"We help all members, full stop."
CU South yesterday released its profit report for the 15 months ended June 30 which showed a fall in operating profit in the period, to $714,000 from $795,000 in the 12 months ended June 2009.
Mr Leys said 2009 was a lean year for the credit union but that had opened up opportunities as the financial markets in general pulled back.
"From January 1 this year, and consistently ever since, we have had nice steady increase in membership growth and activity."
Mr Leys was keen not to overplay the growth figures but said CU South had increased its credibility in the marketplace through the way it handled the last few years.
"Not a lot of organisations handled the last few years as well. Credit unions not only survived but they increased their credibility.
"Despite the difficult times many of our members have been experiencing over the past couple of years, our bad and doubtful debts expenses remain within manageable levels."
The credibility had also been helped by regulatory changes such as having to gain an international credit rating, he said.
Asked how members had coped with the recession, Mr Leys said the specialist service for members wanting to change their financial behaviour had seen an 80% increase in use. However, that was still only 5% of total members.
That did not mean members were worse off but just that the last three years had taught people they had to change.
More people were willing to sit down with credit union staff and make a change, he said.
CU South chairman Peter Taylor said the credit union had proved to be a stalwart of the community in Dunedin, Invercargill and the West Coast.
But in Christchurch, his home town, the penetration was not as great, there being only one branch. CU South planned "prudential expansion" within Christchurch in the future, he said.
The annual report shows CU South has total members' funds of $17.25 million and total assets of $112.6 million. During the period, CU South wrote off bad debts of nearly $1.9 million.
The operating cash flow was $3.65 million at the end of the period.
