DigitalMailer’s “Biggest Losers Club” brings weighty cost savings to credit unions in 2006
Postage rate hike reaffirms using eStatements; DMI clients to save $1.5 million this year

Herndon, Va. Jan. 9, 2006 – DigitalMailer’s New Year resolution is all about helping credit unions lose weight … the weight of a whole lot of paper that credit unions use to mail monthly statements to their members. And with the January 8 postage rate increases, DigitalMailer says members of its “Biggest Losers Club” will see even greater cost benefits – more than $1.5 million this year alone.

 “With some 6,000 of our members receiving eStatements, we’ve saved more than $41,000 in the past three years, and we expect the savings to grow even more this year.” said Chris Mazuran, E-commerce director at First Financial Credit Union, West Covina, Calif., and one of DigitalMailers “Biggest Losers. “Our members are happy, too. They get on-time delivery, and the eStatements are well-organized and easy to read,” he said.

First Financial is one of 17 credit unions named to DigitalMailer’s “Biggest Losers Club,” defined by reaching an eStatement adoption rate of 9.2 percent or higher. (The 9.2 percent  average adoption rate is the DMI benchmark, defined as total eStatements users divided by total members.) DigitalMailer says many of these credit unions have used its marketing materials and assistance to successfully grow their eStatement adoption rates through promotional give-aways or by making eStatements the default statement delivery option.

“It’s relatively easy for credit unions to get started using eStatements, and the cost savings are almost immediate,” said Ron Daly, president/CEO of DigitalMailer. “When you add the 5.4 percent hike in postage rates to the rising costs of paper and printing, the savings add up quickly. And considering that printed statements are growing longer (and, thus, heavier) as members increase their use of debit and AMT cards, the savings are even more significant.” Constellation Federal Credit Union, Falls Church, Va., another “Biggest Losers” member, says every time an account holder is added to the eStatements program, that’s dollars to the bottom line.

“We’ve saved more than $12,000 from January through October – about a dollar per member,” said Nancy Fairfax, marketing director at Constellation. “Our members like the service – they really like the fact that our eStatements are archived for 12 months; we didn’t have that availability with our previous service provider.”

DigitalMailer is working to add more members to its “Biggest Loser Club” during the next year, and the timing couldn’t be better, says Daly.

“Most credit unions know that eStatements can provide tremendous benefits over paper statements – convenience, efficiencies, and cost savings,” he said. “But now, with the recent jump in postage costs, credit unions can add another reason to consider switching to eStatements.”

CitizensFirst Credit Union, Oshkosh, Wis., another member of DigitalMailer’s “Biggest Losers Club,” says the eStatement program is a simple concept that is very effective and well-liked by members.

“Our cost savings has been great and, even better, members’ satisfaction level is nothing short of tremendous,” said Chris Jenkinson, vice president at CitizensFirst, which has used the eStatements program since 2001.

For more information on DigitalMailer’s eStatement programs, call (866) 994-4900, or visit www.digitalmailer.com.

DigitalMailer, Inc. (www.DigitalMailer.com) develops and produces digital communications services for credit unions. DigitalMailer’s innovative eStatement, e-LERT, eCheck and eSurvey services help credit unions and CUSOs gain a strategic business advantage over competitors via the Internet and their website. For more information, contact DigitalMailer directly at 866-994-4900, or via e-mail at info@digitalmailer.com.

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