A Message to Our Members from Patricia Smith, President/CEO

Unitus Names 2008 Scholarship Winners
Unitus Community Credit Union is dedicated to helping members achieve a higher education.

Each year, Unitus awards eleven scholarships to graduating high school, undergraduate and graduate students. Each scholarship winner will receive $1,000 towards his or her tuition for the 2008 – 2009 academic year.

Unitus' 2008 scholarship recipients are:

Allyson Brown of Lake Oswego, Oregon
Hilary O’Bryan of Astoria, Oregon
Kelvin Adams of Portland, Oregon
Lee VanGundy of Vancouver, Washington
Alyssa Larson of Harrisburg, Oregon
Katherine Wich of Gresham, Oregon
Ann Shepherd of Chiloquin, Oregon
Sophia Jackson of Portland, Oregon
Kathryn Wardell of Eugene, Oregon
Anya Holcomb of Portland, Oregon
Hong Ho of Vancouver, Washington

uSolutions Article: Understanding & Preventing Elder Financial Abuse
In support of Older Americans Month 2008, please take this opportunity to educate yourself about elder financial abuse—the warning signs and how to prevent it.

• Eight Prime Opportunities for Fraud and Exploitation of the Elderly and How to Avoid Being a Victim
• Common Warning Signs of Financial Abuse
• Protect Yourself from Financial Abuse

Stimulus Payment Schedule for Tax Returns Processed by April 15

May Newsletter (View PDF)

The uSavers Kids Club has arrived!

Two New Unitus Branches!

Now Open: Tanasbourne Branch
Great news for members who live or work in Hillsboro—Unitus' newest branch is now open to serve you. Conveniently located at 1855 NW 188th Avenue at the intersection of NW 188th Ave. and NW Cornell Rd., the new Tanasbourne branch is Unitus' seventh local branch.

Coming Soon: Mill Plain Crossing Branch
Unitus will officially welcome Vancouver to its family of branches with the opening of the Mill Plain Crossing branch in July 2008. Located at SE 192nd Avenue and SE Mill Plain Blvd., the new branch will offer members everything they're accustomed to in an attractive and friendly environment.

These branches are the latest in a series of branch activities in communities surrounding Portland. Unitus has added branches in Clackamas, Beaverton, and Portland within the past three years.

Expedited Online Bill Payments
Current OnLine Bill Pay users utilizing our FREE standard bill payment service can schedule today, future, or recurring payments. The funds for these payments are submitted to the merchant either the same day or the next business day. Upon receipt of the funds, merchants post the payment to the users' account, which generally takes 1-2 business days. With the Expedited Bill Pay service you now have the option to make same-day payments for $9.95/per bill. When using Expedited Payments, bill payment users can choose to schedule a payment that will be debited from their account, submitted to the merchant, and posted by the merchant same-day.

It's fast, it's easy, it's Expedited Bill Pay!

Our standard bill payment service remains FREE to all members who pay bills at least once every 30 days. To register for OnLine Bill Pay, log into uOnline and you'll see an option for OnLine Bill Pay. Complete and submit the registration form, and within 3 business days you'll have access to OnLine Bill Pay.

2008 Board of Directors election results
Incumbents, Barbara Leonard and Pete Reinecker, were elected to the Unitus Community Credit Union Board of Directors at the 71st Annual Membership meeting. The meeting took place March 18, 2008 at the Unitus Plaza in Portland.

Look for the CO-OP Network Sign on the Door of Your 7-Eleven Store!
As a credit union member, you'll now be welcomed with a CO-OP Network sign every time you walk into a 7-Eleven. The sign has been placed on each store's front doors to identify a CO-OP network ATM is located inside, allowing you to do your Unitus transactions surcharge free!

Thank goodness for 7-Elevens... and the CO-OP Network!

CUs continue dominance over banks in consumer survey
Credit unions again topped banks in the RealPeopleRatings.com survey that measures consumers' perceptions of customer service.

Corporate Research International, a market research firm specializing in mystery shopping and customer satisfaction surveys, conducts the quarterly polls (Business Wire July 12).

More than 5,000 people participated in the second-quarter survey taken between June 8 and June 30. They rated the service on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the highest score.

In the banking category, credit unions--as a whole, not one in particular--scored 7.90 for overall customer service, down slightly from their first-quarter score of 7.99.

The only other financial brand to score above 7.0 in the second quarter was Washington Mutual, with a score of 7.01. Bank of America ranked third with 6.68, while Wachovia was fourth with 6.79.

"RealPeopleRatings.com is designed to provide an objective, holistic view of how a brand's customer service is perceived," CRI CEO Mike Mallett said.

The survey put credit unions alongside BP, Nordstrom, Walgreen's, RadioShack, Subway, Olive Garden, Cici's, Stride Rite, Foot Lockerm, Ace Hardware and Publix.

There are currently no events planned at this time.