CU Realty Services' Expansion in Illinois Continues with Credit Union 1

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Feb. 15, 2018 - PRLog -- Credit Union 1 has partnered with CU Realty Services to offer HomeAdvantage®, a turnkey real estate program that helps make homeownership more affordable. This is the seventh Illinois-based credit union to partner with CU Realty Services, the largest real estate CUSO in the U.S., bringing HomeAdvantage to more than 500,000 CU members in the Prairie State.

Headquartered in Rantoul, Illinois, Credit Union 1—with $818 million in assets—serves almost 102,000 members at 23 locations. It is the 10th largest CU in a state where the real estate market has remained relatively flat for two years. In Illinois, HomeAdvantage is now being used by five of the state's top 12 largest CUs.

HomeAdvantage was designed to help CUs engage and support more home buyers much earlier in the home-buying process and stay positioned to earn their mortgage business. The program provides members with online access to the real estate tools and support they need to buy and sell their homes: online property listings, recent sales data, neighborhood demographics, a network of reputable real estate agents and more.

Members who use the program to buy or sell a home see savings at closing through HomeAdvantage Cash Rewards. When members use a real estate agent in the HomeAdvantage network, they qualify to earn a cash-back benefit equal to 20 percent of the agent's commission. HomeAdvantage Cash Rewards average $1,570 in savings per transaction.

As a result, credit unions see significant wins including increases in application volume and closings. Many CUs often report pull-through rates of 80 percent or higher after implementing the program.

"We are excited about partnering with Credit Union 1," said Tina Powers, chief operating officer at CU Realty Services. "This is our seventh implementation in the Illinois market so we're proud to see HomeAdvantage become a proven, go-to solution for a wide variety of credit unions and their members."

About CU Realty Services, LLC

CU Realty Services provides real estate services to credit unions across the nation, helping them increase their purchase mortgage business. Launched in 2001, the CUSO has worked with more than 100 credit unions and mortgage CUSOs nationwide to offer its turnkey real estate program, HomeAdvantage. Through the program, credit union members can search for homes, research neighborhoods, calculate costs of homeownership, connect to experienced real estate agents, and earn HomeAdvantage Cash Rewards. By offering this program to members, credit unions are able to attract, identify and engage more home buyers, and consequently close more loans. To learn more, visit www.curealty.com.

About Credit Union 1

In 2018, Credit Union 1 celebrates 60 years of providing convenient and competitive financial services to our valued members. In 1958, Chanute Military Credit Union opened its doors on the Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, IL to serve military personnel and their families. Over the years we have expanded our field of membership and changed our name to Credit Union 1 in 1982. Today, we proudly serve over 100,000 members. www.creditunion1.org