The work we do with credit unions allows them to make real differences in the lives of their members and communities. This could be through CDFI certification or grant writing, strategic planning, product design, partnership creation or any of our other many services. And as part of this work, we get to hear the wonderful member impact stories that illustrate what credit unions are doing to unlock opportunities in the communities they serve. We will be highlighting some of these stories here.
Consolidated Community Credit Union has a member that has lived and worked in Portland, Oregon for over 20 years. He doesn’t have permanent citizenship paperwork or a social security number, so he pays his taxes using something called an ITIN – an individual tax identification number.
This member was wanting to purchase a home and had saved a full 20 percent for his down payment, but due to his ITIN status he had been turned down by more than ten lenders over the past five years. The last quote he received was for a 5-year adjustable-rate mortgage at 7.99%, but even that loan fell through.
Consolidated worked with this member and evaluated his application, and funded his loan at 4.66% APR for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. This member is finally a homeowner thanks to the credit union’s willingness to look at the individual and not let his lack of citizenship be a strike against him.
CDFI Certified credit unions have countless stories like these to share; we’re proud to highlight a few from our clients.