Community First Credit Union Appoints VP of Consumer Lending

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 22, 2021 – Community First Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in Florida, announces it has appointed Ryan Olson as its newest vice president of consumer lending. Olson joins the credit union to guide its key lending programs and services for members including personal loans, auto loans, recreational loans and other consumer loans.

Olson is a career credit union professional with more than 15 years of experience and over 20 years in financial services. Most recently, he served as vice president of consumer lending and collections for Advia Credit Union in Parchment, Michigan. During his six years with Advia, he was responsible for leading the consumer lending division. Advia is a multi-state credit union with $2.6 billion in assets.

Prior to his time at Advia, he held consumer lending positions with CU Direct Corporation, CUNA Mutual Group, Blackhawk Community Credit Union and Heartland Credit Union. Olson started his credit union career at Finance Center Federal Credit Union as VP of retail lending.

“We are proud to welcome Ryan to our consumer lending team,” said John Hirabayashi, CEO and president of Community First Credit Union. “Our consumer lending products and services are an important driver of consumer spending power in our market.”

Local credit unions, including Community First, are a key lender for consumer loans and purchases in the region. Community First’s consumer loan portfolio is more than $700 million and the institution has loaned more than $550 million to consumers in our region in 2021. Community First provides consumer funding for autos, recreational vehicles, homes and property, personal loans and lines of credit and credit cards.

Mr. Olson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and is graduating Wayne State College with an MBA in December 2021. Olson holds the CUES (Certified Senior Executive) designation.

Named “Credit Union of the Year” (2020, large asset category) by the League of Southeastern Credit Unions Community First Credit Union of Florida is a state-chartered credit union based in Jacksonville serving anyone who lives or works on the First Coast. Community First is one of the largest credit unions in the state, serving more than 155,000 members with assets of $2.4 billion. Community First has 19 locations and 340 employees. A not-for-profit, Community First is a full-service financial institution offering banking, loans, mortgages and investments for consumers and businesses across the First Coast.