How Credit Unions Differ from Banks

Open Your Eyes to a Credit Union. No, really. Take a look.

Tom Kjar

Ever looked right at something you needed and not seen it? Be honest. We’ve all done it. Sometimes we don’t see the very thing that will help us in a particular situation. It’s kinda’ like that with credit unions, including ours.

A friend of my wife’s was lamenting the fact she’d been turned down for a debt consolidation loan at three banks because her credit score was “iffy.” Now, she knows my wife is married to the president of a credit union. We’ve even talked banking stuff with her. Did she apply for a loan at Creighton Federal? Yes, but only after my wife reminded her who she’s married to.

Long story short, she got her loan. We upped her credit score by replacing two credit cards with our lower interest rate card and consolidating a bunch of old debt. It’s easy when you know where to look. We do. So why didn’t she come to us in the first place? “You’re not a bank. I didn’t think about you,” she said. I suggested she watch FI-Q Lesson 11 in our video education series.

Stay in touch,

The Advantage of Being Non-Profit

Tom Kjar

There’s a reason why Creighton Federal and all credit unions are not-for-profit businesses.

Remember a few years ago when a very large banking system was found to have opened millions of accounts in its account holders’ names without their permission or even knowing it had happened until the news broke? Those accounts were opened because of pressure from above to “make the numbers” in order to be more profitable.

Being not-for-profit pretty much eliminates anything like that from happening. And, if we’re not focused on being more profitable we must be trying to do something else. Like taking care of our members any and every way we can. Sound reasonable?

Stay in touch,

A Question You’ll Probably Never Ask Yourself

Tom Kjar

If you can answer the following question you get a “high five” from all of us:

Q: How do credit unions differs from banks, especially big, mega banks? Here’s help: invest 3 minutes and 3 seconds watching Lesson 11, “Why a Credit Union is Not a Bank,” in our series of FREE lessons in personal finance. We call it FI-Q – stands for Financial IQ.

Think I’m nuts giving you help? I’m not nuts. I’m – what’s the $2 word – incenting – you to watch the FI-Q videos. I’ll be happy if you just watch Lesson 11. I’ll be ecstatic if you watch more. And you’ll be able to catch me in the Hubble telescope if you watch them all.

Look, we invest time and money in these video lessons and we want people – our members and non-members, too – to get smarter about their personal finances, saving money and protecting their identity. Believe me, there’s good stuff here. So, click here and get started.

Stay in touch,