Kelsey Olson – Page 3 – The Wonderful World Of Wauna

December Statement Insert

ANNUAL MEETING & BOARD NOMINEE NOTICE

OUR 55TH ANNUAL MEETING WILL BE HELD ON MARCH 8TH AT 6:30pm
ERLENE DARBY LEARNING CENTER | 49249 HWY 30 | WESTPORT, OR
The Board of Directors has approved three nominees for three positions on the Board of Directors from applications submitted by members. Their names and biographical information are included below.

JILL HULT • MEMBER SINCE 2018 • ASTORIA, OR – Jill Hult has been serving on the Board of Directors since 2019. She currently owns I Communicate You—a job development business—and additionally provides résumé and cover letter writing services. Jill recently received a provisional certification as a benefit planning counselor for people who are on SSI/SSDI. Jill will be returning to school to complete her Master’s Degree in Communications at PSU. In her spare time, Jill enjoys spending time with family and friends, volunteering, writing and participating in Vernonia Writer’s Group, hiking, riding bicycles or four wheelers, playing some pickle ball, puzzles, dancing, and yes, admittedly, karaoke!

BETH VAN ELSWYK • MEMBER SINCE 2007 • VERNONIA, OR – Beth van Elswyk is a co-founder/partner of Wiesow Management, an Industrial Hemp Services and Supply company. Beth thrives in the chaos of growth and change with a focus on customer service and training campaigns to create ROI. She credits her ongoing success in challenging business climates to a combination of Matshushita and Drucker Management principles. After a long-term commitment with SMMR Sergeant McDowell’s Military Relief as VP, she now serves on the Hemp Task Force for ASTA American Seed Trade Association and speaks on hemp and regenerative agriculture at various non-profits. When she isn’t hempin’, you’ll find Beth flying her drones at various North Coast scenic venues, creating video content, or with her wife in Long Beach, WA at Funland earning arcade points to win small kitchen appliances.

GEORGE DUNKEL • MEMBER SINCE 2009 • SCAPPOOSE, OR – George Dunkel was born in Astoria and resided in the community of Wauna before moving to Scappoose. He graduated from Linfield College, spending three years in management training with Western Bank in St. Helens. George served as Fire Chief of Columbia River Fire & Rescue for seven years and currently serves as Chair of the Oregon Fire Chiefs Foundation. He also serves on the board of the International Fire Service Training Association and as a member of the Kiwanis Club of St. Helens. George works with local governments as the Administrator of the Consulting Services Program for Special Districts Association of Oregon and believes that his experience, good natured personality, and proactive approach to challenges will assist WCU in meeting its vision. He and his wife of 36 years, Vicki, enjoy their three married daughters/sons-in-law and six grandchildren.

An election will not be conducted by ballot, and there will be no nominations from the floor at the annual meeting when the number of nominees equals the number of positions to be filled, which is currently the situation. Any member who desires to run for the Board may do so now only by a nomination by petition signed by 270 credit union members in good standing 18 years of age or older. An application may be requested by calling 1-800-773-3236, Ext 3124. Completed applications may be mailed to ATTN: Governance Committee P.O. Box 67 Clatskanie, OR 97016 or delivered in person to any branch. Petition applications must be received by close of business on February 1, 2022.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN LOAN ADVENTURE
waunafcu.org 800.773.3236

No payments for 90 days and $100
OR
1% cash reward and no payments for 30 days

Promotion Special Terms: Upon loan approval, current and new members who refinance a qualifying loan currently financed elsewhere to Wauna Credit Union become eligible to choose one of two Loan Reward Promotion offers: Option #1. An immediate Cash Reward equal to 1% of the approved loan value, plus 30-Days No Payment (interest will continue to accrue during the No Payment period); Or, Option #2. An immediate $100 Cash Reward, plus 90-Days No Payments (interest will continue to accrue during the 90-day period). Qualifying Loans: Auto, Truck, SUV, Van, Motor home, trailer, boat, watercraft, motorcycles, side-by-sides, quads, and unsecured loans such as home furnishings, tuition, personal loans, etc. Minimum loan amount to qualify for special terms: $2,000; Maximum Reward allowed is $500 per qualifying loan. These special Reward terms are subject to change without notice. Rates & financing are offered based on applicant’s credit worthiness and term of the loan. This promotional offer ends on June 30, 2022. Note: the promotional cash reward paid to a member may be forfeit if the loan balance is paid in full within 180-days of the loan funding date. Membership with Wauna CU required to be eligible for this special offer.

Thanks from Robert Blumberg

Every year, our CEO Robert Blumberg composes his thoughts on where we as a credit union our heading, and what he thinks about when working to ensure Wauna Credit Union will be the local choice offering top-notch services to the people who call Columbia River communities home.

Dear Friends,

Every December, I take the time to personally thank you, our member-owner. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. Wauna Credit Union is grateful that you have joined the credit union movement, and helped us keep your money local.

We started 2021 with promise. By-and-large, 2021 indeed delivered promise, although not necessarily in the way we expected. As we work our way back to normal, we realize that ‘normal’ looks different. People are re-examining their priorities, identifying what is important to them, which is how your Credit Union has always worked

Our priority is figuring out how to make that loan, donate that money, or help the community. From funding public housing, to donating to local charities that actually do the work, I couldn’t be prouder at how Wauna Credit Union has shown its merits over the last two years.

Next year marks 55 years of serving you. And once again, the new year has promise. Our new, state-of-the-art branch is opening in Astoria, reaffirming not only our commitment to a physical presence within our footprint, but also the promise of creating living-wage professional jobs throughout the communities of the Columbia River Valley – this is only the beginning of that promise.

Again, thank you for being a member-owner of Wauna Credit Union, Remember, we are here to serve our members, our friends, our communities, and our family.

Happy holidays!

Robert Blumberg, President and CEO
Wauna Credit Union

Career of Caring

If you know anybody who’s worked at WCU for more than a year, they’ve likely had a few different roles here. Whether that’s moving from a Member Consultant I to a Member Consultant II, or moving from the frontline to the back-office. That’s a core component of who we are. Our corporate vision is to be the financial institution that members choose first, use the most, and grow with throughout their lives. We want our employees to do that too. Go to our careers page to see our current openings, and find out if we have the career that’s right for you.

One of our great representatives is Paige Tischer is a key member of the mortgage team, but in her (almost) 10 years at the credit union, she’s been many things to many people.

Happy International Credit Union Day

This Thursday is International Credit Union Day. From the name I bet you can figure out what that means. It’s of course the day all credit unions take the time to celebrate being a credit union, and all that it entails.

We’ve talked about how even though credit unions serve most of the same functions as a bank, however, being a not-for-profit credit union instead of a for profit bank allows us to do some pretty amazing things. Studies show people tend to get better rates and have lower fees at a credit union than at a bank (for both deposits and loans).

You know how we’re part of the community, and how our employees live local, buy local, and play local. We don’t talk about this all the time, but being a major local employer is a big deal for us.

Group of Fibre and Wauna Credit Union employees — The team of Fibre FCU and Wauna FCU teaming together to help people

One thing we don’t talk about is our partnership with other credit unions. Do you have an account at InRoads? What about Fibre/TLC? We’re glad to hear it. It’s our partnership with these organizations, as well as credit unions in Portland, Eugene, Medford, Bend, and even New York City, Tallahassee, and Madison, that allows us to shine. A 30,000-unit ATM network? We have that – which is a larger support network than most banks. Top of the line app and online banking? That too, because we partner with a 1,000 other credit unions to pool resources. The ability to collaborate with other credit unions? Absolutely! In fact, that’s really something special.

It’s completely normal for branch managers or mortgage underwriters to meet with their counterparts at another credit union to compare best practices. Our ITIN lending, we spent a lot of time with Point West Credit Union in Portland, to learn more. Before we made the decision on our new core banking system, we met with credit unions from Michigan, California, and Texas. Everybody is happy to do that, because we all have one goal: ensuring the credit union philosophy of people helping people is maximized to its fullest extent. It’s what allows a credit union of 100+ employees like WCU to have the power of 100,000 minds (and hearts). That’s the credit union philosophy, and it makes us better than any bank. We’re hiring right now, so if you want to join “people helping people,” go to our careers page.

September Statement Insert

Call for Board Nominations & Notice of our 55th Annual Meeting
Candidate applications are now available for our volunteer Board
of Directors. Apply by picking up an application at your local branch, by mail, or by visiting https://waunafcu.org/about/annual-elections.shtml.
Please submit your completed application by close of business
on Monday, November 8th. You are welcome to deliver applications
in person to any branch or by mail:
Governance Committee, PO Box 67, Clatskanie, OR 97016.
When: March 8, 2022 at 6pm
Where: Erlene Darby Learning Center 49249 Hwy 30 Westport, OR
(pandemic protocols may require a virtual meeting)
Questions? Contact the Board Governance Committee at
gcomm@waunafcu.org.

Member Notice
Starting December 1, 2021, we will begin closing Share Advantage accounts with a $0 balance and no usage for 60 consecutive days, which will close your WCU membership for that account. We will also close other accounts that have a $0 balance and are 365 days from last activity.

Insertar página 2 — **Convocatoria de nominaciones de nuestra Junta Directiva**
y aviso de nuestra 55a reunión anual
Las solicitudes para candidatos ya están disponibles para esta
junta directiva voluntaria. Las solicitudes estan disponibles en su
succursal local o’por correo y tamiben visitando la website de
waunafcu.org/about/annual-elections.shtml.Envíe su solicitud, antes del cierre de operaciones el 8 de Noviembre. Personalmente o por correo en nuestras surcrsales. Lugar, PO Box 67, Clatskanie, OR 97016.
Cuándo: 8 de marzo de 2022 a las 6 pm
Dónde: Erlene Darby Learning Center 49249 Hwy 30 Westport, OR
(protocal pandemicol)
Si tiene preguntas por favor de comunicarse cone al comite de Gobierno.
gcomm@waunafcu.org.
**Aviso para miembros**
A partir del 1 de Diciembre del 2021,
cerrararemos cuentas “Share Advantage” con saldo de $ 0 y sin uso durante 60 días
consecutivos, y no tendra membresía con WCU. También cerraremos cuentas inactivas con unperiodo de 365 dias de inactividad.

Update on our COVID-19 Procedures

As with most things, the future can be quite unpredictable. Over the past year and a half, we’ve seen changes many of us have never experienced. Some of those changes were for our safety, others not so much. In the days and months to come, we expect precautions against the spread of COVID and its delta variant to surge as more and more cases of infection are recorded.

While your account security and access to affordable products and services continue to be our top priorities, so too is your physical safety. As such, the likelihood of business closures and even disruptions in our lobby service may occur. Though we are doing everything necessary to prepare for such instances and to avoid any disruption in how we serve you, it’s important that we forewarn of these possibilities.

Please visit waunafcu.org or give us a call at 800-773-3236 before you plan to conduct any transaction in person. Remember, we have a wide array of digital solutions for you to utilize instead of coming into a location.

Per Governor Kate Brown’s mandate, all members and staff are required to wear masks in our branch lobbies, which are open by appointment. Please stay healthy. We appreciate your patience as we all navigate these ever-uncertain times.

Robert Blumberg, CEO and President

Do You Have Enough Insurance Coverage to Rebuild Your Home?

The following post is courtesy of Cascade Crest Insurance, a subsiderary of Wauna Credit Union. CCI is a locally owned and operated independent full-service insurance agency serving all of Oregon and Washington. Whether you need insurance to cover you car, home, household, boat, business, or something else, Cascade Crest can help. Visit them at cascadecrestinsurance.com, or call 503-728-4391 to find out more.

Imagine how devastating it would be to lose your home in a fire. Now imagine not being able to rebuild it completely because you didn’t have the correct amount of insurance coverage. Selecting the proper amount of insurance coverage is the single most important decision you can make with your homeowner’s policy. This is called “insurance to value.”

Understanding the insurance coverage for a rebuild:

What is insurance to value?
Insurance to value is the relationship between the amount of coverage selected and the amount required to rebuild your home. Insuring your home for anything less than 100% insurance to value could mean you wouldn’t have enough coverage to replace your home in the event of a total loss.

Why is the cost to rebuild different from the market value?
A home’s market value reflects current economic conditions. The cost to rebuild your home is based only on the cost of materials and labor in your area. It is important that you insure home based on its reconstruction cost, NOT its current market or even tax assessment value.

Why is reconstruction more expensive than new construction?
New-home builders typically build many homes at once and solicit bids from various sub-contractors to receive the best pricing. Their business model is based on economies of scale.

Home improvement prompt updates.
The recent stay-at-home orders have prompted many of us to look closer at our homes and provided extra time to consider home improvements. Stores have reported an uptick in buying material and shortage in the supply change which have both pushed prices up. If you got caught up in the effort to take advantage of time at home, please let us know what improvements you’ve made that could impact the need to adjust your insurance to value.

Check out our home insurance plans and get a quote!

Credit Unions: The Better Choice

How We’re Better

The core difference between a credit union and a bank is we’re set up to serve the people who use us. That means we’re here for people, not investors. When you join the credit union, either by opening up a deposit account or by getting a loan, you become a member. With that membership you become an equal owner of the credit union. Compare that with a bank. Customers have no say in how a bank is run, instead it’s investors who hold all the power.

If you think that isn’t a big deal, look at the banks in our area. According to Nasdaq, Wells Fargo is almost 70% owned by investors. Not coincidentally, Wells Fargo announced it plans to shrink the number of branches it has from 5,400 to 4,000. That’s true for US Bank, which is nearly 75% investor owned, and has shrunk it’s branch footprint by 400 in the last year. Even local Umpqua Bank isn’t exempt. Umpqua is 89% investor owned, and announced last year a plan to close 13 – 22% of its branches to save money.

As you may guess, rural areas are hit especially hard. Less people means less opportunity to make a profit, and that means less service. These branch closures, which started during the financial crisis and have picked up steam since the current pandemic are creating banking deserts throughout rural America. That means not only is it harder to talk to somebody when you need to, but there’s a lot of evidence that simply growing up in a banking desert can negatively impact people their whole life.

Contrast that with WCU. In late 2019, we opened a branch in Forest Grove and already broke ground on a new state-of-the-art building to replace our current branch in Astoria. Being in all these cities isn’t about the building. We’ve been rapidly expanding our online and digital capabilities to meet the needs of today’s consumers. In fact, we’d stack our digital options up against any bank. We know though, that sometimes you need to talk face-to-face with somebody, and that’s always part of our roadmap.

How We’re the Same

This part is a bit easier. Can you do it at a bank? Then you can at Wauna Credit Union too. In fact, studies show people tend to get better rates and have lower fees at a credit union than at a bank. That’s for both deposits and loans.

Can we really do everything that a bank can? Most people know about our deposit accounts, including money market and certificates. We’re known for our credit cards and vehicle loans, and people are learning how awesome our local mortgage team is for home loans, construction loans, home equity lines, and even investment loans. We have a full-service commercial lending and deposit program, and through our partnership with LPL Investments and our CUSO Cascade Crest Insurance, we can offer everything you need for your financial well-being.

Just as importantly, we employee local people from entry level to CEO. We understand the community, and we’re here. That means all decisions made are made by people who live and work here. We look at the individual, not just at numbers.

Removal of Most Covid-19 Restrictions

On June 30, 2021 Governors Brown (OR) and Insley (WA) lifted all restrictions regarding COVID-19 precautions that have been in effect since last year. OSHA has still not announced any changes, however, with the guidance from the states, we too are lifting the precautions.

This means:

Masks are no longer required in-branch. Anyone is welcome to continue to wear a mask should they feel more comfortable doing so.
We are not asking members to prove they’ve been vaccinated in order to enter the branch
Vaccinated staff members have provided the necessary proof to WCU Human Resources
Employees may unmask if they are 2 weeks past their final dose or are fully vaccinated otherwise
Employees who do not provide proof of vaccination two weeks past their final does MUST continue to wear a mask at work
Employees who are fully vaccinated, verified, and allowed to remove their mask may still choose to wear one

For those wishing to take increased precautions. We recommend all members use our U-Banking online and app banking, which is available 24/7, and our Video Teller Units to conduct your financial transactions and keep yourself safe. If you have questions regarding your accounts, please send us a secure message within U-Banking, or call the Virtual Branch at 800-773-3236 (Monday-Thursday 9 am – 5:30 pm, and Friday 9 am – 6 pm). In addition, our Video Teller Units are available Monday-Thursday 9 am – 5:30 pm, Friday 9 am – 6 pm, and Saturday 9 am – 3 pm)

June 2021 Monthly Statement Insert

Finance your fun for as low as 2.59% APR*

Cascade Crest Insurance may save you more! Ask for a quote.

*Qualifying loan types include motor home, travel trailer, boat, motorcycle, ATV, and watercraft. Some restrictions apply and rates are subject to change without notice. Rates & terms offered based on applicant’s credit worthiness and term of loan. Membership with Wauna CU required. Federally insured by NCUA. Contact us by calling 800-773-3236 or visiting www.waunafcu.org.

Build Build Refinance with Wauna Credit Union
waunafcu.org, 800-773-3236, 24 7 Lending
Federally Insured by the NCUA, NMLS 421867
Equal Housing Lender