1st Bergen’s field of membership is open to persons who live, work, worship, volunteer, attend school or conduct business in Bergen County, Paterson, or Jersey City, NJ. Immediate family of current members are also eligible to join 1st Bergen. Great Bergen Community Action (formerly Bergen Community Action Program) empowers low-income singles, couples and families with programs and services that help them on their road to self-sustainability and a stronger future. A GBCA Board decision was made to provide financial services to this rapidly increasing and underserved community: those with “poor” credit scores, low incomes, high debt and other challenges that may have forced them into a sub-standard financial position. The best way to achieve this goal was to create a credit union whose charter caters to this group of potential members. January 14, 2009: 1st Bergen received its federal charter from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), an agency of the U.S. government. 1st Bergen is the first credit union in New Jersey in more than 21 years to receive a federal charter from the NCUA. 2010 ATM added 2011 Named a CDFI Community Development Financial Institution Online banking added 2013 CDFI funding (from the U.S. Treasury): $300,000 Expanded services to Paterson 2014 Expanded services to Jersey City 2015 Mobile banking added New branch at 93-95 Main Street, Hackensack