If you are affected by the recent government shutdown, we are here to help.  We have a variety of options available including no interest loans.  Please contact us if you are affected and we will work with you to find the right solution for you.

Between family gatherings and buying presents, the season of giving can be stressful.

According to the 2018 Bank Rate Holiday Gifting Survey, more than 40% of people who shop for gifts feel pressured to spend more than they had planned. That number goes up for parents to 54%.

Whether it’s to keep up with your neighbors or bring an extra big smile to their children’s faces, spending over the holidays can quickly get out of control.

Here are few ways to rein in the holiday urge to splurge.

Have a plan

It seems like a no-brainer, but it’s crucial to put some thought into what you can afford to spend this year and build your shopping list from there. If your budget is tight this year, maybe just purchase one high-ticket item on your child’s wish list, or split the money across several less expensive gifts. No matter how you budget, taking the time to create a strategic shopping list will prevent you from making impulse buys. You’ll also feel less stressed out if you have a few gift options for each person, so you aren’t locked into and searching for one popular item that has sold out.

Shop early

It’s not too late! Even though Black Friday has passed, you can still find great deals on most items from the end of November through early December. And if you feel it’s already too late to save this year, resolve to do better next year and get a jump start on next year’s list. You can save 50% to 75% beginning Dec. 26.

Get a deal

Not everyone is into clipping or keeping track of coupons, and the good news is, technology can do it for you. Once you have your shopping list, sign up for coupon deal sites like RetailMeNot.com and you’ll have the latest discounts available on your favorite brands and stores at your fingertips. If you are a big Amazon shopper, consider setting up a wish list and signing up for camelcamelcamel.com. You’ll get alerts when the price drops on your wish list items.

You can also reduce the stress of buyer’s remorse by signing up for the free app Paribus. The app will monitor your order receipts emailed from major online retailers. if your item goes on sale within 14 days of your purchase, the app will contact the retailer on your behalf to have the difference credited back to you. It’s a gift that keeps giving all year long.

Need help funding this year’s gift list?  Please talk to one of our Loan Officers to learn about our Holiday loan.

Your credit union has recently updated our Mission statement  (what we are striving to do today) and Vision statement (what our future looks like) to help focus our efforts both now and in the future.

Mission Statement

Connection Credit Union provides each member of our local cooperative family, including those underserved by larger institutions, with personalized financial and education services, ensuring all our members have the tools for financial success.

Vision Statement

Connection Credit Union is Kitsap County’s premier choice for a truly local not-for-profit financial cooperative.  Our community of financially literate and healthy members is built through superior service, technology, education and community involvement.

We’ve added some great new security resources.  Check them out at Security Resources

Click on the link below a listing of ATMs that are surcharge free for CCU members.

Surcharge Free ATMs

One of the most important tools we’ve developed over the years to help our members build their financial futures are budgeting worksheets. We hope you find them useful.

Extended Budget Worksheet – Excel

Extended Budget Worksheet – PDF

If you desire a more simple budget, use these:

Members-Personal Budget – Excel

Members-Personal Budget – PDF

Connection Credit Union has a variety of first time auto buyer programs available for our members.  We work with members with little to no credit and those just starting their credit journey.  One of the key tenets of our program is we will spend the time going through all phases of the process:

• Finding the right loan amount for you
• Tools and tips to help you negotiate the best deal
• Strategies to reduce the amount of interest you pay
• Consultation on the true costs of owning a car including insurance and maintenance
• Budgeting assistance to help you start off on the right foot

Contact our loan department to get started and ask about our member referral program!

Fraud is on the rise.  Here are some tips:

• Be aware of the heightened risk of attacks and scams, such as phishing attacks, scams where the victim is asked to pay the scammer money, and recruitment scams where the victim is asked to pay a bit of money up front to earn more money later on.  Remember, if you did not initiate the conversation or transaction  – do not give out your account information or PIN number!
• If a deal sounds ‘too good to be true’.  It probably is.
• We recommend that you more closely and more frequently monitor ACH items, outgoing wires, and online transaction activity on all of your cards and accounts to look out for any unauthorized activity. Let us know right away if you spot anything that is suspect.
• We have systems in place to help flag or block any unusual out-of-state card purchases. Please alert us if you will be traveling over the holidays, so that they are not affected by these preventative measures. These systems will also generate verification calls to ensure transactions on your account were performed by you.  Please respond promptly to these as legitimate transactions may not be processed without this verification.
• In the event of a compromise, we will determine if we will block and reissue or monitor compromised card numbers. In cases where the full unaltered magnetic stripe has been compromised, we would most likely block and reissue the card data. If this happens we will contact cardholders to let them know when they are part of the compromised breach and will place a message on our website or phone system with any updates about the breach.

Visit our Fraud Alerts page for more information and some helpful security videos.

2016 annual rpt

Connection Credit Union wants to make transferring money as easy as possible for our members.  Please use the following instructions when receiving or sending money by wire transfer to your CCU account.   Should you have any questions about this process contact us at (360)307-6400.

Receiving Wires

Incoming wires first go to Catalyst Corporate Federal Credit Union for processing.  Please use the following information for sending funds to your Connection Credit Union account.

Wire to:  Catalyst Corporate Federal Credit Union

Address: Catalyst Corporate Federal Credit Union, 6801 Parkwood BLVD, Plano, TX 75024

ABA Number: 311990511

For: Connection Credit Union, P.O. Box 3990 Silverdale, WA 98383

Account Number: 325180207

For Final Credit to: Member’s Name and your CCU account number and suffix.

Sending Wires

Please use the following links to access the forms for sending a wire.  Wire Agreement and Request  Please fill out the forms completely and return them to the Connection Credit Union branch in Silverdale.  If you need to complete the wire by fax, send the forms with a copy of your identification to (360)307-6440.  Should you have any questions about this process contact us at (360)307-6400.