Credit Union, Bank Difference on Magnet Board!

This little ditty is circulating on the Internets. It's from Young & Free--Common Wealth Credit Union in Canada. They apparently have a new under 25 spokesperson. Her name is Larissa.

Virginia Credit Unions Offer Payday Help

Wow...it's been awhile. Holidays. Work. School. Eeek. Time is money.

I came across this in the Washington Times newspaper. It spotlights how credit unions are picking up where payday lenders have left things a bit untidy:

"Mr. Noll's Langley Federal Credit Union is one of a growing number of credit unions, churches and nonprofit organizations that are providing low-cost cash advances as states, including Virginia, grapple with a growing payday loan industry and those left drowning in debt because of it."

And the reason behind the action:

"A credit union typically, almost always, will have the person's best interest in mind as opposed to making a profit off the person," Mr. Noll said. "We're a not-for-profit organization, and we truly exist to provide good service and act in the best interest of our membership."

Read the entire story here.

Credit Union Holiday Account = No Stress!

Not sure if it's correct to call them Christmas or Holiday accounts, but many credit unions continue to offer these little gems. And this blogger is completely prepared for the season, thanks in part to her credit union:

And is any of it charged? NO NO NO!!!! lol I always start adding to my Christmas account at the credit union every Friday. That's ALL it's for. I've done that for years. NO Stress!!!

No stress--that's all I want for the holidays.

Credit Union Erases Frustration to Get Home Deal Done

Is quality service and commitment to the consumer becoming so rare that it's considered "old-fashioned?"

The headline of a recent New York Daily News story proclaimed, "Old-fashioned credit unions are gaining popularity with homebuyers." It tells about how more New Yorkers are turning to credit unions for quality home loans and service.

In this story, Municipal Credit Union in lower Manhattan helped Onika Shepherd and her family move into a home of their own. Onika obviously was thrilled about the credit union and her loan officer:

"When I was frustrated, he was the person who showed me how to get a deal done. That's how it's supposed to be in a credit union."

My credit union continuously evolves to provide the financial products and services I require for my speedy, modern and hectic lifestyle. But the outstanding service never changes. So in a way, I guess I'm old-fashioned, too.

Click here and read the complete story.

Kansas Credit Unions Offer Payday Alternatives

Click your ruby slippers together and repeat: "I want to get out of this payday trap...I want to get out of this payday trap..."

Dorothy's magical slippers may be a fantasy, but financially-buried folks in Kansas are following the Yellow Brick Road to local credit unions. The cooperatives now offer alternatives to payday loans, says one credit union leader in the Dodge City Daily Globe:

There are a lot of folks who come in and take a payday loan and, for whatever reason, get caught in the trap of not being able to pay that loan. Our goal as a credit union is to help folks who are caught in that situation and show them there is a better way to borrow, a better way to handle their finances, and help them to become good members of our credit union for the rest of their lives.

And Toto, too! Click here for the online story.

Credit Unions Are Different; They Have 'Shares'

I like being a customer/member/owner of the institution where I borrow and stash my monetary fortune--what little I have, anyway.

Customers have money "on deposit" at the bank. I own "shares" at my credit union. Banks pay interest. Credit unions pay dividends.

Most deposits and shares are insured by the federal government, as explained in this story in thestreet.com.

Oooh, I feel so riiiich when I get dividends!

Research: Credit Unions in Top 10 for Customer Experience

Credit unions were the only non-retailer brand in the top 10 spots in a new Forrester Research's 2007 Customer Experience Survey.

"A credit union" clocked in as the No. 5 brand, sharing the limelight with Costco, Borders and Barnes & Noble. According to Forrester:

Credit unions and Borders come in first for ease of use. Led by credit unions and Borders, 33 firms received a rating of “excellent” for their ease of use.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester asked nearly 5,000 consumers about their interactions with 112 firms in nine industries. Consumers weighed in on the usefulness, usability and enjoyability of those experiences, said Forrester.

Retailers dominated the survey's top 10 spots, while the bottom 10 included communications companies, healthcare providers--and banks.

Click here for Forrester's recap, published Nov. 28.