Sound Credit Union was established in 1940 and today stands as one of Washington State’s premier credit unions with 26 full-service branches across Puget Sound region. Sound is driven by their mission to stand alongside members and employees through all life stages, providing authentic yet trustworthy financial support and services in whatever ways people decide to spend their money.
Sound’s Pacific Plaza branch in downtown Tacoma is projected to increase their workforce by an estimated 60%, reaching 425 employees. Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services served as Sound’s agent during this transaction.
The Credit Union will open at 1250 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma, near its existing Seattle branch. This move marks a wave of consolidation among state credit unions as they work to survive COVID-19 and loan default rates; Watermark in Seattle recently merged with Sound to become one of Washington state’s fifth-largest credit unions with nearly $1.1 billion in assets across 21 branches from Lynnwood to Olympia.
Sound was founded with a commitment to their community at heart and intended for their new branch to serve it through home repair assistance, educational resources and counseling services for its members. Furthermore, they wanted this space as an avenue for job creation and small business lending opportunities in their neighborhood.
To achieve this goal, the Credit Union turned to Core10 for help by developing flexible APIs that could be utilized by their in-house developers to deliver digital experiences that match members’ needs and preferences. This approach saved time and resources while keeping their promise of innovation quicker than ever.
Black Knight’s industry-leading Empower loan origination system (LOS) will enable Sound to streamline mortgage lending from prequalification through closing, with automated processing based on lender-configurable logic that helps mitigate risk while maintaining consistent data throughout. Together with Sound’s advanced risk modeling and pricing engine, this solution enables them to generate loans with reduced risks while still providing exceptional member experiences.
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