1st quarter JaNuarY - MarCH 2012

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1 PREVIEW 1st quarter JaNuarY - MarCH 2012 Quarterly newsletter from Superior Choice Credit Union Thank You for a Great 2011! SCCU Gives Back in Thanks As we come close to end out another great year, we look to give back to those who made it another successful year at SCCU. As a member-owned cooperative, we owe our thanks entirely to our membership for their patronage. We also appreciate and recognize the communities around the Northland which we serve. To that end, the Board of Directors have authorized: a Patronage dividend be paid back to the membership totaling $300,000 and awarded through the SCCU Rewards Program (a/k/a points program ) which are acquired by the number of services a member has at SCCU. The amount is paid out through already-awarded service fee waivers and reduced pricing as well as a cash paid dividend to the Membership Savings which occured on December 31st. events & Holidays February 14th: Valentine s Day February 16th: SCCU Annual Meeting, 7 pm WITC-Superior February 20: President s Day March 11th: Daylight Savings Time Begins March 17th: St. Patrick s Day community food shelf donation to our area food shelves. SCCU will be paying 50 cents per member to local food shelves to help those in need. The total amount donated is $11,711. And A Look Have 2012 We at the Great r YOU... In Store fo for details of e id s in re o m Read e for you what we hav 2! in 2 01 From left to right- Nancy Turner, Ashland Branch Manager and Linda Barnes, Director of the BRICK Ministries From left to right- Millie Roundsville, Executive Director of Northwest Wisconsin Community Action Program; Gary Elliott, CEO of SCCU, and Michelle McKay, Assistant Branch Manager of SCCU s Shoreline Branch Thanks again to all our members who made SCCU a success in We are honored to serve you and very proud to make our members and communities better through our shared strength.

2 Director Election and Annual Meeting The Director Election will be held via online ballot and in-branch voting. eligible voting members may cast their ballots online or in any of our offices between January 16th and february 14th. Eligible voting members must be over the age of 18, have joined SCCU prior to August 16th, and be the primary or sole account holder. SCCU s 79th Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at the WITC- Superior Conference Center at 7pm. Take time to hear about SCCU s Annual Performance, mingle with other credit union members, and meet the people both staff and Board of Directors who serve you each and every day. Remember, being able to vote for your Board of Directors and the Annual Membership Meeting is one of the key features of our member-owned cooperative, so take action and be a part of your Credit Union! Scholarships As a community-focused financial cooperative, SCCU believes in and supports higher education by offering scholarships to its members. SCCU awards scholarships to eligible members in the Spring of each year. To apply, a member must fill out and return the scholarship application by april 30th of the award year to be considered for that year. We will be offering seven $500 scholarships this year: One for a member of the superior High school credit Union One for a member of the Mellen school credit Union five for members of sccu, regardless of location (can be current college students) You can download the scholarship information and application off of our website at (under the About Us drop down). If you would like us to mail you the scholarship information and application, please give us a call!

3 We ve gone through a great year, all thanks to you! So, here are a few changes we ve made to our everyday accounts to show you our appreciation. the Classic Share Draft and Superior Choice Checking Accounts have combined to form Dividend Checking! We will be paying dividends on balances over $5,000. there will no longer be a minimum balance requirement and no $3 monthly maintenance fee on this account. additionally, for those who are dividend eligible on the Dividend Checking account, we will pay you an additional dividend if you use your debit card 13 times or more during the month. This dividend will pay half of the normal Dividend Checking amount and will be posted separately from the monthly dividend. Bill Pay is now free for everyone, regardless of the number of services you have with SCCU. So, if you have online banking and a checking account, get signed up with Bill Pay to pay your bills easily, securely, and electronically. You can set up to pay reoccurring monthly bills to businesses and individuals as well as paying one-time payments. Simply click the Pay My Bills icon within the online banking main banner menu to get it started. New for you in 2012! We appreciate the trust you ve put in us over the years. as a memberowned financial cooperative, the more you have with sccu, the more the membership as a whole benefits. We re still looking at ways of returning value to you each and every day. We look forward to a prosperous 2012 with you! Understanding IRA Contribution Limits It s that time of the year again to think about IRA contributions. And for both the 2011 and 2012 tax years, you can contribute up to $5,000 to a Roth IRA or a traditional IRA. And if you re age 50 or older, you can also make an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution for each tax year. An IRA is one of the best ways for you to accumulate tax-advantaged retirement savings. So, you ll want to make every effort to contribute the maximum allowed. Roth IRAs offer withdrawals free from federal tax. Traditional IRAs offer tax-deferred growth, and if you qualify the contributions are taxdeductible. For more information about IRAs and a free copy of the brochure, Comparing Your IRA Options, please contact Dennis Archer the SCCU Retirement and Financial Advisors Representative serving the members of Superior Choice Credit Union at A message from the SCCU Retirement and Financial Advisors Program Remember the clock is ticking and the deadline for making your IRA contribution is fast approaching. The time to move on your IRA is now. Call today at Representatives are registered, securities are sold and investment advisory services offered through CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc. (CBSI), member FINRA/SIPC, a registered broker/dealer and investment advisor, 2000 Heritage Way, Waverly, Iowa 50677, toll-free (866) nondeposit investment and insurance products are not federally insured, involve investment risk, may lose value and are not obligations of or guaranteed by the financial institution. CBSI is under contract with the financial institution, through the financial services program, to make securities available to members. B2MM BE5 (1111)

4 IntrOdUcInG text BAnkInG Use your phone in order to receive notices and balances on the go! How do i set Up Mobile Text Banking? Sign into online banking and click the Go Mobile button at the top of the toolbar. Then, select Text Banking to enroll your phone and set up your notification options. All detailed options for banking and sending mobile e-notices are contained in the set up screens. Go Mobile How Much Does Text Banking Cost? SCCU will provide 30 free texts to and from the system per month for all members (texting to the system is counted as one text, the system texting back the balance is one text; therefore, texting and receiving balances are 2 texts, e-notices from the system are considered 1 text). After you go through the 30 free texts, a charge of 15 cents per text will be assessed at the end of each month. Your cell phone carrier may charge you standard text messaging fees. Please check with your cell phone carrier if you are unsure about what fees apply when you send or receive texts. Can I Do Transfers with Text Banking? For security reasons, we do not allow transfers through text banking at this time. If you need to transfer money, visit our mobile online banking site at: m.itsme247.com/345. How Do I Use Text Banking? Text with the following commands to get your information: BAL-will give you the balance on up to 3 savings accounts (the first three listed on your account) BAL 080-will give you your actual and available checking account balance BAL 000-will give you your actual and available membership savings account balance Text Banking Home BAL Suffix-by typing BAL with any of your 3 digit loan or savings suffixes, it will text you the balance on the requested suffix. You can easily see the 3 digit suffixes on all your sub-accounts when in your online banking. stop-will un-enroll you from receiving text banking balances and e-notices. Have Questions? Give Us a call!

5 Need Tax Preparation Help? Let NWCSA Assist You! Northwest Wisconsin Community Action Services Agency, Inc (NWCSA) will once again be offering free tax preparation to area residents. Eligibility Guidelines: Must be full-year Wisconsin resident AND have an income less than $49,000 per year. NWCSA completes the following tax forms: 1040EZ, 1040A, 1040 (limited), Earned Income Credit, Child Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care, Educational Credit, Homestead Credit. They cannot complete forms for rental income, farm income, self-employed health insurance or married filing separately. They may be able to complete self-employment income depending upon certain factors. All Participants Must Provide Social Security Cards For All People Listed On The Tax Return. The tax sites will open on January 23, 2012 Located at NWCSA s office at 1118 Tower Avenue, Superior Hours: Monday, walk-ins only 8:00 am 3:00 pm Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment only call (715) Reminder: The last day to make deposits into your IRA for Tax Year 2011 is April 17, Hey Parents and Grandparents! Are the children in your life involved with the SCCU Super Saver Club? It s a great way to teach them the rewards of saving up for goals with great rewards, prizes, and parties along the way. Ask us about the Super Savers Club next time you visit an office or check it out on our website!

6 Hours & Locations Main Office 2817 Tower Avenue Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 5 pm Monday - Friday: 7:30 am - 7 pm Saturday: 9 am - 3 pm ashland Office 319 Ellis Avenue Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 5 pm Monday - Wed: 8:30 am - 5 pm Thursday: 8:30 am - 6 pm Friday: 7:30 am - 5 pm Saturday: 9 am - 12 pm MeLLen Office 117 S. Main Street Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 5 pm Monday - Thursday: 8:30 am - 5 pm Friday: 7:30 am - 5 pm Saturday: 8 am - 11 am shoreline Office 2302 E. 2nd Street Monday - Friday: 9 am -7 pm Monday - Friday: 7:30 am -7 pm HerMantOwn Office 4161 Haines Road Monday - Friday: 9 am -7 pm Monday - Friday: 7:30 am -7 pm new HOUrs Direct Deposit The Securest Way to Get Paid Using direct deposit will eliminate the need to deposit a paper payroll check into your account each month. It s safe, convenient, and allows immediate access to your money. No worry about making it to the Credit Union in time, or misplacing the check. Direct deposits are posted in the morning on business days, many times before SCCU even opens. Receiving federal benefits? By March 2013, you will be required to use direct deposit to receive your monthly checks. To set up direct deposit your payroll company may require a voided check or a form to be filled out. Here are the necessary numbers you ll need to get direct deposit at SCCU established: SCCU s Routing/ABA Transit Number: To deposit into your savings account, add -000 to the end of your account number. To deposit into your checking account, add -080 to the end of your account number. If you d like to split your deposit between accounts, please give us a call to get it correctly set up. Main Office Drive-up 2817 Tower Avenue Shoreline Office Drive-up 2302 E. 2nd Street atm LOcatiOns Ashland Office 319 Ellis Avenue Mellen Office 117 S. Main Street Hermantown Office 4161 Haines Road