In 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, when thousands of banks around the country were closing their doors, we opened ours. It was a move that paid off handsomely for educators throughout California. First Financial’s vision from the very beginning was to serve California’s educational community. That’s been our focus since day one and we’re now recognized as the premier credit union for California’s educational community. We were first known as the California Teachers Association Southern Section Credit Union (CTASSCU). At that time, we were a state-chartered credit union and shared the same Board of Directors and staff of the California Teachers Association (CTA).

Over the years, our focus on the needs of the California educational community has been rewarded by our loyal membership. By 1951, the credit union had grown to $1 million in assets. Our members continued to entrust us with their financial well-being, and by 1964, the credit union reached $18 million in assets.

Granted a federal charter in 1974, we changed our name to the California Teachers Federal Credit Union and our assets totaled over $67 million. During the ‘70s, we also installed our first online data processing system and opened several new branches, increasing our ability to serve members’ needs with speed and convenience.

In 1983, our name changed to First Financial Federal Credit Union, and with the support of our members, we continued to build the strength of the credit union toward the $100 million asset milestone. We moved our headquarters from Glendale to West Covina in 1986, and increased member convenience with the opening of the Telephone Service Center in 1988.

We started the ‘90s by opening a separate real estate lending department to better serve the real estate needs of our growing membership. While California’s banks were merging or being sold to out-of-state banks, First Financial continued to grow as our members built their financial futures at this not-for-profit, educator-focused credit union.

By the end of the ‘90s, we returned to a state charter, and changed our name to First Financial Credit Union (FFCU).

Today, with 15 branches throughout Southern California, First Financial’s assets have surpassed $500 million, making us one of the largest credit unions in California.

For over 75 years, First Financial has been providing better banking to members, consistently demonstrating our commitment with our time- and money-saving products and services designed specifically for the needs of the California educational community. We continue to uphold a focus on educators, maintaining a charter and mission statement that emphasize our dedication to the educational community. In fact, our Board of Directors consists solely of current and retired educators, ensuring that the educational community will remain our focus on an ongoing basis.

We have held steadfast to our commitment and have not changed our focus nor abandoned our relationship with members over the years for the general public (as many credit unions did or have done to their core membership).