POLAM FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

History

The year was 1969, Richard Nixon was the U.S. President and the Vietnam War was in full swing. California was the epicenter of the peace and flower power movement. The San Francisco music scene was a dominant force in music, competing with the British invasion led by the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Real estate in such prime areas as Bel-Air and Santa Monica could be purchased for 2-3% of what these properties sell for today. All in all it was an exciting time to be living in California.

During this time, the Polish community in Los Angeles was also in the midst of its most cohesive and productive period in history. It seemed like almost everyone was a recent immigrant to the U.S. or at least to California. People were excited to be here and anxious to take advantage of the unlimited economic opportunities available.

It was against this backdrop that a very small but dedicated group of volunteers formed the Polish-American Congress Federal Credit Union of Southern California, now simply known as POLAM. The founder’s vision was to form a financial cooperative resource to serve the needs of Polish immigrants. Since its humble beginnings in the garage of one of its founders, the credit union has grown into a professionally managed institution, offering personalized service and a wide range of traditional and hi-tech services. Over the years the credit union expanded its field of membership to include friends and families of Polish-Americans living in Southern California, but the mission has remained the same: POLAM is dedicated to promoting the well-being and socio-economic advancement of our members.