A Word from our CEO

The first quarter of 2025 has come to a close and business was very favorable for the members of Railroad Employees Credit Union. Loans continued to show growth which is a sign of consumer confidence. Membership is also growing for the RECU family as we continue to see organic growth that outpaces our competitors not only locally but in our state against our peers.

Most recently there has been consumer concern over the tariffs and how this could impact overall consumer spending. We here at RECU believe that the “show must go on” and we will be continuing with the same great service, new great products and staying extremely competitive in the market. We are Railroader strong!

This second quarter will bring about some increased visibility for RECU as we will be making two historic yard visits. For the first time ever, we will be on site visiting the BNSF Amarillo Texas yard as well as the BNSF Needles California yard. There has been a request to show our presence in these member rich areas and we will be answering the call.

Please stay tuned for MEMBERS + as we are feverishly working towards an official roll out date for this membership level and all the discounts that come with it.

-Matthew Soto, CEO.

Upcoming Events & Holidays

Our Calendar Contest is BACK!

Submit your Railroad/Train photo to enter the contest. One submission per Member.

The top 12 photos will be in our 2026 RECU Calendar.

Submission deadline is October 31st, 2025.

Stay tuned for the launch of Members+

It’s That Time of Year Again!

Summer Skips are Coming

Skip a Loan Payment during the month of June or July!

 There is a $20 fee for each loan payment skipped. Must have made 6 monthly or 12 Semi-Monthly payments on loan to skip payment. Real Estate, Christmas Loans and Lines of Credit are not eligible for skips.

Form will be available online June 1st, 2025.

“Americans began to recognize Memorial Day in 1868, and the country established it as a federal holiday in 1971. Originally known as “Decoration Day,” the holiday started with communities coming together to decorate the graves of those who died during service.

“Every generation, from the Civil War to both World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam, has had men who have either paid the ultimate sacrifice or have been injured. So, it’s ingrained in our DNA to stand in the gap,” said National Guard veteran Bill Hansen. “To stand in the gap is to serve and support our country, and our family, even when others don’t.”

After the Civil War, Americans across the nation began holding tributes in the spring, decorating graves with flowers, reciting prayers, and honoring the estimated 620,000 fallen soldiers of the war (2% of the population at the time). Some records show that formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina organized the earliest Memorial Day commemorations in 1865. In 1866, the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day when the city closed all businesses so residents could decorate the grave sites of soldiers with flowers and American flags every year.” -Wounded Warrior Project

“On “Freedom’s Eve,” or the eve of January 1, 1863, the first Watch Night services took place. On that night, enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. At the stroke of midnight, prayers were answered as all enslaved people in Confederate States were declared legally free. Union soldiers, many of whom were black, marched onto plantations and across cities in the south reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation spreading the news of freedom in Confederate States. Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation end slavery throughout the United States.

But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as ” Juneteenth,” by the newly freed people in Texas.”

– National Museum of African American History & Culture