February 15, 2011, New York City - Former baseball great and Brooklyn native John Franco has been named the new spokesperson for Municipal Credit Union. In an agreement announced today by MCU President/CEO Kam Wong, Franco will become the first spokesperson in the credit union’s 96-year history. Franco will be featured in MCU’s advertising campaign on television and in other media. He will also make public appearances on behalf of the credit union.
“We are excited to welcome John Franco into the MCU family,” said MCU President/CEO Kam Wong. “He truly embodies what it means to be a New Yorker and an MCU member. First, John is member of the extended MCU family. His father was a city employee and MCU member, so he and his family have a direct connection to MCU. In addition, John’s tremendous passion, dedication, and hard work ethic, which led to his great success in professional baseball, are values we know our members respect. These combined make John the perfect person to represent MCU.”
"The partnership with John Franco marks the first celebrity spokesperson in the credit union’s 96-year history. According to MCU Vice President of Marketing Steve Kibitel, this is a necessary step to distinguish MCU as a high-quality brand in a heavily saturated market. “MCU has been New York’s best kept secret in regards to quality financial institutions. Recently, we have made positive steps to become a more well-known brand, and John’s presence as a spokesperson for our brand will certainly increase our visibility and consumer awareness,” explained Kibitel."
Franco, who holds the major league baseball record for saves by a left-handed reliever, spent 22 seasons in the major leagues, mainly in Cincinnati and home in New York. Franco, who was drafted out of St. John’s University and is a graduate of Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, is excited to begin his partnership with MCU. “When I first heard that MCU was interested in having me as its spokesperson, I couldn’t have been more excited. Like me, MCU is all about reliability and being there when it matters most. MCU was there for my dad to help him reach his financial goals, which in turn, helped me achieve my dream of playing professional baseball. I am honored MCU has chosen me to represent them and the great work they do in the New York community,” said Franco.
The new advertising campaign ,which will launch on February 21st, is created by Vanguard Direct in New York City.
Municipal Credit Union (MCU) is the oldest credit union in New York State and one of the oldest and largest in the country. Established in 1916 and headquartered in New York City, today MCU has assets of over $1.6 billion and offers a full range of financial services to over 320,000 members. With branches in New York City, Westchester and Long Island, members also have access to the credit union’s large and growing ATM network. Eligibility to open accounts at MCU is available to New York City and Yonkers municipal employees; state and federal employees who work in the five boroughs; health care professionals who work in New York State; members of select industry groups; employees of private colleges in New York City and private and public colleges in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester; certain family members, and qualifying retirees. MCU is an equal opportunity lender and deposits are federally insured to at least $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), a U.S. government agency. For more information about Municipal Credit Union, visit www.nymcu.org.
