Citadel Credit Union is reinforcing its dedication to supporting the communities it serves across Chester, Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, Lancaster, and Philadelphia counties through ongoing community initiatives.

Corporate Responsibility

In July 2023, Citadel formalized its corporate giving and volunteer program, Citadel Cares, with a commitment of more than $2 million in the next four years and 700 hours of employee volunteerism logged so far. With an already strong track record of giving back to the community, the launch of Citadel Cares allows the credit union to empower and support those in need across Greater Philadelphia by contributing to four key areas: Education & Youth Prosperity, Health & Wellness, Building & Development, and Food Security.

Guided by these pillars, Citadel Cares provides opportunities for the credit union, its employees, and members to give back in the spirit of Building Strength Together through donations, grants, volunteerism, donation drives, and sponsorships of charitable events.

In 2023, Citadel supported a variety of community impact efforts across Greater Philadelphia. Of note, those donations included:

• $292,000 to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Cancer Center
• $60,000 in grants to local teachers and school districts through the Citadel Heart of Learning program
• More than $37,000 to United Way
• $40,000 to Community Volunteers in Medicine
• $20,000 to the Chester County Food Bank
• $12,500 to Good Works
• More than 700 volunteer hours from employees

Later this year, Citadel will be the exclusive presenting sponsor for the CHOP Parkway Run & Walk as part of a multi-year partnership. Citadel is also an active participant in the Montgomery County Financial Reality Fair, the Philadelphia Financial Scholars Entrepreneurship Workshop program, and the First Front Door (FFD) and First Front Door Keys to Equity (Keys) funds. As part of Citadel’s commitment to financial literacy, the company frequently publishes free webinars to educate the public on mortgage lending and investing. Citadel is currently working to expand its webinar series to include additional topics on financial education.

In May, Citadel will announce the winners of its Heart of Learning Award, one of its longest-standing initiatives. Started 23 years ago in partnership with the Chester County Intermediate Unit, the program recognizes local teachers in the Greater Philadelphia communities Citadel serves who show dedication in and outside of the classroom. Prizes will total $60,000 for the winning teachers in the region, along with a glass heart award for each winner. Since the program’s inception, more than 400 teachers have been honored out of thousands of annual submissions, and more than $410,000 has been awarded in teacher grants. Citadel’s Heart of Learning Award Program is a representation of its commitment to serving those who work every day to build a better future for all.

“Since joining Citadel in late 2023, I’ve been proud to become a part of the team’s ongoing efforts to achieve growth and stability while enhancing Citadel’s presence in our communities,” said Bill Brown, Citadel’s President and CEO. “Our focus in 2024 is to be accessible, affordable, and convenient for the people of Southeast Pennsylvania and to embrace business transformation to offer better experiences, better delivery, and streamlined processes from end to end while continuing our longstanding commitments to corporate responsibility and building financial strength in our communities.”

Growth & Stability

In 2023, Citadel’s assets increased $228 million to $5.8 billion — a 4.1 percent increase. Throughout the year, Citadel continued to have strong deposit growth at 2.5 percent percent from the prior year. Loan growth gained momentum as well, growing 4.2 percent year-over-year. YoY loans grew $205 million and deposits grew $116 million.

Fully documented in its 2023 Annual Report, Citadel experienced a 20-year cumulative annualized growth rate (CAGR) of 12 percent between 2003 and 2023. Over the past three years, Citadel’s overall asset growth was $1.5 billion. Since 2005, Citadel experienced its most significant growth — more than $4.7 billion in assets, as the company has expanded to serve the broader region beyond its early roots in Chester County.

Online & Mobile Banking Upgraded

With additions such as customized dashboards, free credit score monitoring, custom account alerts, card controls, and financial wellness tools, Citadel upgraded its Online & Mobile Banking platform in May 2023 to make it easier for members to manage their accounts.

Citadel also expanded its virtual assistant capabilities beyond voice calls to include online chatbot functionality on CitadelBanking.com and within Online & Mobile Banking. Users can now ask questions of the virtual assistant, Adel, get answers, and if additional help is needed, Adel can also connect users to a Citadel representative via live chat or video chat during normal business hours. Since its launch, Adel responded to a total of 83,000 member chats in 2023, decreasing call volumes, wait times, and allowing Citadel employees to spend more time one-on-one with members who have more complex requests.

These upgrades were a significant part of the credit union’s strategic plan to provide membership with more digital tools and easy, secure ways to access their account information.

Financial Wellness & Security

In 2023, Citadel also expanded its focus on financial wellness and security resources for members and the community. A new hub was published to consolidate educational articles, tools, videos, tips, and other financial literacy content that’s available any time for people to learn more about topics like building a budget, saving money, managing debt, living in retirement, borrowing money, and running a business. The credit union also updated its account security content to help members and others spot red flags, avoid scams, and prevent fraud. As individuals are faced with new security threats and financial challenges every day, Citadel remains committed to providing the content, tools, and guidance to help members overcome and thrive.