About us

It all comes back to our Members

Community First has been in operation for more than 60 years having started in 1959 as the Sydney Water Board Officers Credit Union Co-Op. Community First strives to offer members something different and truly puts members first in the delivery of products and services which help them achieve their personal financial goals.

Today, Community First has over 1 billion dollars in assets, has store locations stretching from the Sutherland Shire, the Hunter Region, Western Sydney and in between. As one of Sydney’s largest community based credit unions, we are member owned and run for the benefit of our members, not for external shareholder profit. We aim to continue to be an integral part of the communities in which our Members live and work.

Our proud heritage

When a small group of Sydney Water Board employees sat around a table in 1959 to help their colleagues access finance, they could never have imagined that their organisation would grow to over $1 billion in assets backed by a Sydney wide store footprint and an extensive digital presence across Australia.

A lot has changed since 1959, but some things stay the same. Our mission of helping members achieve their financial goals by building relationships for mutual benefit is unwavering. Today, we continue to deliver on our promise to benefit members through superior service, fairer fees and competitive interest rates on savings and loans. Quite simply, our model of people helping people has stood the test of time.

Safe and secure

Since 1959, Community First has focused on building financial relationships that deliver on its promise to benefit members through standards of service superior to its competitors, fairer fees and competitive interest rates on savings and loans.

As an authorised Deposit-taking Institution, Community First is regulated in the same way as all other Australian banks, which means we meet the same strict, legally-enforceable standards. Plus, all deposits up to $250,000 are 100% guaranteed by the Government’s Financial Claims Scheme, giving you added peace of mind. We recognise the integral role clubs play in the community and we’re proud of our heritage of people helping people.  

Read about Community First’s first 50 years via our ebook  here