Dear Member,

At this time, it’s imperative that we share some important news with you. Avanta Federal Credit Union is currently in the process of changing our name. However, it’s not with the same excitement and enthusiasm that we felt in July of 2004, when we changed our name to Avanta.

Many of you are probably questioning the reason for this change, and understandably so. I want to emphasize that the change in name was not something we decided to do on a whim. And most importantly, you, as the member, need to understand that we have not been “bought out” or purchased by any other financial institution.

We were contacted about our use of the name “Avanta” by a major financial institution that claims their prior rights, dating back to 1987, for a banking and financial services trademark. In a letter, Advanta Bank Corp, a Delaware corporation, requested that we phase out the use of “Avanta” and change it to a name that is not confusingly similar to their name. They acknowledge that we are ‘relatively small in size’, and they are familiar with the good works of our organization. They understand that our name was chosen without any intent to trade on the good will of their name or service mark.

The name Altana Federal Credit Union was selected and approved by the Credit Union Managers and the Board of Directors, respectively, and it has also cleared our trademark search process. We have a federal trademark application on file for the new name and are optimistic that it will be approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In our minds, the name remains similar, supporting an easy transition for our members. We believe it is a name, just as Avanta was, that will help us grow and prosper as we move forward with our vision for tomorrow.

I want to assure you that only our name and logo are changing. The staff, friendly service and dedication to our membership that you have come to know and appreciate will remain the same.

 

Sincerely,

Rhonda Diefenderfer
President/CEO
Altana Federal Credit Union