Readers' Choice Awards

HCCU is honored with being nominated and winning the Gold Award in The Hamilton Spectators Readers’ Choice Awards for 2009.

HCCU was nominated by our members and voted on by the readership of the Hamilton Spectator in the Favourite Bank/Credit Union/Trust Company category. This would be the third consecutive year that we have received a Readers’ Choice award.

Seeing that this award is decided on by the citizens of Hamilton it is a true testament to our exceptional service levels and a credit to all of our staff that HCCU stands out amongst the competition in the Hamilton area. Given our size it really shows that you, our membership, recognizes the effort we put forth and we thank you for that.

It is with this award that we will strive to continue with this trend in 2010!

Member Appreciation Day

Friday November 27th marks Member Appreciation Day. A day where we celebrate You our members. HCCU will be continuing with the tradition of providing coffee and treats as well as handing out Wall Calendars and Daytime Planners for the following year. In addition to this HCCU will be having a raffle with the money being added to the funds raised on Credit Union Day donated to Food Share.

Each branch will have a grand prize of a $200 gift certificate to any Cadillac Fairview Mall (the nearest being Limeridge Mall) with a second prize of a $50 gift certificate.

So get in to either branch (or both) and get your tickets today and be sure to visit us on the 27th for your 2010 calendars.

Phishing Scam

HCCU has recently been made aware of the re-circulation of a malicious phishing scam fashioned to gain access to an individual’s personal finances, and this time it is being addressed to Credit Union members. The following is a sample of the phishing e-mail:


Dear Customer,

Your Credit Union's On Line Banking has expired.

You must re-activate your account before : 16/10/2009 if you want to continue using online services.You can activate your account by clicking on the link below :

http://safran-arts.com/links/site/credit.union/OnlineBanking/

If you encounter difficulties using online banking, please call your branch during regular business hours for assistance.

NOTE: THIS IS A SCAM !

Hamilton Community Credit Union would never request you to verify your account’s existence, or to reactivate by entering your personal account information online, nor should you provide anyone with this information.

Please remember that it is very common for these email scams to be redistributed at a later date with only slightly different content, such as a different subject or return address, or with the fake webpage(s) hosted on a different webserver.

If you have any questions please contact your local branch.

Happy Credit Union Day

International Credit Union Day has been celebrated by the World Council of Credit Unions on the third Thursday of October, since 1948. The day is set aside to reflect upon the history of the credit union movement and to promote the achievements.

Tis the Season

There’s 85 days until Christmas, but it’s never too early to start thinking about your finances.


Yes, I’m aware that it is bad form to discuss Christmas before Thanksgiving has come and gone. The thought of stores in the mall playing carols from October to January makes everyone cringe. Not to mention the television commercials. That annoying representation of Scrooge pawning of paper towels that gets old after the first viewing yet you know you will see it every commercial break. But I come with something everyone can enjoy. Think of it as an early present.


Once again HCCU is bringing back our Santa’s Helper Loans.



That’s $2000.00 Interest free and with no payments required until March 1st 2010, at which point our variable loan interest rate applies.

For complete details click here, or visit one of our branches to speak with a loan officer.

Have You Seen Our Ads?

With back to school being just around the corner HCCU has launched a city wide campaign for Student Loans and Lines of Credit. Whether you or someone you know is heading to University, Community College, Trade school, Career College, or Apprenticeship, HCCU is here to assist in your financial needs with an extremely low rate of HCCU Prime while in school and only HCCU Prime + 2 upon completion. Contact either branch today to find out how you could qualify for a Student Loan or Line of Credit.

And in other news.........

Credit Unions Rank First in Customer Service

“For the fifth year in a row, an independent survey of thousands of Canadians has shown that credit unions rank first in overall quality of customer service among all financial institutions.

"We are pleased to see that Canadians continue to rate their at credit unions experience very highly," said David Phillips, president and CEO of Credit Union Central of Canada (Canadian Central).

"Credit unions have more than five million members across the country and do an excellent job of providing the service people want," Phillips said. "This is our core mission, meeting the needs of our members."

Global market research firm Synovate announced its 2009 Best Banking Awards, which are derived from its Customer Service Index. It found credit unions ranked ahead of all banks and other financial institutions in the following categories:

• Overall Customer Service Excellence
• Values My Business
• Branch Service Excellence

Credit unions also tied for first in the following categories:

• Financial Planning and Advice
• Recommend to Friends and Family
• Telephone Banking Excellence

Adrian Murphy, Vice President of Syndicated Research for Synovate in Canada, commented:
"The key to loyal customers is a good customer experience. The Synovate Best Banking Award
acts like a report card for our local financial institutions, highlighting their strengths and
weaknesses as well as how the industry players are performing overall."

The Synovate Customer Service Index survey had almost 39,000 responses among a regionally and demographically representative sample of Canadians. The survey has been conducted” annually since 1987. The 2009 Best Banking Awards are based on the combined results of ongoing quarterly Customer Service Index surveys ended August 2009. "

Financing Your Future

Hamilton Community Credit Union would like to cordially invite you to our Financing Your Future Seminar – an informative tutorial directed at helping a younger generation fiscally prepare.

Date: Tuesday August 11th 2009 – Beginning at 7:00pm

Place: The Ukraine Catholic Church of the
Resurrection Parish Hall
821 Upper Wentworth Street
Hamilton, ON L9A 4W5

Throughout our time we will touch on such subjects as:


Student Loans and Lines of Credit
RESP’s
CMHC and First Time Home Buyers
Saving for a Down Payment

In addition to this information we will also be holding a draw for all those that attend with the chance to win $100 gift certificate to Staples.

Please RSVP if you can attend. I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Jordan Moat
Business Development Manager

Phone:905-383-3395 x 104
Email: jmoat@hccu.on.ca