How FPCU Generated 2.7M in Real Estate Loans with Zero Marketing Spend

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1. Executive Summary

Financial Plus Credit Union (FPCU) partnered with Chimney to transform their digital banking platform into a passive loan production engine. Within just 7 months, the credit union generated:

• $2.7 million in funded loan volume
• 56 funded home loans
• $784 cost per funded loan (vs. industry average $1,500–$3,500+)
• 10.4% offer-to-funding conversion rate
• 50% monthly engagement rate among eligible members

This success was achieved without additional marketing spend, staff training, or campaign management.

2. About the Client

Financial Plus Credit Union (FPCU) is a member-focused financial institution committed to delivering personalized financial solutions. Like many credit unions, they face increasing competition from fintech providers offering sleek, digital-first lending experiences.

3. The Challenge

Credit unions often struggle to compete in today’s digital-first lending market.
FPCU faced several barriers:

• Siloed operations between mortgage, digital banking, and marketing teams
• Member leakage to third-party sites for home value checks
• High acquisition costs averaging $1,500–$3,500 per funded loan
• Manual, campaign-driven loan processes that were slow and resource-intensive

FPCU recognized these challenges and sought a solution that could deliver fintech-level experience while maintaining their member-first approach.

4. The Solution

Chimney provided an award-winning, embedded loan growth platform that turned FPCU’s digital banking environment into a 24/7 passive loan engine.

Key Features:

• Seamless integration into online banking—no extra logins, apps, or identity verification
• Instant access to real-time home values, borrowing power, and personalized loan offers
• Frictionless loan applications completed within the digital banking platform
• Zero operational lift—no staff training, campaign buildouts, or manual processes

5. Implementation

The implementation was instant-impact:

• Embedded directly into FPCU’s online banking platform
• Required no technical lift from FPCU’s internal teams
• Went live in a matter of days
• Began generating leads and funded loans immediately

6. Results and Impact

7-Month Performance Highlights:

• 183 total loan applications
• $8.7M in potential loan volume
• 56 funded loans totaling $2.7M
• Cost per loan: $784 (83% lower than industry average)
• ROI: $40,000 investment generated $2.7M in funded loans
• Member engagement: 50% of eligible members interacted monthly

7. Why It Worked

Chimney’s model succeeded because it is:

1. Always-On – Generates leads 24/7 without campaigns.
2. Cross-Organizational – Aligns mortgage, digital banking, and marketing teams.
3. Full-Funnel – Guides members from awareness to loan closing within online banking.
4. Personalized – Delivers timely, relevant offers using member and property data.

8. Client Testimonial

“First and foremost, the lift was light. Working with Chimney opened up a great future relationship with our digital team and our real estate team, allowing us to think about how to serve members in a digital capacity. This gave us a continuous growth in click rate and has continued to grow the loan portfolio.”
— Jess McNier, Chief Innovation Officer @ Financial Plus Credit Union

8. Conclusion & Key Takeaways

With zero operational lift and measurable ROI in as little as 60 days, credit unions can compete with fintech leaders and capture more loan volume. Financial Plus Credit Union's success is not an outlier. Any credit union can replicate these results by embedding Chimney's technology into their digital banking platform.

Modern lending growth isn’t about running more campaigns—it’s about creating always-on, personalized digital experiences that convert.