Franklin Johnstown Federal Credit Union Summer 2011 Newsletter Member Appreciation Day 310 BLOOMFIELD ST. JOHNSTOWN, PA 15904 814-262-9117 1-888-473-2198 544 VINE ST. JOHNSTOWN, PA 15901 (814) 539-5697 We appreciate our members! To show our appreciation we will be serving treats and refreshments on Friday, July 22, 2011. Stop in at either office, 544 Vine Street or 310 Bloomfield Street to join in the festivities. We appreciate our Kids Club Members, too! So, Remember the date and we’ll see you at your credit union. MONDAY-THURSDAY: 8:30-4:30 FRIDAY: 8:30-6:00 ATM AND NIGHT DEPOSIT AT BOTH LOCATIONS A Friendly Reminder Your Credit Union will be closed the following days: • Monday, July 4th— Independence Day • Monday, September 5th— Labor Day • Monday, October 10— Columbus Day W E’ RE ON THE W EB! It’s FREE! Franklin Johnstown Credit Union has been offering Car Fax reports for a small fee for a few months now. We will now be offering them for FREE! Yes, you read that correctly, it’ll be free. So go shopping for that used vehicle and call us for the “fax”, the Car Fax! Once you have all the information take advantage of our low car loan rates! Copyright 1996-2010, CARFAX, Inc. Low Rates Extended! Thinking about a new car? Stop thinking and go for it, with the help of our extremely low rates a new or used car can be within your reach. We started our Car Loan Sale in April and have decided to extend the deals through the end of July. Stop by or call us today! Rates on New vehicles as low as 2.99% and on Used vehicles as low as 3.99%. You just can’t beat it! Remember these rates are also good on Motorcycles so cruise on in and get a new bike before summer is history! WWW. FRANKLINJOHNSTOWN. COM *Based on credit approval. Terms and conditions may apply. PAGE 2 SUMMER 2011 NEWSLETTER ME and MY Credit Score A credit score is a number that summarizes your credit risk. The number is generated by a formula based on information in your credit report. The credit score is a predictor of how likely you are to pay your bills. Your credit score influences the credit and the terms that are available to you. A higher score will get you a better interest rate. Credit scores or “FICO” scores can range from 300 to 850. FICO is a name derived from Fair Isaac Corporation, the company that invented credit scores. In order for a credit score to be calculated on your credit report, you must have at least one account that has been open for six months or longer and at least one account that has been reported to the credit reporting agency within the last six months. Factors that make up your credit score are: (1) payment history (shows whether you pay your bills on time), (2) account balances and available credit, (3) length of your credit history (the longer your accounts have been open and active, the more credit points you’ll score), (4) number and types of credit in use (mortgage, auto or installment loan, and three to five credit or retail cards) and (5) new credit inquiries (numerous inquiries within a 12-month period can lower your credit score). The highest FICO scores have no public records or collections listed on their credit report. Since the recent economic recession, the number of borrowers with low credit scores is increasing. Today, the number for a good credit score is 720 whereas prior to the recession it was 680. The most recent six months of account history have the greatest impact on your credit score. Being 30 days late on a payment can damage your credit score by at least 50 points or more. Credit cards that are maxed out can drop your score by at least 80 points. Your credit score is a reflection of your actions so review your credit report at least once a year for any errors and choose your credit wisely. For more information go to www.myfico.com/crediteducation and www.annualcreditreport.com Back to School “Boost” Summer won’t last forever and before you can say “new sneakers,” the kids will be going back to school. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little “boost” in income so you can buy those school essentials. Well maybe we can make it happen for you. We are offering a short term loan to help you with school costs. Borrow up to $1,000.00 for 12 months at 7.00% apr and your monthly payment would be approximately $87.53*. You can use the money for any type of school cost from clothing to books to even the first month’s rent on a college apartment. Call our loan department for more details. * Based on credit approval. Terms and conditions may apply. For a limited time only. Dream Vacations Can be Possible! I bet you wish you could afford your dream vacation this year. But if you didn’t plan ahead it may not be possible. Now is the time to start saving for next years dream. Stop in either office to open a vacation club account with as little as $5.00. After the account is open you can decide how much and when you want to deposit into it. We can even set up auto transfers from your direct deposits into the vacation club if you choose! Notice of Fee Changes: Escheat Fee Garnishment Fee Levies Fee IRA Transfer to another institution $10.00 $50.00 $50.00 $25.00 PAGE 3 Call toll free 1-800-789-6286 or visit lovemycreditunion.com for more information The Franklin Johnstown Federal Credit Union is a Not-For-Profit, member owned, financial organization dedicated to becoming the primary financial institution for our members. We strive to provide the highest quality of personal attention while maintaining stability and growth. We are ultimately committed to the credit union philosophy of: “Member Helping Member” Watch For It! If you missed our car loan sale during the summer months watch for the Fall Car Loan Sale starting in October!! Tired of Being “LOCKED OUT”? Next time you log on to your home banking site set up your email address so that in the event that you get locked out you can unlock yourself. After logging in click on “settings” at the top right of the screen and enter your email information. That way the next time you have problems logging in you can click the blue link for help. Re-loadable Cards Are Here! The power to manage your money is in your hands with our CUMONEY prepaid Visa debit card. You fund it with the specific dollar amount that you choose and re-load it with more money, as YOU need it. With our new prepaid debit card you can manage your spending habits from your computer with just a few clicks, so you always know how much you have spent and what is left. When your card is running low or is out of funds, just reload it by going on the website. For your convenience, these re-loadable cards are accepted wherever Visa cards are accepted. To apply for your prepaid debit card, contact the Credit Union today! Reminder: Your credit union will never contact you to verify information that we already have on file. Please make sure that all your personal information is correct. If you have any doubt about a call, hang up and call one of our offices directly to verify. DO NOT give out any information. FRANKLIN JOHNSTOWN FEDERAL CREDIT UNION PRIVACY DISCLOSURE AND OPT OUT NOTICE Franklin Johnstown FCU, your member-owned financial institution, is committed to providing you with competitive products and services to meet your financial needs and help you reach your goals. We are equally committed to protecting the privacy of our members. Under federal law, we are required to give you this privacy notice. It describes our credit union’s privacy policy and practices concerning the personal information we collect and disclose about the parties who receive personal and sometimes nonpublic information from us as we conduct the business of the credit union. If after reading this notice you have questions, please contact us at 1-888-473-2198 or write to: Franklin Johnstown FCU, 310 Bloomfield Street, Johnstown PA 15904. Information We Collect About You We collect nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources: Information we receive from you on applications and other forms Information about your transactions with us Information we receive from a consumer reporting agency Information obtained when verifying the information you provide on an application or other forms; this may be obtained from your current or past employers or from other institutions where you conduct financial transactions We may disclose all of the information we collect, as described above, as permitted by law. Parties Who Receive Information From Us We may disclose nonpublic personal information about you to the following types of third parties: Financial service providers, such as insurance companies Non-financial companies, such as data processors, check/share draft printers, plastic card processors, direct marketers, and bill payer Disclosure of Information to Parties That Provide Services to Us In order for us to conduct the business of the credit union, we may disclose all of the information we collect, as described above, to companies that perform marketing or other services on our behalf or to other financial institutions with whom we have joint marketing agreements so that we may provide members competitive products and services. We may also disclose nonpublic personal information about you under circumstances as permitted or required by law. These disclosures typically include information to process transactions on your behalf, conduct the operations of our credit union, follow your instructions as you authorize, or protect the security of our financial records. To protect our members’ privacy, we only work with companies that agree to maintain strong confidentiality protections and limit the use of information we provide. We do not permit these companies to sell the information we provide to other third parties. How to Opt Out or Stop Certain Disclosures About You If you prefer that we do not disclose nonpublic personal information about you to nonaffiliated third parties, you may opt out of those disclosures-you may direct us not to make those disclosures (other than disclosures permitted by law). If you wish to opt out of the disclosures to nonaffiliated third parties, you may: Call the following toll-free number - 1-888-473-2198 Mail your request to: Franklin Johnstown FCU 310 Bloomfield Street Johnstown PA 15904 You may opt out of these disclosures at any time. This, opt out, by law, will not apply to disclosures that are legally permitted or disclosures we make to companies that perform services on our behalf or to other financial institutions that have joint marketing agreements with us. Once we receive your request, we have a reasonable amount of time to stop the disclosures. You may always contact us for assistance if you wish to later revoke your opt out election. Note to joint account holders: If you and someone else (or others) who is/are not member (s) of our credit union has/have obtained a financial product from us, the nonmember (s) is/are eligible to exercise the right to opt out. If any one of you exercises the right to opt out, we will treat it as if all of you directed us to not make disclosures to nonaffiliated third parties (except those that are permitted by law). Disclosure of Information About Former Members If you terminate your membership with Franklin Johnstown FCU, we will not share information we have collected about you, except as may be permitted or required by law. How We Protect Your Information We restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to those employees who need to know that information to provide products or services to you. We maintain physical, electronic, or procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information. What Members Can Do to Help Franklin Johnstown FCU is committed to protecting the privacy of its members. Members can help by following these simple guidelines: Protect your account numbers, plastic card numbers, PINs (personal identification numbers) or passwords. Never keep your PIN with your card, which can provide free access to your accounts if your card is lost or stolen. Use caution when disclosing your account numbers, social security numbers, etc. to other persons. If someone calls you explaining the call is on behalf of the credit union and asks for your account number, you should beware. Official credit union staff will have access to your information and will not need to ask for it. Keep your information with us current. If your address or phone number changes, please let us know. It is important that we have current information on how to reach you. If we detect potentially fraudulent or unauthorized activity or use of an account, we will attempt to contact you immediately. Let us know if you have questions. Please do not hesitate to call us-we are here to serve you!