Long-time Executive Retires from Consumers Credit Union

Waukegan, IL, June 6, 2017: Consumers Credit Union (CCU; $1.1 Billion, Waukegan, IL) has announced the retirement of James A. (Jim) Roche as its President. Jim has enjoyed a distinguished career in the credit union movement since 1983. During that time, he held management positions in administration, finance, operations, and lending from 1983 to 1994. He became President of Consumers Credit Union in November 2015 as part of the merger between CCU and Premier Credit Union in Palatine.

Jim has brought much more than just management expertise to the five credit unions he worked for during his career. For much of that time, he served as an officer for the Northern Cook County Chapter of credit unions, where he also took on the responsibility of Legislative Forum Representative, connecting with elected officials at the local, state and federal levels. Additionally, Jim was a Director for the Credit Union Executive Society Illinois Council from 1999 until 2007, including terms as Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. In 1998, Jim was honored as Executive of the Year for credit unions with assets under $50 Million.

When asked to sum up his credit union career, Jim said, "I always got the most satisfaction from helping Members find ways to improve themselves financially. Many of these folks were first-time credit union Members and were quite surprised when we took the time to help them get the lowest loan rates or find a savings plan that worked best for them. Those opportunities really made my day - many times over during my career."

"I also was quite proud of the way Consumers and Premier Credit Unions joined hands in 2015," continued Roche. "We were able to find a partner that provided two factors very important to me: expanded products and more services for our Members, while providing outstanding career opportunities for our employees. The merger has really lived up to both of those standards."

According to Sean M. Rathjen, CCU's CEO, "Our combined credit union is now stronger thanks to Jim's efforts. He brought a wealth of experience and perspective to the table that really helped the process. Fortunately, we're not letting go quite so easily; Jim has agreed to continue representing the credit union at community events and assisting with our outreach to elected officials for the immediate future. Thank you, Jim!"

A picture of James A. Roche is included. For more information about his retirement or about employment opportunities at Consumers Credit Union, please contact Sean M. Rathjen, CEO, at 847.782.4670. CCU is Member-owned, with offices in Waukegan, Mundelein, Round Lake Beach, Gurnee, North Waukegan, Volo, Palatine, Schaumburg and Northbrook, Illinois … and online at www.myconsumers.org.