What Is A Credit Union?

Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives serving members who share something in common – employment, association membership, or residence in a particular geographic area. More than 115 million U.S. consumers are member-owners of and receive all or part of their financial services from the nation’s 5,000+ credit unions. Learn more about credit unions and what we offer from our state association, CrossState Credit Union Association! 

Our History

Ford City PPG Federal Credit Union was chartered in 1958 to serve the employees of PPG Plant No. 5 in Ford City, PA. We have always been based in Ford City, and on Ford Street since 1965! In 1992, the board of directors approved offering credit union services to other employer groups in Armstrong County, of which Armstrong County Memorial Hospital was the first, eventually reaching over 110 select employer groups. 1995 brought big changes…our name was changed to Armstrong Associates FCU, we began offering home equity loans, and dropped the six-month waiting period–since then, you can now open an account and apply for a loan the same day. In April 2000, we opened our first branch in the West Hills Industrial Park. We were granted a Low-Income Community Charter in 2003 to serve all persons who live, work, worship, attend school, volunteer, and businesses and other legal entities in Armstrong County.  Our Lending and Financial Education Center opened in June of 2009, and we joined the Shared Branch Network, giving our members access to their accounts at more than 5,000 locations nationwide. We have also expanded our products and services offerings, adapted to legislative and regulatory changes and requirements, and increased our presence in our communities. We look forward to future challenges and providing the best products and services to our members!

Our Mission

Armstrong Associates Federal Credit Union believes in the philosophy of “not for profit, not for charity – but for service.” Our mission is to protect members’ assets while providing a high degree of products and services and a fair rate on loans and shares.

Philosophy & Structure

Founded on the basic democratic premise of the cooperative movement, your Credit Union believes that access to low-cost financial services is critical to the health and stability of ordinary citizens. Credit unions are democratically owned and controlled institutions based on ‘people helping people’ principles. Credit union boards of directors are elected by members; each member has an equal vote, regardless of how much he or she has on deposit. Only members may serve as directors, and directors serve without compensation. Credit unions have no outside stockholders, so after reserves are set aside, earnings are returned to members in the form of higher dividends on savings, lower loan rates, and lower-cost services.

AAFCU Is Active in the Community

Your credit union staff put the statement “people helping people” into action by volunteering their time and talents in a variety of ways. Many staff members serve on boards, councils, and committees; we are active in a variety of community organizations; and we are happy to help anytime we can.

As a group, we volunteer our time in many ways. For several years, we participated in the annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Armstrong County’s major fundraiser, as a sponsor and fielding teams comprised of credit union staff members and their family and friends. We also worked in the bingo tent at Heritage Days, and have had a team, the Credit Union Hikers with Hope, at the Ford City Relay for Life for many years.

We have participated in the Armstrong County Community Action Agency’s Christmas Adopt-A-Family program. For many years, we have adopted families with young children, providing them with a happy holiday. This program is possible through funds collected from our Dress Down Days, matching funds and other generous donations from staff. Our staff also participates in local Light Up Nights, 5K Races, and many other events and activities.

We sponsor local events when we can, and we advertise our credit union and the services we provide wherever possible.

We have gladly provided tours of our offices and discussions on money and financial topics to groups and organizations. If you are interested in such a program for your organization, contact the Marketing department.

We thank our members for their support of our activities and we welcome your involvement with us!

AAFCU Locations

Two Branch Locations!

AAFCU has two locations available for your convenience!

Shared Branch Network

AAFCU participates in the CO-OP Shared Branch Network. This makes over 5,000 locations across the United States available to you, at no cost, for basic financial services. You can be on vacation, out of town for work, or visiting relatives far from home and need access to your credit union accounts. You can visit any Shared Branch location, the same as if you are in our lobby, for transactions such as deposits, withdrawals, and transfers. Visit the locator at https://co-opcreditunions.org/locator/ or call (888) 748-3266. There is also an app available on the Apple App Store, or you can text a zip code to 91989 to find nearby ATM and Shared Branch locations (SB=Shared Branch; SBX=Shared Branch Express). Just look for this logo on the front door of Shared Branch locations!

ATM Locations

Your credit union offers a drive-through ATM located at the West Hills Office. If you use your AAFCU credit or debit card, we will not charge a fee for you to use our machine. If you use your AAFCU card at a different machine, the owner of that machine may charge you a fee.  If you use a card from another financial institution at our ATM, there will be a fee.