About Us

The first credit union in Ireland was formed in the late 1950s. St Declan’s Ashbourne Credit Union Limited was founded in 1970. Considerable discussion took place regarding what name to give the new credit union and “Ashbourne Credit Union” was suggested. However as there is no townland of that name, there was a suggestion that “Killegland” should be used in the name. Killegland is often explained as “Cill Dheaglan”, or the Church of Saint Declan, and so the name agreed by all was St. Declan’s Ashbourne Credit Union. Sean Conway was elected as the first Chairman of the Board of Directors with Mick McHale as Treasurer and Lil Regan as Secretary.

The credit union first premises was a converted shed beside the Parish Hall. The initial opening hours were from 8pm to 9pm Monday and Friday and Sunday mornings from 11.15am to 12.30pm. As the membership grew In the early 1980’s the credit union purchased the old Bank of Ireland premises beside Conway’s Pharmacy and the first employees joined the credit union. The building was extended in 1995 but by the late 1990’s it was obvious that the credit union had outgrown these premises. In 1999 the credit union purchased a site from Meath Co.Council and the current office was constructed and opened in April 1999.

St Declans Ashbourne Credit Union is firmly rooted within the community and our core value is to serve our members and the community, whilst striving to maintain the highest professional standards. We look to recruit enthusiastic, friendly and motivated employees.

We Are Looking For Volunteers! Have you ever considered making a difference in your Credit Union and becoming a volunteer?

We are looking to form a panel of volunteers from the members of the Credit Union, if you feel like you have what it takes we would love to hear from you! If you are interested in contributing to your community by volunteering in your local credit union, please contact us for more information. All volunteers are subject to the normal fitness and probity regimes for credit unions as outlined by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Why Volunteer?

• It will help our community
• It will enhance your Credit Union
• It will improve your communication skills
• It will add experience

An AGM is held for every financial year, annual reports are available for our members to see the performance of the credit union.

Privacy Policy

The purpose of this guide is to provide you with insight into how best to safeguard the funds in your credit union account. Regardless of the amount of your savings, all members should be aware of the methods of how to best manage their money, as well as how to protect and safeguard their money from financial abuse and fraud.

All persons are potentially vulnerable to financial abuse, but this is particularly the case where you are dependent on another person to do your day-to-day transactions, owing to a physical or mental incapacity as a result of an illness, a learning disability, a bereavement, or other circumstances where you need the help of another to take care of your money.

Full guide to protecting your account.

The Central Credit Register is a national database that helps lenders make accurate credit decisions. By law* for loans over €500, we are required to ask for and process your information for the Central Credit Register *Central Reporting Act 2013

Information about the following loans are included on the Central Credit Register:

• Mortgages
• Overdrafts
• Credit card
• Personal loans

The Central Credit Register is a national database that will, on request, provide:

• A borrower with an individual credit report detailing their credit agreements;
• A lender with comprehensive information to help with credit assessments; and
• The Central Bank with better insights into national trends in the provision of credit.

The Credit Reporting Act 2013 requires us to process your personal and credit information for the Central Credit Register. Since 30 June 2017, we will submit personal information to the Central Credit Register that we may already have about you, like:

• Your name
• Address
• Date of birth; and
• Personal public service number (PPSN) - a very important piece of information for matching purposes

The Central Credit Register needs this information to make sure it accurately matches your loans, including loans that you may have with other lenders. Producing a full and accurate credit report is one of the main aims of the Central Credit Register. We will also submit credit information each month about your loans, if the loan is for €500 or more.

Your loan information will be stored securely on the Central Credit Register where it will be used to create your credit report. The Central Credit Register will not calculate a score or grade for your credit report. Information will be kept on the Central Credit Register for five years after your loan is paid off.

Credit Reports are available from the Central Credit Register. You may request your report at any time and are entitled to one free report each calendar year.
Lenders may only access your credit report.

• When considering an application for a new loan;
• If you ask to change the terms of a loan; or
• If they are reviewing a loan in arrears.

Employers, landlords, or any other person or entity cannot access your credit report without your written consent.

More details can be found at www.centralcreditregister.ie. If you have any other questions about any of your loans with us, you can call us at 01 8351177

Complaint Mechanism No. 1 - Informal Complaint

This will generally be the first option for members who wish to make a complaint to the Credit Union and will result in resolution without escalation. An informal complaint can be made orally or in writing. When a written complaint has been received, it should be acknowledged in writing within two business days. Each complainant should be given a copy of the Credit Union’s policy and any relevant Rules with respect to complaints. In particular, the complainant should be made aware of the processes and personnel involved and the likely timescale for a resolution of the complaint by the Credit Union.

An informal complaint can be resolved by the CEO or Compliance Officer through an informal discussion or meeting with the complainant. Where the complaint cannot be resolved through such a discussion or meeting, the complaint should be elevated to the next stage Complaint Mechanism No. 2. If the unresolved complaint was originally submitted orally, the CEO or Compliance Officer should request that the complainant submit the complaint in writing. The written (unresolved) complaint then be dealt with in accordance with the procedures as set down under the Credit Union Rules.

Complaint Mechanism No. 2 - Procedures under the Credit Union Rules

The Rules of the Credit Union must outline procedures for the resolution of formal complaints. Formal complaints include complaints which were originally submitted by a member informally but which could not be resolved by the Credit Union informally and complaints which were initiated through the formal complaints mechanism.

Once a formal complaint has been received by the Credit Union, the complainant should be given a copy of the relevant Rules with respect to formal complaints. In particular, the complainant should be made aware of the processes and personnel involved and the likely timescale for a resolution of the complaint by the Credit Union.

All complaints to the Board of Directors should be copied in full to the Board together with a summary of additional information to assist them, including the following information:

• Name & Address of member
• Joining date
• Details of the complaint or dispute, including dates of any events from which the complaint or dispute arises
• Copies of all supporting documentation, including letters, statements, etc.

The complaint will be discussed by the Board of Directors or a dedicated sub-committee of the Board at their next meeting. The Board will consult with the CEO or any other relevant officers, and, if necessary, may consult with other external advisors or experts.

The Board of Directors may offer the member a meeting if appropriate. Once a decision has been reached by the Board of Directors, they will issue a letter to the member outlining that decision. The Board of Directors has two months from the date of the complaint to conclude their investigation and assessment and inform the member of their decision. This letter will include a statement that the member may refer the matter to the Financial Services Ombudsman.

Complaints Mechanism No. 3 - Referral to Arbitration under the Credit Union Rules

Where the Rules of the Credit Union provide that a dispute shall be determined by arbitration, the relevant regulatory and statutory rules on the conduct of arbitration apply.

The Rules of the Credit Union shall be deemed to be an arbitration agreement and the arbitrator(s) will be selected in accordance with the method as set down in the Rules. Where no procedure is set down in the Rules, one arbitrator shall be appointed by the Board of Directors and one arbitrator shall be appointed by the member whose complaint is the subject of the dispute (section 126(b)).

The Rules can also provide that a dispute be determined by the Registrar of Credit Unions and if so, the Registrar shall be deemed to be the single arbitrator [or shall appoint an arbitrator].

Complaints Mechanism No. 4 - Referral to the Financial Services Ombudsman

There are generally two types of member complaints that may be referred to the FSO:

• The provision of a financial service by the Credit Union.
• The failure of the Credit Union to provide a financial service that has been requested.

It is preferable that all member complaints go through the Credit Union’s internal complaints procedure as outlined above before being referred to the FSO to allow the Credit Union and its member an opportunity to resolve the complaint inter parties.

Where a complaint is made directly to the FSO so that the Credit Union’s internal processes have been by-passed or where the complainant remains unhappy with the Credit Union’s response, the Credit Union will receive written confirmation of a member complaint from the Financial Services Ombudsman and will be called upon to issue in writing its Final Response. The Credit Union has 25 working days in which to try to resolve the complaint by its internal complaint procedures, unless previously exhausted.

If at the end of the twenty-five working days, a resolution has not been attained, a Final Response letter must be issued to the complainant by the nominated member of senior management. All Credit Unions must designate an officer to fulfil this role. If the Credit Union requires more time to review the complaint, for example if it requires the complainant to undergo a medical examination, the FSO must be notified of same.

The Final Response letter must:

• Contain a detailed account of the dispute at hand

• Address all issues outlined in complainant’s Complaint Form

• Quote the applicable loan contract terms/policy conditions/terms of business etc

• Give details of any redress offered to the complainant by the Credit Union

• State that it is the Final Response of the Credit Union for the purpose of referring the matter to the Financial Services Ombudsman's Bureau

• Advise the complainant that he/she has 15 working days from the date of said Final Response to refer the matter to the Financial Services Ombudsman's Bureau for investigation.

If the Complainant is not satisfied with the Credit Union’s final response, the Financial Services Ombudsman will assess the complaint and the option of mediation will be offered to both parties by the Ombudsman as a means of resolving the matter. If mediation is not availed of or is unsuccessful then a formal investigation of the complaint by the Ombudsman will begin.

Investigation

In the course of investigation, the Credit Union will be required to answer a series of questions posed by the FSO and to submit any material and make any submissions which the Credit Union sees as being desirable to put before the Ombudsman or which the Ombudsman requires to see, to enable the Ombudsman to investigate and adjudicate upon the complaint. This must be done within 20 working days.

These responses and documents will be copied to the complainant who will be given 10 working days to submit any observations. Any observations from the complainant will be copied to the Credit Union who will be given 5 working days to submit any further observations.

All the circumstances surrounding the complaint will then be examined. Further information or supporting documentation may be requested from both parties. Every case is judged on its individual merits.

The time taken to investigate a dispute depends on the complexity of the individual case as well as outside factors, such as the availability of relevant material. In general, the investigation is completed within 6 - 8 weeks after a full exchange of documentary evidence has taken place. However, for certain cases supplementary information will be necessary which may cause this period to be extended.

In the course of reviewing the evidence the Ombudsman will consider whether an oral hearing is necessary. If an oral hearing is held then the oral evidence given under oath at that hearing will be reviewed together with the documentary evidence and a Finding will be issued to both parties.

Where an oral hearing is not deemed to be necessary a Finding will issue to both parties after all the evidence has been reviewed in full.

Finding

The Finding of the Financial Services Ombudsman is legally binding on both parties, subject only to appeal by either party to the High Court. A party has 21 calendar days from the date of the Financial Services Ombudsman’s Finding in which to appeal to the High Court. Regardless of the nature of the complaint or the actual finding, the FSO will have regard to what procedures the Credit Union had in place for complaints handling and the manner in which the subject complaint was handled both before and after referral to his office.

Complaints Mechanism No. 5 - Application to the District Court

There are two instances where a member’s complaint to a Credit Union may result in an application to the District Court. Where the Rules of the Credit Union contain no directions regarding the resolution of disputes or where the Credit Union has not made a decision within 50 days after the member notified his/her complaint to the Credit Union, the member may apply to the District Court to hear and determine the dispute (section 125(5), 1997 Act).

In addition, where a decision has been made by the Credit Union pursuant to its Rules or by the Registrar, such a decision is binding and conclusive and cannot be appealed by either parties. The decision is, however, enforceable through the application of either party to the District Court (section 125(4), 1997 Act).