Spring 2016 Issue - GHS Federal Credit Union

The Relationship of a Lifetime
Know
IN THE
Spring 2016
The Newsletter for Our Members
Reasons e
us Equity
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If you are a homeowner, you may be tempted
to extract some of your savings and use it for
immediate wants or needs, but would that
actually be a smart investment? Can you cash-out
your Home Equity Loan to fix a leaky roof, or
finance your child’s college tuition? Here are a few
common Home Equity “cash-out” scenarios and
why they may–or may not– be the best idea.
1. Using Home Equity to Renovate;
your mind. Just make sure you consult with an
objective advisor to ensure that your investment
is sound.
3. Using Home Equity for Student Loans;
Using your home equity could be an enticing
way to finance your child’s education because
the interest rate could be lower and the
maximum loan amount higher than other
types of education financing. However, this
strategy is not risk free. Always keep in mind
that, “kids are much better off with financially
secure parents than they are being financially
secure and having to take care of their parents
later in life.”
Home Improvement is the “No. 1 use” of home
equity loans. The advantage is clear if you
bought a home with remodeling in mind. Your
equity could be used for something as simple
as repainting your kitchen or making room
for your new garage band with an addition.
The opportunity is even more attractive if your Making a decision to extract your Home Equity
home’s value has increased and there is a larger is not easy. It all comes down to being informed
equity cushion.
and responsible borrowing. At GHS, our goal is
to help you achieve your unique financial dreams
and we are always available to help you make
those tough decisions.
Home equity can be used to invest for a higher
return as long as interest rates remain low.
For More Information:
It can be a good source of funds to start that
www.bankrate.com/finance/home-equity/reasons-to-usehome-equity-1.aspx
business you have always had in the back of
2.Using Home Equity to Invest;
President’s Message
It is Spring time and many of us will be doing our spring cleaning. In my
house we donate to charity the possessions we no longer use and throw out
the broken. We should not only be doing that in terms of physical items but
also services that we purchase. In this spirit I would like to re-emphasize
the many wonderful benefits of belonging to GHS FCU versus other
financial institutions.
•
GHS is a cooperative owned by our members Our goal is to
provide members with superior customer service and affordable financial
services. In the American Customer Satisfaction Index 2015 survey from
CFI Group, credit unions beat banks, with customers rating their overall
satisfaction at a score of 87 out of 100, 8 points greater than the banking
average. At GHS we have average customer service scores of 90.
• GHS is a not-for-profit organization; we are able to pass our tax savings on to the membership
through lower loan and credit card rates and higher dividends on your savings accounts. We
function in a traditional setting whereas we take deposits from members to make loans to other
members. Everybody wins.
• Being able to have access to your funds anytime, anywhere is important. We have a superior
online banking application, allow you to make check deposits via your cell phone and are
members of the CO-OP ATM network which includes almost 30,000 surcharge-free cash
machines nationwide.
• At GHS Federal Credit Union, we pride ourselves on being a top source for financial
information, helping you learn how to make smart money decisions; we call this financial
literacy. Because we know it is best to start teaching financial literacy when people are young,
your GHS Federal Credit Union Business Development Team partners with a number of school
districts as part of the Banzai Program personal finance curriculum. This adolescent financial
literacy program teaches high school and middle school students how to prioritize their spending
decisions. As our members grow with us, the GHS Federal Credit Union website provides
articles, tools and other resources for our valued members that can be accessed 24 hours a day.
Lastly, we have a caring, friendly and knowledgeable staff to answer any financial question any
member may have.
Your GHS FCU team enjoys being able to serve your financial needs. We are always available to
our members and look forward to helping you achieve your financial dreams. We are committed to
building a relationship of a lifetime.
Warmest regards,
President and Chief Executive Officer
Howard Meller
Check it Out!
Please join us in welcoming our first quarter
(1Q) new hires to GHS Federal Credit Union.
Our recent new hires bring exceptional service,
skills, and experience to support our members
and are a great addition to the GHS Team! You
will see these new faces at our Court Street and
Main Branch.
Welcome Taylor, Jade and Stephanie!
Please join us in congratulating GHS team
members who have received recent promotions.
Sarah was recently promoted to Senior Member
Service Representative in our Norwich Branch.
She has been a member of the MSR team for the
past year. In her new role, she will continue to
support our member’s needs and provide support
and guidance to the MSR team. When in our
Norwich Branch, be sure to congratulate Sarah!
Our new loan officer in our Main Branch on
Front Street is Jessica. Jessica joined GHS
as a Sales/Service Representative. Her sales
skills, along with the experience she brought
to GHS, enable her to successfully support our
members lending needs. Stop in to see Jessica
and learn more about our great lending products.
Congratulations Jessica!
VASS Training
GHS Federal Credit Union is pleased to
announce that 20 employees recently graduated
from an in-depth 18 week training program.
The program, Value Add Sales and Service,
expanded and developed team skills from
understanding their member, active listening,
and building rapport in order to determine
member needs, presenting products and
services to closing the sale. The program was
presented in, 8 bi-weekly, learning modules. We
are very proud of their efforts, contributions and
accomplishments! We would like to recognize
and congratulate them.
Teammates: Amy Ahner, Pat Aqualito,
Jennifer Bruce, Joe D’Introno, Kim Ehrets,
Alicia French, Alaina Heath, Joan Marean,
Stephanie Marsh, Leigh Odell, Dallas Perez,
Shauna Rapuzzi, Michelle Robinson, Kristi
Scales, Colin Tarr, Freda Tibone, Jean
Wharton, and Sarah Williams.
What is DocuSign?
GHS has been taking progressive steps to
increase our technology and make sure that
we are accessible to all members, all the time.
Over the last few months, we have introduced
DocuSign. DocuSign is a service that will allow
the loan officers and the borrowers to sign their
documents remotely, and for most members,
never having to leave the comfort of their
homes. As an existing member, you are able to
sign your documents from the same computer,
tablet, or smartphone that you applied from.
If you choose to apply in person, you will not
be walking out with a large packet of paper
anymore. DocuSign will allow you to sign on
a tablet with the loan officer, and then have all
the documents
securely
emailed to your
personal email
address. Either
way, we want
to bring you
financial peace
with ease.
Board of Directors
Jeffrey Kerr, CFA, Chair
Paul Battisti, Esq., Vice Chair
Patricia J. Clark, Treasurer
AnnMarie Lenkiewiecz, Secretary
Larry Maier
Mark Knebel
Leonard Lindenmuth
Jeanette O. Tillotson
David Drew
Senior Management
Howard Meller, President/CEO
Donald Schmitt, Vice Presiden/Finance
Traci Cerasaro, Director/HR
Supervisory Committee
Real World Marketing
GHS was happy to have the opportunity to partner with
Maine-Endwell’s Entrepreneurship class this semester by
getting students involved in our marketing. Mrs. Murat has
been teaching this business class for the past 3 years and says
“providing the students with real world experience needs to
be a priority”, and GHS definitely agrees!
Our President and Business Development Manager made
a visit to the class to explain what separates GHS from
competitors and how we always put our members first. The
students were then given free rein to create a commercial for
GHS about services that we offer. Twenty-three entries were
made before the class narrowed it down to the “Top Ten”.
Howie and Jennifer then made another visit to the class for
the top ten commercial presentations. The Three Finalists
now have their commercials posted on GHS’ Facebook page
for the community to weigh in and vote for the winner!
We encourage our members to get involved by sharing the
posts and voting for their favorite commercial from these
students. The contest will be running until the end of May and
the winner will be announced during the first week of June.
Be sure to follow our Facebook and Twitter for updates on
our “Real World Marketing” contest!
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IS BACK! JUNE 25TH
GHS PARKING LOT
910 FRONT STREET
FROM 9AM-12PM
Cindy Tokos
David Sebastianelli
Mark Knebel
Open Positions
GHS Federal Credit Union is
currently recruiting for:
IT Manager
Financial Advisor
Please visit our website:
GHSfcu.com/careers
to learn more & apply!
Holiday Closings
Memorial Day, May 30th
Independence Day, July 4th
Labor Day, September 5th
Explore
our Social Media
channels as we revamp our
content specifically for you!
(800) 732-4447
(607) 723-7962
www.GHSfcu.com