The Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU)
The Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) was set up by a small group of credit unions in 1960 to represent and service affiliated credit unions on the island of Ireland. The ILCU is the representative body for 508 credit unions on the island of Ireland. Membership of the ILCU is open to every credit union in Ireland. Credit unions are Ireland's successful financial co-operatives run by - and for - their almost 3 million members. Credit unions hold €11.9 bn of savings; €15.1bn in assets and (at over €750m) are Ireland's leading providers of social finance.
In short the ILCU:
- Promotes the credit union idea and ethos.
- Represents affiliated credit unions with Government, the EU and other agencies.
- Provides central services to credit unions
The ILCU focus and direction is centred on products and services under the following headings:
Trade/representative association
As the representative voice of the credit union movement in Ireland, the ILCU work in the best interests of all credit unions. This involves:
- Lobbying & Representation
- Marketing & Communications
- Co-operative Relations & Internal Development
- Centralised Planning & Democratic Support
- Research & Development
- Legal & Secretariat Services
- International Relations
Monitoring/supervisory activities
The key to creating a balance between a commercial focus and the special ethos of the credit union movement is to establish and maintain a culture of self-regulation throughout the organisation.
Such activities include:
- Data Collection & Monitoring
- Supervision & Support
- Savings Protection Scheme
Business support service
Advice, guidance and assistance with day-to-day operations and on a range of other issues are critical elements of the ILCU’s Business Support Service.
It covers such areas as:
- Insurance
- Treasury Management
- Training
- Credit Union Development
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
