Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union is the largest credit union in South Florida, and among the top 35 in the nation. A full-service financial institution with $1.8 billion in assets and more than 183,000 members nationwide, Eastern Financial still acknowledges the common bond and ideals it shares with credit unions worldwide: not for profit, but for service.

In 2003, Eastern Financial's Mortgage Department was faced with the problem of having more applicants than they were able to process in a timely manner. This problem was amplified by low interest rates that encouraged every mortgage owner to refinance their loan. By applying TOC principles, a new workflow was implemented to focus on obtaining complete applications up front, processing and closing loans using trigger dates, reducing dysfunctional multi-tasking work habits, and increasing loan closings.

Results include greatly improved on-time delivery, increased member satisfaction and an improved work environment. Profits are up due to a 24% per month increase in loan closings coupled with a near elimination of outsourcing and overtime. This afforded them an opportunity for a First Mortgage Product Offering and enabled a strategic decision to double the capacity of the system.