MONTEGO BAY, St James — The Montego Co-operative Credit Union welcomed their former general manager Ornell Bedasse back to the company at a cocktail reception held at the Seawind Club in Montego Bay recently.

“After he (Bedasse)had left Montego (credit union) a few years ago, he had sojourned at financial institutions locally, as well as overseas. Being cognisant of the vast potential of Montego, he has decided to rejoin the team to actualise his financial path, as well as to guide Montego in his quest to become a financial institution of choice for the St James community,” said Leroy Peart, the president of Montego Co-operative Credit Union at the reception.

David Wan, Country Manager for CMFG Life Insurance, a member of CUNA Mutual Group who also brought greetings, said his company is looking forward to continuing its long-standing relationship and for “even greater things from Montego Co-operative Credit Union.”

And Franklyn Binns, the president of the Lay Magistrate Association of St James noted that “a tremendous amount” of Jamaicans, particularly Montegonians, have benefited significantly from the Montego Co-operative Credit Union.

” I want therefore to commend and congratulate the staff for the hard work over the years, that has allowed this credit union to grow from strength to strength,” he told the intimate gathering.

Meanwhile, Bedasse who previously worked at the Montego Co-operative Credit Union from 2001 to 2003, said he was delighted to be back at the credit union.

“Leadership is important and one has to lead by example, and so there are some basics in terms of integrity, honesty and being able to manage people skillfully. I am hoping that I will bring that to Montego,” said Bedasse.

He argued that the credit union is committed in ensuring that the movement continues to position itself on a path of excellence.”

Montego Co-operative has grown dramatically over the years.

Its membership now stands at approximately 48,000 while total asset base is at roughly $1.6 billion. The Montego Bay -based financial institution is also reported to have a loan portfolio of over $870 million and savings of over $1.3 billion.