For Immediate Release:
January 23, 2012

For more information, contact:
Francine Patella Ryan
ESL Public Affairs Manager
fpatella@esl.org
585.336.1089 or 585.261.6220 (cell)

ESL FEDERAL CREDIT UNION ANNOUNCES OWNERS' DIVIDEND

Rochester, New York - More than 197,000 ESL Federal Credit Union members and 600 businesses were eligible to share in the credit union's 16th consecutive Owners' Dividend, which was paid on Friday, Jan. 20. Since instituting the Owners' Dividend in 1996, ESL has distributed more than $87 million to qualifying members.

"We are extremely pleased to continue to share our earnings growth and success with our members," said David L. Fiedler, ESL's President and Chief Executive Officer. "ESL remains committed to providing exceptional service to our loyal members who are both customers and owners. Our top priority continues to be delivering a superior banking experience and the Owners' Dividend is just one of the many unique ways we accomplish this for our members."

An ESL Owners' Dividend is determined by adding the total dividends earned on share accounts at ESL to the total interest paid on ESL loans throughout the year. The total amount is then multiplied by a percentage determined by the board of directors each year. This year, a member with a typical mortgage will receive a payout of more than $197.00 All dividend payouts were made to members via direct deposit.

Founded by George Eastman in 1920, ESL Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial institution with $4.0 billion in assets. ESL employs more than 600 people locally and has about 300,000 members world-wide. The company was recently ranked 16th as one of 2011 Best Small and Medium Workplaces in America by the Great Place to Work^® Institute and presented by Entrepreneur^® - the second consecutive year the company was named to the list. Access to the credit union includes 19 branch locations and more than 40 ATM locations, a Contact Center, and Internet, online and mobile banking channels. The company is headquartered at 225 Chestnut Street, in Rochester, and can be found on the Internet at esl.org.