Capitol Credit Union Succeeding by Leveraging Dolphin Debit Capabilities

Pierre Cardenas

​Working with Dolphin Debit has enabled Capitol Credit Union in Texas to pursue an aggressive, cost-effective strategy of generating members in areas where it doesn’t yet have branches – and prioritizing those areas for branches in the near future.
 
Capitol CU, based in Austin, is a primarily SEG-focused credit union for state government employees and other groups, and has been working with Dolphin Debit for seven years. It is only recently, though, that Capitol has begun taking advantage of new Dolphin capabilities in strategic ATM and branch placement.
 
With a fleet of 10 ATMs, each Capitol branch is outfitted with one machine, as are seven other locations in central Texas. It’s an approach Capitol is enthused about.
 
“Normally we would have to consider putting in a branch and making it an expensive proposition,” said Pierre Cardenas, President and CEO at Capitol CU. “But with the depository off-premise drive-up units, our members in high-density markets where we don't have a footprint are able to do their transactions.”
 
One feature Dolphin Debit enabled for Capitol is integration with the credit union’s core system that allows the credit union to immediately give depositors credit for their deposits, rather than making them wait several days. Nightly, the deposits are checked against risk data and immediately credited to the account for those members with good records.
 
Cardenas said Dolphin also steps up to handle ATM challenges for Capitol CU, such as when the credit union wanted an ATM at the state capitol building. The area around the building allows no cars, making it a big challenge for someone to drive in regularly to replenish the cash supply. Cardenas said Dolphin was instrumental in working with a preservation committee to find a solution.
 
“We are actively working with Dolphin Debit in helping us identify new locations and markets,” Cardenas noted. “Dolphin is helping us strategically locate high-density locations for placing these depository drive-up units in new emerging markets. With new
 
technology and capabilities to enhance and expand the use of these depository units, it keeps us in a strong competitive position in our market space.”
 
“We're only so big,” Cardenas continued. “But we present ourselves much bigger than we really are with the right partner and help consumers see us as competitive and good at what we do. That is helping us capture business that we otherwise would never get.”
 
“Clearly, ATMs are a huge part of the Capitol Credit Union strategy,” said Joe Woods, Joe Woods, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships for Dolphin Debit. “They are taking what we offer and using it to powerful advantage, both in serving existing members and finding the best locations to invest in physical branches.”

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