News & Updates

2024 Calendar of Events & Holiday Closures

• Closed: New Years Day – Monday, January 1
• Closed: Martin Luther King Jr Day – Monday, January 15 
• Closed: President's Day – Monday, February 19
• WCU Annual Meeting – Tuesday, March 12
• WCU Scholarship Application Deadline – Friday, April 12
• Taxes Due – Monday, April 15
• Closed: Memorial Day – Monday, May 27
• Closed: Juneteenth – Wednesday, June 19
• Closed: Independence Day – Thursday, July 4
• Closed: Labor Day – Monday, September 2
• Closed: Indigenous Peoples' Day – Monday, October 14
• Closed: Veterans Day – Monday, November 11
• Closed: Thanksgiving – Thursday, November 28
• Closed: Christmas Day – Wednesday, December 25
• Closed: New Years Day 2025 – Wednesday, January 

April 2024

• Fraud Awareness on Tap – April 10^th at Waltz Brewing
• Coffee & Commerce w/ SCC Chamber of Commerce – April 12^th
• SBDC Munch-N-Learn on Land Use, Building, & Permitting 101 – April 25^th
• Astoria/Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival – April 26-28^th
• Race Against Child Abuse – April 27^th

May 2024

• Forest Grove High School Softball & Baseball Games – Forest Grove High School, 5:00 pm, May 3^rd 
• The Hope Squared Foundation Roses & Resilience – May 4^th
• Nonprofit Financial Presentation with Rural Development Initiatives & Pacific University – May 8^th
• SBDC Munch-N-Learn on Social Media – May 16^th – Feat. Subject Matter Expert / Panelist(s) from WCU

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• Inserto de declaración de Diciembre
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• Inserto de declaración de Septiembre
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• Inserto de declaración de Junio
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• Inserto de declaración de Marzo
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• Inserto de declaración de Diciembre
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• Inserto de declaración de Septiembre
• Read Our June Newsletter
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• Alert: Card Reader (ATM Skimmer) found on Warrenton ATM
• July Statement Insert Now Available
• Introducing Wauna Talk A Financial Education Podcast
• Wauna Credit Union Awards Clatsop and Columbia County Students Over $11k in Scholarships
• June Statement Insert Now Available
• Three Decades of Awesome – Chief Marketing Officer, Debi Smiley
• May Statement Insert Now Available
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• Wauna Announces Power of Giving Campaign
• Holiday Charity Drive to Benefit Backpack Programs
• December Statement Insert Now Available
• November Statement Insert Now Available
• A Letter From CEO Robert Blumberg on Data Security
• October Statement Insert Now Available
• September Statement Insert Now Available
• Wauna Credit Union Adopt a Teacher Program Gives $500 to area educators

In The News

• Wauna Credit Union Donates $12,000 to Local Warming Shelter (NWCUA Anthem)
  

  The funds were raised exclusively by credit union employees to help those facing homelessness find shelter during the cold winter months.

• New Riverfront Stage: Project slated for Columbia View Park (The Chronicle)
  

  Wauna Credit Union has dedicated to building the stage at Columbia View Park and most recently has renewed its ongoing support of St. Helens tourism efforts through a citywide sponsorship program.

• Preserving History: $500,000 Castle goal (The Chief)
  

  A $500,000 restoration effort to restore The Thomas J. Flippin House, known locally as the Castle, is close to goal.

• Wauna Credit Union hopes to facilitate rural prosperity (Forest Grove News Times)
  "Opportunities for financial services are diminishing in some of these rural communities... It's about providing people with options." Said Debi Smiley, chief marketing officer at Wauna Credit Union
• Scappoose advances purchase of park land (Columbia County Spotlight)
  

  In 2010, the city purchased land on Second Street with the intention of later developing it into a pool facility. That property was later determined to be inadequate for that use, however, and was sold to Wauna Credit Union in 2017

• Wauna Credit Union Opens New Branch in Forest Grove (NCUA Anthem)
  Wauna Credit Union (WCU) is opening the doors to its newest branch this month, nestled in the heart of Washington County in Forest Grove, Oregon, at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Highway 47.
• Wauna Credit Union supports local service members (The Chief)
  Area financial cooperative, Wauna Credit Union (WCU) is supporting the Hometown Heroes Project, presented by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). Hometown Heroes is best known for sending care packages to service members actively serving overseas.
• Wizard of weed visits Kind Leaf (The East Oregonian)
  

  Recently, however, two Oregon credit unions — MAPS Credit Union and Wauna Credit Union — started serving cannabis businesses.

  The Wauna website gives insight to the revamped thinking.

  “Cannabis-related businesses often deal in cash-only transactions and so generally have large amounts of cash on-hand. Such circumstances can lead to an increase in crime or other dangerous activities. That being said, offering legal and compliant banking solutions to these businesses just makes sense to us — we are getting that cash off the streets and into a safe place.”

• Credit unions unite for Columbia Pacific Food Bank (The Chronicle)
  To help ensure those in need throughout the local community do not go hungry, InRoads and Wauna Credit Unions teamed up to donate a total of $10,000 to the Columbia Pacific Food Bank.
  
  
• Inside The 'Wild, Wild West' Of Oregon Cannabis Businesses As They Seek Banking Services (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
  Wrapping up the 2018-19 school year, local financial cooperative Wauna Credit Union (WCU) has awarded $12,000 in scholarships to WCU student members in Columbia, Clatsop and Washington counties. 
  
  
• MAXX Speakers Break Down Diversity & Inclusion, Data Ethics: Onsite Coverage  (Credit Union Times)
  Employees of financial cooperative Wauna Credit Union choose one charity or nonprofit organization to raise funds for, and this round they raised $6,500 for the Food for Kids Program at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, located at the Saint Mary’s Star of the Sea Church.
  
• Filling the gaps (Credit Union National Association)
  

  Mentee Marti Gwin, vice president of compliance at $253 million asset Wauna Federal Credit Union in Clatskanie, Ore., set a goal of establishing a compliance management system while working with her mentor.
  
  “My mentor has over 40 years of credit union experience and 23 years of compliance experience,” Gwin says. “She created a compliance department at her last credit union.”
  
  “It’s one thing to talk about this stuff conceptually, but when you have documents that you can adapt for your organization along with feedback from someone who’s been down this road, it’s invaluable,” says Gwin, who signed a non-disclosure agreement at the start of the process. “She helps me look at the big picture.

• Affordable housing project celebrated in St. Helens (Columbia County Spotlight)
  The project was made possible through a number of groups working together, like CAT and Self Help, and was funded through various state grants and a loan from Wauna Credit Union.
  
• AFFORDABLE HOUSING: New housing opens in St. Helens (The Chronicle)
  Reed said the 18th Street apartment development is significant to the community because it offers specialized housing for low-income, homeless at-risk individuals, veterans and the disabled.
• Scholarships: Local teens recognized (The Chief)
  Local financial cooperative, Wauna Credit Union (WCU) announces $12,000 in scholarships awarded to WCU student members in Columbia, Clatsop, and Washington counties.“There are so many qualified and intelligent young people out there,” WCU CEO Robert Blumberg said. “These final decisions are never easy, but it’s always inspiring to read through the applicants’ stories and their journeys – we had a great response this year."
  
• Wauna Credit Union awards $12,000 in scholarships (The Daily Astorian)
  Wrapping up the 2018-19 school year, local financial cooperative Wauna Credit Union (WCU) has awarded $12,000 in scholarships to WCU student members in Columbia, Clatsop and Washington counties.
• Credit union raises $6,500 for kids’ food program  (The Daily Astorian)
  Employees of financial cooperative Wauna Credit Union choose one charity or nonprofit organization to raise funds for, and this round they raised $6,500 for the Food for Kids Program at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, located at the Saint Mary’s Star of the Sea Church.
  
• The 2019 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon (Oregon Business)
  The following ranking showcases employers with best-in-class sustainable workplace practices. These organizations have implemented environmentally friendly strategies that their employees appreciate and rate highly. #73 Wauna Credit Union
• Wauna Federal Credit Union expands (The Daily Astorian)
  Wauna Federal Credit Union is moving in Astoria and opening a new branch in Seaside, part of a regional expansion. “As these big, regional, national banks pull out of these areas, that leaves these communities underbanked,” (WCU CEO Robert) Blumberg said. “And so we’re looking at building inexpensive, smaller branches that are full-service, using technology to reach our members.”
  
• 'It was like a door opening' (The Credit Union Times)
  A recurring theme in Murdoch’s credit union message is financial literacy. “It’s an invaluable aspect of modern life, so I’m trying to get in front of everyone: elementary students, teenagers, adults, elderly—anyone who might benefit,” he says. “Being physically there, providing live responses, and seeing the engagement in people’s eyes really strengthens the will to do more.”
• Wauna Credit Union awards scholarships to students  (The Daily Astorian)
  To wrap up the 2017-18 school year, financial cooperative Wauna Credit Union (WCU) has awarded $11,500 in scholarships to WCU student members in Columbia and Clatsop counties. The scholarship recipients were selected based on GPA, community involvement and their need for financial assistance.
  
• Wauna Credit Union awards over $11k in scholarships (The Chief)
  To wrap up the 2017/2018 school year, financial cooperative, Wauna Credit Union (WCU) has awarded $11,500 in scholarships to WCU student members in Columbia and Clatsop counties. 2018 marks well over $300,000 that WCU has awarded in scholarships over the years
  
• Part 3: Marijuana business owners can’t buy a home (NBC 5)
  

  Chief marketing officer Debi Smiley says Wauna Credit Union is a community credit union that serves anyone who does business in Columbia, Clatstop and Western Washington counties in Oregon, as well as Pacific County in Washington. Earlier this year, the credit union rolled out a program that includes businesses in the cannabis industry. “They’re a legitimate business, and it’s our business as a community credit union to serve all businesses,” Debi Smiley said

• Wauna Credit Union takes a futuristic banking approach (The Chief)
  

  Financial cooperative Wauna Credit Union [WCU] is answering the digital banking needs of its 24,000 plus members by upgrading their online and mobile banking platform. “U-Banking,” a new digital banking experience, offers dozens of high-tech features and is designed to ease friction and the pain-points of WCU’s online banking users.

• Wauna Credit Union Chief Marketing Officer celebrates 3 decades of service (The Chief) 
  Wauna Credit Union (WCU) is announcing the thirty year anniversary of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Debi Smiley. WCU is recognizing Smiley’s dedication to the credit union, noting her invaluable contributions to the growth of WCU over the past three decades.
  
• Wauna Credit Union’s CFO celebrates decade of service (The Chief)
  Wauna Credit Union (WCU) recently announced the ten-year anniversary of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) David Merrell. WCU is recognizing Merrell’s dedication to the credit union, noting his valuable contributions to the growth of WCU over the past decade.
  
• Wauna Credit Union supports Backpack Program (The Chronicle)
  Clatskanie-based financial cooperative Wauna Credit Union (Wauna CU) was honored recently by Long Beach Mayor Jerry Phillips with the Mayor’s Award, having raised $13,135 throughout 2017 for local BackPack programs.
  
• Oregon credit union, tech firm to offer marijuana banking services (Marijuana Business Daily)
  Oregon-based Wauna Credit Union has forged a partnership with Arizona tech firm Hypur that will allow the financial institution to service marijuana-related companies.
• Wauna partnering with Hypur to serve marijuana businesses (The Daily Astorian)
  Wauna CU, with more than 25,000 members in Washington and Oregon, said in a press release that its management believes that providing banking access to CRBs “benefits not only the businesses themselves, but the entire community by bringing transparency and accountability to the cannabis industry.  Serving the CRB industry, we become part of the solution and not part of the problem. The CRBs have difficulty forming banking relationships due to the limited number of credit unions and banks serving this industry. Providing banking services to this industry legitimizes these businesses. Our partner, Hypur, with their state of the art compliance program, provides transparency to these operations. It also adds an element of safety and security to all of us that live and/or work in the community, which is in all of our best interests,” Robert Blumberg, CEO and president of Wauna CU, said.
  
• Wauna Credit Union to serve cannabis-related businesses (The Chronicle) 
  Robert Blumberg, CEO and President of Wauna CU, said by serving cannabis-related business, Wauna becomes part of the solution and not part of the problem. Blumberg said cannabis-related businesses have difficulty forming banking relationships due to a limited number of credit unions and banks that serve the industry.
  
• Tri-City Insurance becomes part of Wauna Credit Union (The Chronicle)
  Wauna Credit Union recently acquired the agency in a merger deal, which came right before the retirement of longtime owner and founder Glenda Worthington. The insurance company is now owned and operated under Wauna Services, LLC. Aside from non-members who want insurance services, Smiley said that the acquisition will also help give credit union members more options for insurance services. She added that in terms of auto loans and home ownership options, the services go “hand-in-hand.”
  
• Wauna Credit Union announces Adopt-A-Teacher contest (The Chronicle)
  As the school year begins, Wauna Credit Union proudly supports the teachers in the communities it represents. To help area teachers, who often have to dig into their own pockets to provide supplies for the classroom, the credit union is hosting an “Adopt-A-Teacher” contest during the month of September, awarding $500 to the winning educator.
  
• ‘Adopt-A-Teacher’ contest will net winner $500 (The Daily Astorian)
  

  To help area teachers, who often have to dig into their own pockets to provide supplies for the classroom, Wauna Credit Union is hosting an “Adopt-A-Teacher” contest in September, and awarding $500 to the winning educator. Community members are encouraged to post a video on WCU’s Facebook page explaining why their favorite teacher deserves to win. The entry with the most votes as measured by Facebook “reactions” wins the grand prize.

• Credit union breaks ground on long-vacant FG lot (Forest Grove NewsTime)
  Forest Grove city leaders and Wauna Federal Credit Union representatives held a groundbreaking ceremony at the lot Thursday, Sept. 21. "To have one of the blank spots in our community filled with a building a year from now — that'll be tremendously beneficial to Forest Grove," said Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce Director Howard Sullivan. "Forest Grove will have a different look and feel now as people come into town."
  

• Letters: Summer social & auction successful (The Chronicle)
  (The Black Tie & Blue Jeans Summer Social & Auction) sponsors cover the costs of the event, making it possible for the contributions made by attendees to directly fund the scholarship program. This year we were honored to receive Gold Sponsorships from Global Partners and Hudson Garbage Service, and Silver Sponsorships from CalPortland, Columbia River PUD, Dillard’s Moorage, Dyno Nobel, Kivel & Howard, Pacific Stainless, PGE, Portland & Western, and Wauna Credit Union.

• Backpack meal program in urgent need of funds (Chinook Observer)
  Wauna Credit Union recognized the need the Backpack Program filled in the community and wanted to help. The credit union, with branches in Long Beach, Astoria, Warrenton, Clatskanie, Vernonia, St. Helens and Scappoose made the Backpack Program of Pacific County its official charity for the year and throughout the year fundraises for the organization in many different ways.
• Battle tested, career ready (The Daily Astorian)
  From 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, 16 local businesses and labor groups — including Fred Meyer, Lektro, Providence Seaside Hospital, Tongue Point Job Corps Center, WorkSource Oregon and Wauna Federal Credit Union — gathered in the Fort George Brewery’s Lovell Showroom to connect with veterans looking for jobs.
  
• Help United Way "Stuff the Bus" (The Chronicle)
  Join United Way and its community partners to help provide school supplies so children can begin school ready to learn and not worried about having the necessary supplies. All donations stay within the community where they are made. Look for the “Official Drop Site” (Including All Wauna Credit Union Branches) sign at businesses in Columbia County.

• Wauna FCU announces scholarship recipients (The Chronicle)
  Continuing a decades-long tradition, Wauna Credit Union provided $7,500 in scholarships to ten students in Columbia and Clatsop counties.
  

• News and Notes: Here’s What’s Happening in Northwest Credit Unions (Anthem)
  This month, Wauna Credit Union continued its decades-long tradition of presenting scholarships to deserving members who are continuing their education. This year, Wauna distributed ($7,500) in scholarships to ten students for their commitment to their studies and to their communities. The winners represent high schools from Astoria, Clatskanie, Knappa, Rainier, Scappoose, St. Helens, and Vernonia.
• Wauna Credit Union launches 'Give a Hoot About Saving' event (The Clatskanie Chief)
  In an effort to help kids develop good saving habits, Wauna Credit Union (WCU) is joining thousands of Credit Unions across the country to celebrate National Credit Union Youth Month. WCU will host a savings challenge to celebrate National Credit Union Youth Month by launching Youth Week, April 24 to 29, 2017. Young people will be encouraged to save for something they care about and offered prizes for participating.
  
• Wauna FCU sees member growth (St. Helens Chronicle)

  Clatskanie based Wauna Credit Union announced it’s membership grew by 7.52 percent over the past year. It now claims 23,168 members in Columbia, Clatsop and western Washington counties.

  During it’s annual meeting held Mar. 4, CEO and President Robert Blumberg and Board Chair George Dunkel reported the state of Wauna Credit Union. Total assets in 2016 grew to over $214.61 million.
• Business news briefs for March 2017 (Coast Business Journal)
  Each year Wauna Credit Union awards higher education scholarships to student members. “The annual scholarships are one of many ways that WCU gives back to the communities that it serves,” WCU noted in a press release.
  
• Wauna Credit Union offers scholarships (The Daily Astorian)
  

  Every year, Wauna Credit Union (WCU) awards higher education scholarships to student members. Recipients must have graduated from high school within the last five years, and be a member in good standing of WCU. Former winners are eligible to re-apply.

  The WCU Scholarship Committee determines the number and amount of scholarships to be awarded, depending on the number of applicants. The scholarship may be used for tuition, room, board, books and fees. Applications are being accepted through April 15; scholarship winners will be notified in June.

• News briefs (Pamplin Media Group)
  Applications for Wauna Credit Union scholarships are now being accepted. The deadline for submission is April 15. The application form is available via a link on the WCU website, at any WCU branch, and at local high schools. Applications may be returned to any branch or mailed to: Wauna Credit Union Scholarships, c/o Jenifer Katon, P.O. Box 67, Clatskanie, OR, 97106. Scholarship winners will be notified in June.
  
• Wauna Credit Union dedicates new Long Beach office (Chinook Observer)
  In January Wauna Credit Union dedicated its new lending office at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Sid Snyder Drive in downtown Long Beach and opened an ATM. Attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony, from left: Debi Smiley, WCU chief marketing officer; Monica Lauber, WCU Mortgage Department vice president; Steven Linhart, Long Beach city councilor and mayer pro-tem; Jeff Parker, WCU real estate relationship officer; Robert Blumberg, WCU CEO and president; Natalie Hanson, Long Beach city councilor, McKenzie Wilson, WCU real estate loan officer; and Paige Tischer, WCU real estate loan officer.