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BREAKING NEWS: Coastline Welcomes New CEO
 When Coastline Federal Credit Union's former CEO, Wayne Harubin, retired after the company celebrated its 75th year of operations in 2011, they sought a successor who could move the financial institution forward in key areas. They found him this in John Clifford, a 20-plus year financial industry veteran who moved to Jacksonville from Massachusetts to accept the position.
"My wife and I were going to relocate further south," says Clifford, who owns property in Hobe Sound. "But when this opportunity arose in Jacksonville, we took another look at this area and decided it was too good to pass up."
Clifford found exactly the type of organization he was looking to lead in Coastline, as well. With just a few branches and a philosophy of helping people of modest means meet their financial goals, it presented the right mix of good values and growth potential. Coastline was founded to serve Atlantic Coast Line Railroad employees, then became a full-service community credit union in 2003 with membership open to anyone in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns Counties. Almost half its members are still railroad and Anheuser-Busch employees.
"The size of the institution was a plus," Clifford explains. "Then when I looked at their website, it impressed me. A lot of financial institutions haven't put much thought into their websites. But Coastline's is well designed, easy to navigate, and attractive. And they offered a good mix of appealing products."
One that particularly impressed Clifford was Coastline's Rebound mortgage, directed toward homeowners who have experienced difficulty in this tough economy. "The Rebound program was designed to help someone who had perhaps lost their job or been underemployed," says Clifford "but they've now gotten back on solid ground and want to either improve their mortgage situation or get back into the housing market. It can help someone take advantage of the low real estate prices and interest rate environment now to purchase that home they may have been unable to afford before."
Through a third-party relationship, Coastline offers on-site auto lending in several car dealerships around the area, greatly reducing the time from loan application to approval. And far beyond what most people envision for a credit union, they have financial planners on staff for members who want to move into more sophisticated investing than savings accounts, money markets and CDs. Both of these appealed to Clifford when making his decision to move here.
"One thing we're doing to really differentiate ourselves from other financial institutions is our campaign called 'A Million Reasons to Save, 1 Reason to Join.'" says Clifford. "While we want to grow loans, we don't want to force consumers to buy something, incurring more debt, to take advantage of our rates. We're looking at innovative ways to refinance their existing debt -- whether that combination includes a mortgage, car loan, credit cards, whatever -- to save them some money. A few of the cases we feature on our website show actual Coastline members who saved anywhere from $4,939 to over $20,000, just by consolidating and refinancing their debt with us. We can really provide relief to people who need it."
That member focus is exactly what Clifford refers to when he says that Coastline has good bones. Founded during the Great Depression, the credit union has weathered tough economic times before, so today's stormy financial picture is nothing new. That history gives them an understanding of what their members need.
Another big attraction factor for Clifford was the Jacksonville area, which he views as both very livable and expanding. Although he and his wife are empty nesters, they are enjoying getting to know Jacksonville's lovely neighborhoods and varied entertainment options. Non-profit boards looking for new members will be interested in his public service background that includes a hospital system, the United Way and the Fall River Chamber of Commerce.
"Growth is a challenge for any credit union, but there's a lot of opportunity with Coastline," says Clifford. "My predecessor certainly laid a good foundation here, and I'm looking forward to growing this institution to realize its potential."
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