EPEFCU

Recognizing the Importance of Financial Health

A recent study conducted by Equifax showed that an average of 16.15 percent of annual El Paso household income was going to credit-card debt in 2010, ranking as the fifth highest in the nation. One credit union in El Paso, TX is working to change this statistic by offering products and services that have been catered toward educating and changing the spending habits of its members.

“The consumer is in a 'I have to have it, I need it now' mentality,” says Ken Walters, president and CEO at El Paso Employees Federal Credit Union.

Currently, the credit union is working to illustrate the importance of financial literacy among the young adults in its city. “It’s important to get a hold of them early,” says Walters, who hopes the developing programs at his credit union will teach El Paso residents the importance of budgeting and living within their means.

Recently the credit union teamed up with the Jose Cisneros Cielo Vista Branch Library to present financial seminars once a month during the library’s Teen Tuesdays night. They are also planning to launch an online Teen Magazine that they hope young adults will utilize as a financial tool in their lives. The content will include tips and frequently asked questions members of this age group might have. It will be catered specifically towards their financial needs.

A new online banking solution, NetTeller, will help El Pasoans due just that. According to the symitar websites, NetTeller’s state-of-the-industry online capabilities can include access to account balances and history, one-time and recurring funds transfers, account statement and check image viewing and downloads, loan payments and advances, check ordering, and downloads of account information into personal financial management solutions.

Another product, LibeRate, gives members the ability to raise their rate on a CD once, should interest rates go up, yet another tool the credit union hopes will help its members manage climbing interest rates.

This year brought with it the celebration of 75 years for this El Paso financial institution, a milestone it dedicates to its members.

“As a credit union, our focus is not so much on the bottom line,” Walters says, “we’re learning how to put more money in our member’s pockets, hopefully helping to stimulate the El Paso economy.”

Their 1 percent off, 1 percent back refinance program is also meant to put cash back into members pockets. In 2010 alone, they gave back over $200,000 in cash to their members.

This credit union has big plans for the road ahead, and thanks to their inspiring team, El Paso Employees Federal Credit Union continues to create products and services catered towards improving the financial health of its members.

Meet Kevin Quinn

This year, El Paso Employees FCU joined the long list of lineups at the Spring Home Show in order to celebrate the opening of our brand new mortgage department. During the show we raffled off a grill to one lucky winner. Please help us in congratulating Kevin Quinn, the winner of our grill give away! Kevin has been a member at EPEFCU for 25 years! Click on the video below to watch our interview with him.

 

Past, Present, Future: Celebrating 75 Years As Your CU!

The 20th century brought with it the longest, most widespread and profound depression in U.S History. Yet, in the midst of this economic crises, 10 city employees in El Paso, Texas came together to join the credit union movement. Just one year earlier, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Credit Union Act into law in hopes of making credit available to people of small means and promoting thrift through a national system of nonprofit, cooperative credit unions.

In November of 1936, each of the founding members gave five dollars in an effort to provide financial opportunities to those who had been underserved. Today, credit unions still live by the “people helping people” philosophy, and El Paso Employees Federal Credit Union is no different. By offering an exclusive membership to city employees, EPEFCU became an essential cornerstone in providing vital financial services to the people of El Paso. Today, EPEFCU continues to serve as a financial foundation to over 40,000 of its members and it has extended its services to anyone who lives, works or worships in El Paso County.

We are tremendously honored to have been able to serve the El Paso community for 75 years and we promise to continue to make the next 75 years better than the last. 2010 brought with it a myriad of changes for our credit union. As many already know, EPEFCU partnered with the City of El Paso to help make the 75th anniversary of the Celebration of Lights a remarkably memorable experience for the residents of El Paso. In conjunction with the partnership, EPEFCU designed a limited edition, glass ornament to commemorate the event. Proceeds were then donated to the Candlelighters of El Paso, an organization dedicated to helping the families of our city.

We at EPEFCU feel passionately about helping the future of our community learn how to live a financially sound life, and so we’ve created a variety of new programs designed to teach young adults how to become financially responsible.  

Last year, the credit union launched its semi-annual writing contests, increasing the opportunity for financial aid available to students in our community. We understand that financial literacy begins at an early age and this year, EPEFCU will increase its efforts to try and reach out to our city’s young adults. This year, the credit union will partner up with the Jose Cisneros Cielo Vista Branch Library to present financial seminars once a month during the library’s Teen Tuesdays night.

EPEFCU will also launch an online Teen Magazine filled with tips and frequently asked questions members of this age group might have, as well as a financial blog catered specifically to young adults.  

We’ve also expanded the number of electronic services available in hopes of making banking fast and easy for our membership. EPE Anytime, our newest mobile banking feature, and our new Online Account Service are products created to accommodate the fast paced lives of our members.

As we enter into the 75th anniversary of our credit union, we are excited for what lies ahead and hope that we can continue to show our members along the way how grateful and exceptionally proud we feel to be given the honor of serving the financial needs of a community that has supported us for so many years.

Thank you for being a member! EPEFCU values that you have chosen us to be your financial institution of choice!

Experience the Art of the Mission Valley

Step into the El Paso Employees Mission Valley Branch and you’ll be greeted by the profoundly tender brown eyes that transpire from the painting titled “Out of the Mist,” created by local artist, Al Borrego. 

For years, EPEFCU has dreamt about coming together with the emerging art community to showcase the extraordinary talent of local artists. With the help of Borrego, President of the El Paso Art Association, that dream was finally realized. On December 16^th, 2010, EPEFCU held its very first art exhibit at the Mission Valley Branch, located in the Lower Valley.  

The exhibit, named, ‘Envision the Mission Valley,’ was meant to bring together EPEFCU’s newest branch location with the historical Mission Valley community, considered the oldest area in El Paso. From the historic missions to the Mission Trail Art Market and Main Street Mercantile Galleries, whose mission is to promote, nurture, and cultivate the vision and talent of merging, established and developing artists, the Mission Valley community is slowly becoming one of El Paso’s thriving art districts.

‘Envision the Mission Valley’ is currently featuring the works of Alberto Escamilla, Reginald Watterson, Bert Saldana, Stephanie Conroy, Rosa Maria Burgos, Gabriel Gaytan, Candy Mayer, Aida Mesa-Gallegos, Francisco Miranda S, Francisco Romero, Maria Branch, Al Borrego, Sharon Courtney, Susan Wester-Perez, Manuel Alvarado, June Smith, and Frank Moreno.

The Spanish style, state of the art facility created the ideal setting for the long anticipated venture that welcomed more than fifty visitors during the V.I.P Opening Reception. Guests eagerly browsed through the newly transformed branch to take in the more than 20 pieces on display, which included paintings, sculptures and photographs. Many of the artists were also present and readily available to discuss their work. We had the opportunity to catch up with Alberto Escamilla about his life’s passion.

Spend just a few minutes with Escamilla and you’ll soon learn his talent stems from a lifelong admiration of the group of artists known as the “Impressionists.” The serene landscapes he brings to life on canvas suggests a strong influence from artists such as 19^th century painter, Claude Monet. “It is their [Monet, Sisley and Pissarro] work that has laid the foundation and it is the great strength of that work that has given me the freedom to pursue their tradition,” writes Escamilla on his website.

The exhibit will continue to run through January 12, 2011. For more information or to purchase a piece, please contact our Main Office at 915.593.5866, or email us at marketing@epefcu.org.

Santa Visits El Paso

On Saturday, December, 11^th, El Paso Employees FCU and the City of El Paso teamed up to host the Celebration of Lights which included the 75^th annual tree lighting ceremony, a fireworks and laser light show, and the parade! Our prize winning float was the last entry in the parade and carried the much anticipated Mr. and Mrs. Clause! We had a fantastic time, and plan to continue to sponsor this event for the next five years.

In honor of our partnership, we have also created a limited edition holiday ornament which can be purchased at any one of our eight locations, and at the Candlelighter’s Office headquarters located at 1400 Hardway Ste. 206. All of the proceeds raised will be donated to the Candlelighters, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children who have cancer by providing hope, support, encouragement, advocacy and education to those children, their families, and the community at large. Please help us support this remarkable cause this holiday season!

 

Check out our Facebook Page for more Celebration of Lights pictures!

Christmas in the Plaza is Almost Here!

We are very excited to have teamed up with the City of El Paso this year as the sponsors of the Celebration of Lights on December 11, 2010! Everyone is doing their part as we prepare for the Christmas festivities. In an effort to do our part, we have created a limited edition holiday ornament which we will be selling at each of our eight branch locations. Make sure to pick one up and help support the children of Candlelighters. According to their website, the Candlelighters organization is dedicated to enriching the lives of children who have cancer by providing hope, support, encouragement, advocacy and education to those children, their families, and the community at large. They seek to ease the frustration and fears of children and their families through an emotional support system comprised of children with cancer, the professionals who treat them, and the dedicated volunteers.

 

Our prize winning float will also be participating during the parade this year. Don’t forget, if you want to ride on the El Paso Employees float during the parade, you must enter before December 8^th.

Try Our New Online Account Service!

We know you’re busy. Who has time to walk into a branch, sit for an hour and wait for a banker to open up an account for you? We know you most certainly don’t! These days we have so many things going on in our lives that we need ways to conduct our business fast and efficiently. El Paso Employees has been working hard to bring you online account and service opening. In 10 minutes or less you can open an El Paso Employees account from the ease of your laptop. No more waiting in line or wasting time. With online account and service opening, you’ll be able to open new accounts or services like CDs!
Interested in learning more? Visit our website!

Save the Earth and Your Sanity

You hear it everywhere you go, everyone is advertising about how you should “go green.” What does that mean exactly, and can one person really make a difference?

Going green means choosing more environmentally friendly options, whether it is buying a hybrid vehicle or something as simple as opting for electronic bills and statements. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the go green messages we are constantly bombarded with, but “going green” can not only help save the earth, it can also improve your life.

It seems as if most of us are trying to accomplish a million tasks at once, all the time. Fortunately, today’s technology can make your life a little bit easier. These days you can almost eliminate all of the paper clutter filling up your mailbox. Let’s face it, those stacks of bills, payments and statements are only good for one thing, to collect dust and create clutter.

Banking online not only saves trees, it can also save you money. Begin by signing up for direct deposit. You’ll save time and gas by not having to make a trip to the bank in order to deposit your check.

Sign up for online bill pay. Most financial institutions offer bill pay as a free service if you already have a checking account. Bill pay can save you money on both envelopes and stamps, and while the savings may not seem like much, it adds up in the end. The cost of stamps is steadily rising. Avoid the worry of purchasing stamps by opting for online banking.

Bill pay not only saves you money on stamps but can also save you money on late fees. Many of us lead such hectic lives and it is sometimes difficult to keep track of all of our monthly bills, and late fees can be so expensive. With bill pay you can schedule payments ahead of time so that you don’t have to worry about any more late fees.

These days you can not only pay your bills online, but many places let you receive your bills online as well! Opting to receive your bills online can reduce clutter and provide you with additional safety and peace of mind. Many identity thieves come across important account information simply by digging through trash cans outside of homes. When you sign up to get your bills online you can rest assured that identity thieves won’t be digging up any of your account numbers, at the very least you will be taking steps to become proactive about securing your information.

Many financial institutions offer electronic statements as well. Sign up and you’ll be notified through Email that your most recent electronic bank statement is now ready to be viewed, another great way to guard your personal information from identity thieves.

Paperless banking is more than just convenient however; it is also a great tool that will help you stay up to date with all your financial information. Online banking lets you check your balance, transfer money, pay a bill, or even view a copy of a recently cleared check from anywhere at anytime.

So how do you make a difference? By simply conducting business electronically, each of us can make a large impact on the environment. According to payitgreen.org, switching from paper to electronic billing, statements, and payments, the average American household could save up to 6.6 pounds of paper, .079 trees, avoid the release of 63 gallons of waste water into the environment, and avoid the use of 4.5 gallons of gasoline to mail bills, statements and payments.  

Going green is easy and convenient. It’s sometimes difficult to imagine that just one person can make a difference but everyone’s efforts counts, even yours.

Have you "gone green?" What have you done to change the way you conduct business in order to help our environment?

EPEFCU Helps El Paso Stay Cool

Who doesn’t love a Popsicle? Especially in 90 degree plus weather! Here in sunny El Paso Texas, the high peaked 101 degrees on Saturday, August 14th, according to the weather channel. While El Pasoans may be used to the extreme summer heat, they always welcome a way to cool off. At El Paso Employees Federal Credit Union, we wanted to help our members stay cool by handing out Fruitiki Fruit Bars at our drive-thru locations.

With coolers and hundreds of Fruitiki Bars in tow, our employees spent the morning handing out refreshing treats to our members. The tasty treats were our way of informing our members that mobile banking will soon be available at EPEFCU.

We understand that you may not always be in front of your home or office computer. Being able to check your account wherever, whenever, is crucial. Soon, you’ll be able to access your account with your mobile phone. Check balances, and transaction history, transfer funds to accounts, and find ATM and branch locations with 24/7 access.

Locally packaged and distributed, Fruitiki Bars are a favorite among El Paso residents, and with so many mouth watering flavors to choose from, we’re sure it was no easy task having to decide which Fruit Bar to choose!

 

 

 

Click here to view more images on our Facebook album

Stay Safe at an ATM

Americans are spoiled. We have become accustomed to having everything done in an instant. Fast internet, fast computers, fast food, self check-outs, the list goes on and on. We do whatever possible to avoid having to wait for anything. Enter the Automated Teller Machines, a great way to avoid long teller lines inside your branch.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the number of ATM’s has increased dramatically since ATM users conduct billions of financial transactions annually.
Turn most any corner and you’ll find an ATM machine, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

While ATM crimes don’t happen all too frequently, they still happen. Most ATM robberies are committed at night with approximately 15 percent of victims injured, reports the U.S. Department of Justice.

We’ve put together a few simple precautionary measures you can take to stay safe while withdrawing cash from an ATM.

1. Limit the amount of time you are at a machine. Make certain that you have you card and pin number ready before approaching any ATM machine. Once you have finished your transaction, get away from the ATM as fast as possible. You do not want to be standing at the machine late one night counting a fistful of money.
2. Protect your pin number. Make certain that the people around view cannot see you key in your pin number. Provide the same amount of privacy for the next person by distancing yourself from someone using the ATM. Memorize your PIN number rather than writing it down anywhere, especially on the back of your card.  If you are using a drive-up ATM, make sure your doors are locked and your windows are rolled up.
3. Protect your transaction. Make sure to stand directly in front of the AMT machine so as to avoid allowing the person behind you see how much cash you are pulling out. Need a large amount of cash? Visit your financial institution’s drive-thru location instead.
4. Avoid dark areas. Your financial institution most likely makes sure that their ATM’s are located in well-lit areas, however, if you need to use an ATM late at night, check your surroundings and don’t approach the ATM alone. Always make certain that there is plenty of light, and check to make sure there isn’t anyone suspicious lurking around. 
5. Skimming. Identity thieves are now able to steal your personal information simply by attaching a device that looks very similar to the ATM card-reader. This device will capture your information and send it to the thieves waiting nearby electronically. Look closely at your ATM does it appear larger than most ATM’s? If you have any doubts, drive to the next nearest ATM instead.

Follow these simple steps and taking cash out of an ATM will be a breeze! In fact, EPEFCU offers over 37,000 surcharge free ATM’s nationwide. That includes over 130 free ATM’s in El Paso, includes most Walgreens, Targets, Costco and 7-Eleven stores. Not sure where to find an ATM near you? Download a free Allpoint ATM locator app for your smartphone or visit our website for a list of nationwide, surcharge free ATM's (when you use your EPEFCU VISA card).