To comply with the COVID-19 health and safety regulations, each conversion was completed remotely. Teams remained connected throughout the weekend to ensure all tasks were communicated and completed with no stones left unturned.
With the six hour difference between Eastern Time and Hawaii Time, Cross Valley Federal Credit Union ($167 million assets; 19,200 members; Wilkes-Barre, PA) announced they were live on the KeyStone platform and open for member service with HFS Federal Credit Union ($596 million assets; 50,900 members; Hilo, HI) making their announcement shortly thereafter. Both occurred on Monday, June 1st, 2020.

“We were very fortunate to pair our really great team with a really great team from Corelation. They [the Corelation team] have consistently demonstrated patience, responsiveness, and a willingness to collaborate,” explained Cross Valley Federal Credit Union President/CEO Traci Donahue. “Throughout the project, we also developed strong relationships with fellow Corelation clients. Advisory Board member, Becky Reed, reached out to us prior to conversion and provided valuable guidance. There is no other core that has a strong and supportive community like Corelation; their clients really are a cooperative group of people.”

“Even though the Corelation team remotely worked from a couple thousand miles away, it seemed as if they were right here with us. They have an excellent team of knowledgeable individuals,” recognized HFS Federal Credit Union President/CEO Nathan Abe. “From the beginning, Corelation has made us feel like partners in this journey; we look forward to our long-term strategic partnership and our future success.”

In following suit with what the Corelation community is known for - helping fellow credit unions, Cross Valley and HFS shared their words of wisdom for future converting clients.

“Use all of your resources, ask questions, utilize the abundance of information stored on Confluence, and more importantly, trust the process. The Corelation team knows what they’re doing, and we are open to being a resource as well,” added Donahue.

“Preparation is key. The countless hours were well worth it and we couldn’t have done it without the dedication and commitment of our staff and of the Corelation team. We were apprehensive about switching from an onsite conversion to a remote conversion a couple of months prior to go-live, but Corelation assured us that we could do it, and we did. Trust the process; it works,” shared Abe. “Lastly, communicate clearly and effectively. No matter how small it may be, communicate the information to all staff.”

Congratulations to Cross Valley Federal Credit Union and HFS Federal Credit Union for having successful conversions!
“One cannot underestimate the power of cooperative environments and supportive relationships,” expressed Corelation President/CEO Theresa Benavidez. “The diligence exhibited by our team, Cross Valley Federal Credit Union, and HFS Federal Credit Union validates that conversions can be successful even when we are forced to work remotely. We will remain interconnected.”