Year Founded: 1908

Mission & Mandate: Alterna is guided by our commitment to support the well-being of our members, employees, and communities. We promote community economic development through micro-lending initiatives, encourage our members to be financially knowledgeable, give back through many charitable activities and continually strive to be transparent at every level of our operation.

Vision: To be the leader of cooperative financial services

Mission: To develop and share an exceptional level of financial expertise that is:
• Tailored to member needs
• Accessible to all
• Supportive of local communities
• Delivered by caring, professional employees

Values:
• People above profits
• Excellence
• Integrity 

Description: Alterna is the third-largest credit union in Ontario and one of Canada’s Top 10 Credit Unions. More than 185,000 Alterna members enjoy:

• Having a say as a member-owner;
• Feeling cared for by a financial institution that puts people above profits;
• Competitive rates and friendly, transparent advice;
• Convenient digital banking solutions and a bilingual Contact Centre open seven days a week;
• A network of 36 branches across Ontario including Peterborough Community Savings.
• Access to over 43,000 surcharge-free ATMs in North America with THE EXCHANGE Network in Canada and the Allpoint Network in the US.
• Access to a dedicated team of Commercial Service and Community Business Banking professionals that can help you reach your business goals
• An industry-leading online brokerage and investment management services with Alterna Wealth;
• Watching communities grow through Alterna’s volunteer work, mentoring, innovative financing, and support for local interests and sports;
• The strength and security of a financial institution with over $10 billion in assets under management.

Our Community Financial Resiliency Program helps improve the capacity and resilience of the not-for-profit and charitable sector to build equity, and strengthen their financial sustainability, our Microfinance program works to address socio-economic inequity by creating opportunities for financial independence and reducing barriers to banking for those often excluded from financing, and as part of our ability to support the Financial Health of Communities, we focus on delivering essential programming that supports members, community organizations and students of all ages, through free financial literacy development and education. Last year we delivered over 150 workshops on Financial Literacy to the Community and our partners.

Our programs span from understanding the basics of Financial Literacy, to more in-depth and specific workshops for Social Innovators and Entrepreneurs, or Nonprofit and Charitable organizations.