Community Financial Gives a Thumbs Up for Charity! $25,000 Awarded to Local Charities

 Tim Cassidy, Fund Development Director (left), 
Cathy Clough, New Hope Center Executive Director,
and Bill Lawton, Community Financial Credit Union, President/CEO

 The votes are in and Thumbs Up For Charity! has a winner.

Throughout the month of April, Community Financial invited the community to vote online among five finalists to determine the Thumbs Up For Charity! prizewinners.

After the votes were tallied, New Hope Center for Grief Support in Northville, took the $10,000 grand prize.

New Hope Center for Grief Support is dedicated to providing grief support services to adults and children who are grieving after the death of a loved one.

“We are so appreciative to Community Financial for their support,” said Cathy Clough, Executive Director of New Hope Center for Grief Support.  “We rely on donations in order to offer our services at no charge to anyone who can benefit from them. Community Financial’s funds will enable us to help more people in an even bigger and better way.”

Clough added that New Hope Center will use the funds to be able to offer more services to those who are grieving. “It’s all to help grieving people in bigger and better way,” Clough said.

The other finalists who also received donations were: Plymouth-Canton Community Schools’ WSDP Radio, The New 88.1 and the Friendship Shelter from Gaylord, which took home $5,000 prizes.  Old Village School of Northville and Montmorency County Council on Aging from Montmorency County each received $2,500. 

“This was an extremely close vote, which goes to show how valued each of these organizations are by the community,” said Sarah Cousineau, Community Financial Credit Union marketing manager. “At Community Financial, we are proud to be able to bring these organizations to the forefront and highlight the amazing work they do.”

Stay tuned to Community Financial to hear more about its commitment to the community.  You can also stay connected by “liking” Community Financial on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CommunityFinancial or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CFCreditUnion.

Students Gain Independence with Free Checking

As a student, learning to manage school, work, and financial responsibilities can be a daunting task.  Establishing a no-cost checking account is an easy way to help you manage your money.  As you begin working or heading off to college, a checking account will give you the flexibility you need to access your funds and keep track of your budget. 

Free Student Checking Accounts at Community Financial have no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. They are designed to help members ages 16-23 grow independent while learning to manage their finances.  

“A Free Student Checking Account is a great way to start learning the benefits of paycheck direct deposit, debit cards and online banking in an account designed for you,” says Natalie McLaughlin, Community Financial Senior Education Partnership Coordinator.

For students going away to college, make sure to get a checking account that gives you access from anywhere.  Community Financial accounts offer free ATM access at thousands of surcharge-free ATMs thru CO-OP Network® & Alliance One®.  This means college bound members can make withdrawals at credit union ATMs in towns like Ann Arbor or East Lansing.  Visit cfcu.org\ATMs to check thousands of locations.

With easy access to ATMs and online banking, your Community Financial Student Checking Account can help keep you on track of your finances whether you are at home or away at school.  Learn more about all of the great features a Community Financial checking account offers. You may stop by one of our branch locations, or open your account over the phone at (877) 937-2328 or online at cfcu.org.

Posted by: Community Financial
Community Financial Members Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, full-service financial institution owned and governed by its membership.

Housing Market Update PT2: Tips for Preparing to Sell

Are you preparing to sell your house?  We recommend taking the time to prepare your house for the market.  Follow these three steps to get ready.

1.         Scope out the market.

Before putting a house up for sale, scope out the market to see what prices other houses in your neighborhood are selling for.  Be realistic in your assessment; the housing market changes frequently and a home is not likely to get the price today that it may have gotten several years ago.  Buyer tastes also change, so pay attention to what attracts today’s shoppers.

2.         Get ready to showcase the home. 

Buyers aren’t typically looking for a house that needs a lot of work, unless it’s a bargain.  The more prepared your house is for the next owners, the more attractive it will appear on the market.  Clean, improve and prepare the house before putting it up for sale.

3.         Set a realistic price.  

In a buyer’s market, realtors suggest asking for 3 to 5 percent above what you expect to get.  In a seller’s market, realtors suggest asking for 10 to 20 percent above.  Careful research is recommending for setting a realistic price.   To incentivize buyers, it can also help to be flexible about the move-in date or offer to pay for closing costs. 

Community Financial Credit Union offers a wide variety of mortgage options, low closing costs and competitive mortgage rates.  As a local community lender, we know the Michigan housing market and are here to help make home busing easier.  Click here to visit the mortgage section of our website or click here to apply online.

Posted by: Community Financial
Community Financial Members Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, full-service financial institution owned and governed by its membership.

Celebrating Credit Union Youth Week

This week is National Credit Union Youth Week and at Community Financial we’re celebrating financial literacy for young adults.

Credit Unions across the nation are celebrating by promoting super savings at your local credit union.  The celebration, April 18-24, takes place during JumpStart Coalitions’ Financial Literacy for Youth Month. 

Join us as we celebrate this week at Community Financial:

·  Youth Club members make a deposit and get two prizes from the prize box

·  Student Club members make a deposit and receive two punches to your punch card

·  Free family financial activity fair Wednesday evening

Our Student Run Credit Union Program is also wrapping up another great year.  We partnered with 23 elementary schools, 8 middle schools and 3 high schools.  Over 1,543 students participated this year as volunteers, where they worked as branch managers, tellers, bookkeepers, computer operators, and marketing representatives. The goal of the program is to give students real-life, professional experiences in, filling out applications, interviewing and acting responsibly on the job.

In the 2011-2012 school year, we had 1,700 kids participate as members making deposits in our school branches, and we strive to teach everyone to set goals and save their money. One student started with us in elementary school. By the time he became a senior in high school, we were able to help him with a line of credit to start his own landscaping business. Now he’s in college and has several employees working for him.  We hope all members learn money management skills they can use in the future.

Teaching financial literacy is important, and Community Financial is proud to establish successful programs with our local schools.  Learn more about our Student Run Credit Union Program by visiting us here.

Posted by: Natalie McLaughlin, Senior Education Partnership Coordinator Community Financial Members Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, full-service financial institution owned and governed by its membership.

Housing Market Update PT1: Tips for Preparing to Buy

With the housing market on an upward trend, more people are thinking about moving.  Before buying or selling a home, consider these steps.

1.         Review your credit.

Most people need a mortgage to purchase a house.  Make sure to get your credit report a few months before house hunting. A free annual credit report is available from Annualcreditreport.com. Check the report carefully for any incorrect facts.  Reviewing your credit and fixing any problems now will save you time and stress when applying for a mortgage. 

2.         Get pre-approved before house hunting. 

Many real estate agents request a letter of approval for a mortgage before helping find a house.  Getting pre-approved puts you in a better position to make a serious offer when you’re ready.  Also, mortgage requirements have changed over the last three to five years, so it’s important to understand the current eligibility requirements for financing.

3.         Do your homework.  

Shop around and compare homes in your price range before making an offer.  A good real estate agent will help guide you through the house hunting process, but it’s wise to also do your own research.  In particular, look at sales trends for similar homes in the neighborhood and take that information into account when deciding how much to offer for the home of your choice.     

If you’re preparing to buy, our mortgage specialists at Community Financial Credit Union can help you get pre-approved for free today.  Speak with one of our mortgage specialists today. 

Posted by: Community Financial
Community Financial Members Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, full-service financial institution owned and governed by its membership.