Storms mean change. Now it may not always be a change as dramatic as ending up over the rainbow with fancy new footwear, or as exciting as the tale that starts on “a dark and stormy night”. Sometimes it’s just Springtime in the Texas panhandle. Seventy mile per hour winds, hail, the best thunderstorms in the world, and a tornado watch every other day all mean that in just a handful of weeks the high heat of summer (and summer vacation) will be here. The classic “April showers bring May flowers” sums it up neatly.

Stormy weather also teaches us how to take care of ourselves and the people we value better. We make sure our storm shelter is stocked with water, snacks, and flashlights. If we can, we park the car under cover if we expect hail. We avoid driving in flood zones to prevent damage to our vehicle. Storms find our pain points, and we have to make sure we have taken care of our valuables. Change opens our eyes to ways we can improve, and it can show us what we are doing right and how we can do better.

Changes are coming to Education Credit Union as our membership grows to encompass our friends in Borger,  Stinnett, and the surrounding area. As we prepare to provide the same free services like Online Banking, Bill Pay, and Mobile Card Management we also prepared to merge our teams, and we discovered ways to improve our processes.

Education Credit Union now has a Mortgage Receptionist who connects members looking to purchase a home with one of our mortgage officers, or answers questions about the pre-approval and home-buying process for those who are getting ready to purchase a home.

We now have multiple options for our members to make their purchase at the check-out counter even if they are low on funds. For a small fee, Courtesy Pay covers the cost of a transaction when there is not enough in a checking account to make a purchase. We also have our free Extra Credit Line of Credit that is a stash of funds that a member can connect to their checking account if they need to borrow money in case of an emergency, or make an important purchase.  That Extra Credit Line of Credit can also be used for Courtesy Pay and cover the cost of a transaction if there are not enough funds in a checking account.

One of the recent changes we are proudest of is Education Credit Union’s new group of Certified Financial Counselors. Over twenty members of our staff are now certified through the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) to help our members prepare for retirement, rebuild their credit, or simply find a budget that works for them – and it is FREE.

Financial Counselors are there to help connect members to resources in our community to enhance their success. They are there to find solutions when a member’s back is against the wall, and to help members reach any and all financial goals.

One might think of a Certified Financial Counselor like a meteorologist who can take a look at your finances and provide a forecast of how you can best prepare for events to come. Given the events of the last three years, we have helped so many people recover from “storm damage”, and so we committed to meeting our membership where they are to help them get wherever they want to go.

Whether it’s a call to our Mortgage department to see how to qualify for a mortgage, or if you need help financially planning for your future – we want to hear from you.

Visit the ECU homepage, and under the “Resources” tab you can find Certified Financial Counselor on the drop-down list. That’s where you can go to make an appointment with one of ECU’s financial counselors. If you just have a financial question that you want a professional to answer we have the “Ask a Counselor” button to send us an e-mail.

Rain or shine we look forward to serving you better every day, and we are here to help you learn more, live more, and weather the storm.