Category: Alerts

BIG NEWS! Clatskanie Branch Remodel (Starts April 8 thru Mid-June 2016)

Debi Smiley COO, Branch Manager Gina Dines, and Member Service Manager Heidi Peterson are super excited about the new branch. Now the question is which will arrive first, the new Clatskanie Branch unveil or Heidi's baby?
Debi Smiley COO, Branch Manager Gina Dines, and Member Service Manager Heidi Peterson are super excited about the new branch. Now the question is, which will arrive first, the new Clatskanie Branch unveil or Heidi’s baby?

Big News! Wauna Credit Union is absolutely delighted to begin a major remodel of our Clatskanie branch, starting on Friday, April 8th! Regular visitors already know that furnishings are getting sparse inside the branch as we prepare for the construction crew to come in.

The Clatskanie branch will be closed on Friday, April 8th to get things rolling, it will reopen on Monday, April 11th utilizing only half the building, and then in a few weeks will switch over to using the other half. The Clatskanie branch will remain open during construction, which is expected to be finished in Mid-June.

Our ATM and Night Drop will be available, but our Drive Up window will be closed during this time. We apologize for this inconvenience and ask that you please pardon our dust as we create a brand new branch experience for our members, and more (desperately needed) space upstairs for our support staff!

Check back for updates & info direct from the remodel!

Clatskanie Branch Remodel Important Dates: 

  • Starts April 8th (Branch will be closed for this one day).
  • April 11th, branch reopens, construction is ongoing.
  • Drive up window will be closed from April 8 until Mid June.
  • ATM & Night Drop will be open.

remodel Rendering 3 Remodel Rendering 2

VOTING OPENS for our Board of Directors – Enter to win $50!

Go-Vote-500x500[1]Democracy In Action! Wauna Credit Union Board of Directors Elections: Vote Now!

Like a bank, Wauna Credit Union has a Board of Directors, but the difference is, our Board is made up of volunteers, who have the same $5 share of ownership in the Credit Union that you or I do. They are not serving for high pay and dividends, they are civic minded people elected by credit union members who vote annually.

Our Board of Directors help govern and lead the credit union to best serve its member-owners. A credit union is not for profit like a bank is, it is for improving the lives of its members with financial services, education, and assistance, and that is all. Any profit made is returned to Credit Union members via lower interest rates and fees, higher yields, and community support.

At Wauna Credit Union the time to vote is here – From February 1 until Midnight on March 1, 2016, all members in good standing & who are 18 or over, are encouraged to vote for up to 4 candidates.

All members are also eligible to run for our Board of Directors, each autumn we have a Call For Nominations to invite all interested members to apply for candidacy.

To be part of our democracy in action, please vote: https://waunafcu.org/about/annual-elections.shtml

FUNDRAISER: Trailblazers Tickets Raffle – Win Big & Help A Good Cause!

Great Community Fundraiser & A Lucky Chance for Basketball Fans!

Wauna Credit Union is raffling off 2 premium seats at a great Trailblazers game, and anyone who donates $15 to our current charity – The School Backpack Programs of Clatskanie and St. Helens – gets a ticket for the raffle!

The Backpack Program gives school children a backpack of healthy food to eat on the weekends, because sometimes school lunches are the only meal children receive daily. The backpack programs in St Helens and Clatskanie are just two regional versions of the larger “Feeding America” program:  http://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/we-feed-children/backpack-program/?_ga=1.24858163.828305436.1453252033

Why not make a donation to help our communities’ children AND get a chance to win a great view of the Portland Trailblazers in action? Read more below, and then stop in any branch to donate!

Anyone who donates $15 to the Backpack Program fundraiser will be given a raffle ticket to win those two amazing tickets! The drawing will be held at our Clatskanie branch on March 11, 2016.

Thank You!

fundraiser for kids, raffle for trailblazers tickets

 

Scholarship Applications Now Accepted!

graduate 2016Need Money for Higher Education? Wauna CU can help!

Starting today until April 15th, Wauna Credit Union welcomes all of our upcoming or recent high school graduates to apply for a student scholarship. Each year we award scholarships to as many student members as we can, and we spread the scholarships all over our service area.

We understand how important higher education is for success in today’s world, and we want to help! This year we are gifting $6000 worth of scholarships to our members. We also welcome past winner to apply again for continued support.

The application must be filled out completely, and requires two brief essays.

To apply for the scholarship, go to our website and download the application: https://waunafcu.org/annual-scholarship.shtml

Bill Pay Update! Coming soon Single-Sign-On for BillPay users!

BillpayNotice1-16This is Exciting & Long Awaited News for our Members!

Our Bill Pay service will soon be upgrading. Since our core processor conversion back in October 2013, Bill Pay has required a secondary login beyond the online banking login, all of that will soon change. We have keep asking about this and working on it, and very soon, our Bill Pay users will be able to access their Bill Pay account directly on Online Banking!

This change will be coming soon, and we are hopeful that in addition to pleasing our existing users, this update will also inspire more members to use our easy and convenient Bill Pay option for paying bills monthly or even one time payments!

As the launch of the new Bill Pay nears, stay tuned to this blog, our website, and social media for announcements.

Thank you!

 

 

With Interest Rates Rising, Never a Better Time to Join a Credit Union

From the NWCUA:

Tigard, OR. — Members of Oregon’s credit unions enjoy lower interest rates on their credit cards, car loans and mortgages. Because credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives, there are no stockholders to pay.  Instead, direct financial benefits are returned to members in the form of better interest rates on loans and savings products.

Financing a $25,000 new automobile for 60 months at an Oregon credit union would save you $150 per year. In fact, in the 12-months ending in June, 2015, Oregon credit union members collectively saved over $46 million on their auto loans, vs. rates paid by bank customers. Their credit card interest rates resulted in nearly $28 million in savings, while members with home equity loans saved $6 million by paying lower interest rates than bank customers. When checking, money market, certificate and retirement accounts were analyzed in the same period, advantage: Oregon credit union members. They earned nearly $16 million in higher interest than bank customers with similar products.*

In Oregon, 1.8 million consumers have discovered the credit union difference. This week’s news from the Federal Reserve of a modest interest rate increase is a reminder that the gift of membership in a local, not-for-profit, cooperative credit union makes sense.

*Source: Informa Research Services, National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and Credit Union National Association (CUNA). June, 2015.

 

The Northwest Credit Union Association is the not-for-profit trade association representing over 160 of Oregon and Washington’s credit unions. Northwest credit unions returned $352 million in direct financial benefits to their 5.2 million members last year. The NWCUA is the voice of the Northwest credit union movement, providing legislative, regulatory and public advocacy in addition to education, compliance, networking support and business solutions to credit unions. For information on how to join a credit union, please visit http://www.asmarterchoice.org.

An open letter to those affected by the recent storms – Wauna CU is here to help:

Dear Community,

Our communities have been hit with some very bad, and even deadly rains recently. Oregon Governor Kate Brown has declared both Columbia and Clatsop Counties a state of emergency, and we have not yet even crossed into winter!

In an effort to help our friends and neighbors who have been affected, or may be affected in the near future, Wauna Credit Union has rushed to create a variety of special programs to help. These programs also include our Pacific County Community, your weather is our weather!

While our Credit Union and staff are of course donating and volunteering wherever we can, we wanted to do more!

We are offering a Skip-A-Pay for secured and unsecured consumer loans, including credit cards – Just tell us you have been impacted by these storms and we will skip your payment next month. We don’t need proof, we believe you – we live here too. We just want to make at least one thing a little easier right now for everyone!

We also know that even those who were not flooded may have missed work or had other setbacks, so this Skip-A-Pay includes you as well.

If you have experienced damage to your home or car or business, we are also offering a discounted interest rate on loans to repair or replace what you’ve lost.

Come to any branch, call or apply online. Let us know what you need, and we will do our best to secure a loan for you at a considerably lower interest rate.

As this winter progresses, we will do all we can to assist our communities, especially if this dangerous weather continues. Wauna Credit Union was born here on the lower Columbia Pacific Region, this is our home, and our members, neighbors, and communities mean the world to us! Please do not hesitate to contact us at 800-773-3236 or at waunafcu.org for help.

We wish everyone a safe holiday season and better weather in the New Year!

 

Sincerely,

All of us at Wauna Credit Union

 

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