Who We Are
We have been serving our members and our communities for 70 years.
Best Credit Union in the Twin Tiers
for THREE years in a row!
Each year, the Best of the Twin Tiers Awards celebrates and recognizes the best our community has to offer. We are so excited to be voted and named Best Credit Union in the Twin Tiers. We are grateful for your support and appreciate all of your votes!
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Our Roots Are Right Here
Our credit union was founded and chartered for business in 1954 by a group of 10 employees at the Ingersoll-Rand Company. Spearheaded by Harold Davis, the Ingersoll-Rand Union President, this group signed the original paperwork to have our credit union recognized by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). The credit union was named the Ingersoll-Rand Employees Federal Credit Union and served the employees, retirees and family members of the Ingersoll-Rand Company.
Expanding Our Footprint
The credit union remained closed to anyone outside of Ingersoll-Rand until the devastating flood of 1972 prompted the board and management to expand our membership base. In 1974, we petitioned the NCUA to expand our charter to include not only Ingersoll-Rand employees, retirees and their families, but also anyone who lived or worked in the town of Erwin, NY. Our name was then changed to IR-Erwin Federal Credit Union.
Mission Statement
"Our Family Helping Yours" by effectively improving the financial well-being and lives of our members.
Our Vision
To be the financial institution of choice by being the most trusted and respected financial leader in the communities we serve.
Become "First Heritage"
In 1984, the Credit Union became a multi-occupational credit union. We began recruiting a wide variety of member groups, businesses and organizations under the name First Heritage Federal Credit Union.
Over the years, the addition of numerous select employee groups dramatically increased our membership. We also entered into several friendly and unsolicited mergers with other area credit unions including: Oak Federal Credit Union (Elmira Heights, 1983), St. Joseph’s Hospital Employees Federal Credit Union (Elmira, 1984), Taynton Employees Federal Credit Union (Wellsboro, PA, 1984), Corning Hospital Employees Federal Credit Union (Corning, 1985) and GTE Wellsboro Federal Credit Union (Wellsboro, 1985).
Becoming A Community Charted Credit Union
First Heritage became a community chartered credit union in December 2001, with the ability to serve all people who live, work, worship, attend school or maintain a business or other legal entity as well as their immediate family members* in Chemung and Steuben counties of New York, and Tioga County of Pennsylvania. In September of 2022 we added an additional 8 counties including Livingston, Schuyler, Tioga, Allegany and Yates counties of New York, and the Bradford, Lycoming, Potter counties of Pennsylvania. The community charter allowed more of our friends and neighbors to take advantage of the many benefits of credit union membership.
Where We Are Today
In 2004, we welcomed members of NYSC Federal Credit Union into the First Heritage family. They were followed by Chemung County Federal Employees Federal Credit Union in 2006, CCSD Federal Credit Union in 2008, SSMH Federal Credit Union and Tioga Area Federal Credit Union in 2017 and Hornell Erie Federal Credit Union in 2018. We most recently welcomed Troy Area School Employees Federal Credit Union to the First Heritage Family in May of 2023.
We currently serve over 44,000 members in our community with our products and services that we continuously improve and expand. Our commitment to being a leader in banking technology led us to be one of the first financial institutions in our geographic area to offer remote deposit capabilities to our members.
Our credit union and our staff are committed to strengthening our communities. Each year, we make monetary donations to local charities and volunteer countless hours with several area non-profit organizations.
*Immediate family member is defined as spouse, sibling, children, parent, grandparent, or grandchild. For our membership purposes, immediate family member includes stepparent, stepchildren, step-siblings, and adoptive relationships in this definition. Household is defined as persons living in the same residence maintaining a single economic unit. Membership eligibility is extended only to individuals who are members of an immediate family or household of an eligible credit union member. Remember, it is not necessary for the primary eligible member to join the Credit Union in order for the immediate family member to join.