7 weeks
Implementation Time
8
Loan Types
50%
Faster compliance reviews
Key points
Completed full implementation in 7 weeks from kickoff to go-live
Launched 8 loan types simultaneously — vehicle purchase, refi, lease buyout, personal loan, HELOC, line of credit, credit card, and balance transfer
100% of reference credit unions said they planned to expand from one Glide product to both deposit and lending
Financial institution
Credit Union
Asset size
$1.37 AUM
Employees
116
Headquarters
Hauppauge, NY
About Island Federal Credit Union
Founded in 1955 by a group of Long Island Lighting Company employees who pooled resources to serve their coworkers, Island Federal Credit Union has grown into one of Long Island's most established financial institutions. Today, the Hauppauge, New York-based credit union serves more than 51,000 members across 10 branches and manages $1.5 billion in assets. For decades, Island FCU ran its operations on a legacy system, but one that left a growing gap between what members expected digitally and what the credit union could deliver.
Problem Statement
The problem: most members who started a loan application never finished it
When Craig Booth took over as CEO, one number stood out immediately. Island FCU's loan application abandonment rate was sitting between 60 and 70 percent. Most members who expressed intent to borrow — who started the process — dropped off before completing it.
The cause wasn't disinterest. It was friction. And in a market where members increasingly expect the same simplicity from their credit union that they get from any consumer app, friction is expensive.
Finding the right partner
Before committing to Glide, Booth's team did something most credit unions skip: they called other credit unions directly — not to gather vendor-supplied references, but to have unfiltered conversations about what working with Glide actually looked like day to day.
The pattern that emerged was hard to ignore.
"100% of the credit unions we spoke to said yes — if they used Glide for deposits, they were going to use them for lending. If they used them for lending, they were going to use them for deposits. That means a lot."
Craig Booth
CEO, Island FCU
That kind of cross-product confidence from existing customers signals something beyond a good implementation. It signals that the platform is earning trust on both sides of the balance sheet.
When Island FCU got into the product itself, the reaction inside the organization matched what the references had described. Island's VP of Lending — someone who has seen a lot of software — had a clear take.
"This product is better than any other product we've ever seen. He said he's never seen a product that does what Glide does."
From kickoff to live product in 7 weeks
Most credit unions treat a multi-product digital lending launch as a multi-quarter project. Island FCU went live on Glide's digital loan application platform in exactly seven weeks — covering eight loan types at once: vehicle purchase, refinance, lease buyout, personal loan, HELOC, line of credit, credit card, and balance transfer.
That kind of scope, compressed into that kind of timeline, requires a vendor willing to move. It also requires a client willing to make decisions. Island FCU came prepared for both.
"Even if we didn't like the exact answer, we were able to work together and get it squared away."
For a credit union that has served Long Island for nearly seven decades, the next chapter looks a lot more digital than the last one.
Want to see what Glide can do for your credit union?
Island FCU went from signed contract to 8 live loan products in 7 weeks. If you're ready to cut abandonment rates and modernize your digital application experience, schedule a demo with Glide.
