Look how festive our friends at the main office are today!

Have a happy St. Patrick’s day!

I have been hearing members ask a question over the last few days about a little problem with Online Banking. So I’m here with a solution!

If you have logged on to your Online Banking account and noticed that the menu on the left side of the page was missing, you have a problem. That problem is most likely coming from the newest version of Internet Explorer. If you have upgraded your browser to Internet Explorer 8, you may not be seeing everything you need to see in Online Banking.

The solution that we have found seems to be working. Try this:

1) Open the Internet Explorer 8 browser.

2) Click on Tools.

3) Select “Compatibility View Settings” from the drop down box.

4) In this window there will be a line to add the web site address of the web site in question (in this case, www.nwgacu.org).  When our site is in the box, click on the “Add” button.

5) Click the “close” button to close this window.

After you’ve done this quick fix, log into Online Banking and see if it worked. You’ll know it worked if you can now see every menu option on the left side of the screen.

Give us a call if the menu items still won’t show up - a Financial Services Officer will be glad to help.

Turns out, our trendy new tees are pretty popular this season. You may have even spotted a few of  them around town already.

Actually, Christi spotted one in our lobby just the other day.

Take a look:

This is Mr. Cochran – a very loyal member.

So, here it is:

This is the new Northwest Georgia Credit Union t-shirt. It says ‘Un-banking. Unbelievable’ and it is for our most loyal of members.

What does it mean to be a loyal member at NWGACU?

Well, it’s not about how many times you come see us in the drive-thru (although we do love it when you come see us!) and it’s not about how often you check our website (but of course we love it when you check our website!).

A loyal member at the credit union is a member that has a checking account with an active debit card, direct deposit and eStatements. And now a loyal member at the credit union is also the owner of one very cool t-shirt.

If you already have one of our t-shirts, send us a picture of yourself wearing it around town – we may even show it off on this here blog.

I am holding in my hands two (very hard to get) passes to attend the Atlanta Thrashers pre-game skate for THIS SATURDAY!! 

Would you like to have these passes? 

Just tell us which product or service you love at NWGACU. Or, tell us about a product or service that you’d like to see us offer. 

Leave a little note in the comments section with your favorite product or service and we’ll draw a name at random. Contest ends Thursday, January 7.  

And be sure to leave your e-mail address so that we can reach you.

*Employees and their families are not eligible for this contest.

Colder weather is creeping in pretty quickly around here, and with cold weather comes higher heating bills.

We found some helpful information that should make the Winter months a little more bearable. Here is a Top-9 list to prepare your house for the bitter cold:

9. Have your lawn-irrigation system professionally drained.
8. Trim landscaping.
7. Turn off exterior faucets.
6. Add extensions to downspouts so water runs at least 3 to 4 feet away from the foundation.
5. Clean the gutters.
4. Caulk around windows and doors.
3. Make necessary roof repairs.
2. Buy a programmable thermostat.
1. Tune up your heating system.

Here’s to a warm and happy Winter!

Thanks to consumerist.com for the great tips!

Tiffany wrote a great blog on July 6th entitled “Credit Explained”. If you missed it, now would be a good time to go back and read it.

In my position as a Financial Services Officer, I get asked all the time what the best way to start building credit is. My two favorite options are share-secured loans and credit cards.

Share-secured loans are wonderful to start out with because you’re borrowing your own money! You put up a little money into your account (I recommend your savings) and you pay it back with a really low interest rate. Our interest rate for these types of loans is the share rate + 2%. This means that whatever interest rate the share earns, you add that to the 2% (ex: right now, our main share, aka our savings account, earns 0.25%. Your share-secured loan interest rate would be 2.25%). What’s even better is you won’t have to have a co-signer even if it’s your very first loan! We don’t even run your credit report for these because it’s your money. It’s on hold in your account, so it’s not really a big risk for us. With this type of loan being used for the sole purpose of building your credit, I would make the minimum payment due, not pay it all off in one big chunk. You want to build a good long repayment history.

As for the credit card idea, don’t freak out! Credit cards can be awesome things if they’re used responsibly. First you want to make sure that you find a credit card that has a low fixed interest rate with no annual fee (by the way, I think ours is pretty great). Also, make sure that you get a low credit limit to start with. You may need a co-signer with this type of loan because it is more of a risk. I’m going to share a piece of advice with you that my dad shared with me on my first credit card: make a small purchase on your credit card each month and pay it off as soon as your statement comes. If you follow this sage advice, you won’t have to pay interest on the card and your debt won’t spiral out of control.

Whichever option you choose, just make sure you pay the full amount due and make it on time. Follow this simple advice and you’ll be a credit super star in no time!

The game show Wheel of Fortune has been on television since 1983. If my math is correct (although it’s usually not) that means Americans have been tuning in to watch contestants spin the wheel for 26 years!

The longevity of this television show tells me that people love to watch people take chances on the wheel (or maybe they are tuning in to check out Vanna’s ever-elegant fashions).

Anyway, we decided that people love a chance to win! So, we picked up a couple of Prize Wheels!

When you come in to get your auto loan (great rates – as low as 5% on new cars and 6% on used), you get to spin the prize wheel! And there is no ‘Bankrupt’ on this wheel…only a chance to WIN!

You could win:

Any auto loan gets to spin the wheel, refinances too!

Leslie, Assistant Branch Manager, was the first to spin the wheel. She won a whole year of free car washes! Woo-hoo!! 

The next members to get an auto loan spun the wheel and won .50% off of their loan rate! Wow!

Actually, they got TWO spins! First they landed on $50 VISA gift card. Not a bad prize if you ask me, but they chose to spin again and landed on the .50% rate reduction and decided that would save them money in the long run.

WAIT?! How did they get to spin the wheel twice?

Well, everyone that gets an auto loan gets one chance to spin the wheel. BUT, if you also have Checking with Direct Deposit, a debit card, eStatements, and Online Banking with us, then you get to spin again and choose the better of the two spins.

And if you are really lucky, I just might sing the Wheel of Fortune theme song while you spin the wheel…

*Offer available only to members who are approved for the auto loan. Rates of 5% APR and 6% APR are base rates and qualifications are based on an assessment of individual credit worthiness and underwriting standards. Estimated monthly payments on 60-month loan at 5% APR = $18.87 per $1,000.00 borrowed and at 6% APR = $19.34 per $1,000.00 borrowed. For terms and conditions, please contact a Financial Services Officer at 706.290.9290 or 706.802.0030.