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Capital Credits
Learn how cooperative membership earns you capital credits and how those funds are returned to you over time.
Below is a list of current and former Continental Divide Electric members who purchased electricity in 1991 and/or 2022 and have uncashed or unclaimed capital credit checks from our Cooperative.
If you are a current or former CDEC member and find your name on this list, please email us at capitalcredits@cdec.coop, call us at 505-285-6656 Ext. 1032 & 1046, or visit our Grants and Gallup offices by Nov. 30, 2026. If you recognize a name on this list, please ask that individual or the estate executor to reach out to us. Due to the large volume of names, response times may vary.
Unclaimed capital credits will roll over to the Continental Divide Electric Foundation, per New Mexico Statute (Chapter 7, Article 8A, Section 7-8A-26) and CDEC Bylaws (Article VII, Section 2, 2d), to fund our scholarship program.
Cooperatives are not-for-profit companies. As a member of Continental Divide, you aren't just a customer; you're a part-owner (member) of our co-op. This means when the co-op earns excess revenue or margins, you are allocated a portion of that equity.
These "capital credits" are to cooperative members what dividends are to stockholders of for-profit, investor-owned utilities. Since a co-op does not earn profits, any margins or revenues remaining after all expenses have been paid are returned to the members in proportion to their electricity usage.
Continental Divide's governing board has approved the retirement of $1,727,225 in capital credits. As a result, nearly 26,000 checks will be mailed the week of Nov. 18, 2024, to current and former co-op members who purchased electricity in 1991 and/or 2022.
If you believe you are owed capital credits but do not receive a check, it may be because:
- Only member disbursements in excess of $5.00 were mailed. Disbursements below the $5.00 threshold will be rolled into future year disbursements.
- The check was returned to Continental Divide because the co-op does not have accurate or current mailing information.
To inquire about unclaimed capital credits, please complete our Request To Release An Unclaimed Capital Credit Check form online by clicking here. The file can also be downloaded to edit and view here