Improving Member Credit, Savings To Better Financial Futures
LA CROSSE, Wis. – January 26, 2021 – January is a common time for people to make New Year’s resolutions. A popular resolution for many has always been saving more money. Marine Credit Union has been helping people do just that with a new program starting two years ago.
In 2019 Marine Credit Union launched an exclusively digital Get Credit program which provides a safe and simple way for members to build credit and save money without the hassle of a down payment, unnecessary fees or additional debt.
The member picks an amount of money they’d like to have saved by the end of the program. Each month, they make on-time payments toward that amount. After 12 months, the member unlocks their cash and have an improved credit score. There is no application fee or down payment requirements for the program.
“At the end of summer 2019, my husband and I started the journey towards rebuilding our credit and purchasing a home,” said Jennifer Weiker, Marine member. “We each enrolled in the Get Credit program which allowed us to make payments to ourselves every month for a year. These payments were reported to the major credit agencies, which helps to increase our score. At the end of the year, our credit scores went up (mine 53 points, my husband’s 104 points), and we saved a bit of money!”
Marine takes the extra steps necessary to help members stay on track with their payments, offer instant access to the financial services and products, and provide ongoing financial education to help the member long into the future, all digitally.
Since the program began, over 2,700 members have entered the program. Members’ credit scores have improved an average of 118 points, with the highest increase being 749 points! Graduating members have qualified for over 350 follow-up loans as a result of improved credit.
The Weikers found the program helped make their resolution easy to accomplish. “It was an easy program to enroll in and a step in the right direction for our family, as we have just recently purchased our first home,” added Weiker. “I couldn’t be happier with the decision we made.”
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About Marine Credit Union
Marine Credit Union is built upon the strong belief that members are more than a credit score, and we are committed to providing financial services to all members of the community—including those with past financial challenges. Marine will continue our long-standing tradition of delivering personalized lending solutions to fit our members’ individual needs. Marine Credit Union is a full-service financial institution serving members with office locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. For more information, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.