board serves on a volunteer basis and may hire a management team to run the credit union. The board also establishes and revises policy, sets dividend and loan rates, and directs certain operations. The result: members are provided with a safe, convenient place to save and borrow at reasonable rates at an institution which exists to benefit them, not to make a profit.

Who owns a credit union?
Most financial institutions are owned by stockholders, who own a part of the institution and intend on making money from their investment. A credit union doesn't operate in that manner. Rather, each credit union member owns one "share" of the organization. The user of credit union services is also an owner, and is even entitled to vote on important issues, such as the election of member representatives to serve on the board of directors.

How did credit unions start?
The first credit union cooperatives started in Germany over a century ago. Today, credit unions are found everywhere in the world. The credit union movement started in this country in Manchester, New Hampshire. There, the St. Mary's Cooperative Credit Association, a church-affiliated credit union, opened its doors in 1909. Today, one in every three Americans is a credit union member.

What is the purpose of a credit union?
The primary purpose in furthering their goal of service is to encourage members to save money. Another purpose is to offer loans to members. In fact, credit unions have traditionally made loans to people of ordinary means. Credit unions can charge lower rates for loans (as well as pay higher dividends on savings) because they are nonprofit cooperatives. Rather than paying profits to stockholders, credit unions return earnings to members in the form of dividends or improved services.

>> Back to Top

Newsletters
Stay informed with what is new at your credit union. Click below to check out current and past editions of our quarterly newsletter.

Current Newsletter:
July 2010

Past Newsletters:
April 2010
January 2010
October 2009
July 2009
April 2009
January 2009

>> Back to Top

Annual Report
View highlights from 2008, including a message from the credit union President and Board Chairman as well as the financial health of Oak Trust, by clicking to our 2008 Annual Report.

>> Back to Top