Newsletters » Winter 2008

• Consolidate Holiday Debt And
  Save Your Hard-Earned Money!
• Congratulations To All Our 2007 Winners!
  
• Elder Financial Abuse Is On The Rise
  
• The Board Of Directors Invites You
  To Celebrate Our 73rd Anniversary
  
• Financial Center Group
• Online BillPay Spells Savings
  
• VISA^® Skip-A-Pay
  
• Diamond Club Membership!
• Dollar Dog To The Rescue!
• Holiday Closings
• FREE Informational Seminars To Benefit Our Members
• Temporary Holds & Authorizations For Credit and
  Debit Card Amounts In Excess Of Transactions

Consolidate Holiday Debt And
Save Your Hard-Earned Money!

With the holidays only a pleasant memory, high-rate department store and credit card bills are probably starting to pile up. We can help!

Keep more of your hard-earned money and relieve some of that financial stress! Apply today for a GCCU Personal Line of Credit, Short-Term Loan or Long-Term Loan – you’ll get a better rate, you’ll only have to worry about making one payment every month and you’ll be able to pay off your debt sooner. Our Loans give you the opportunity to consolidate your bills with a term and rate you can afford.

Get Started Today!
Start tackling that holiday debt now. To apply for your Consolidation Loan, stop by the Credit Union or apply online. You can also contact our Loan Department call center at (513) 559-1234 ext. 1102 for more information.

*Diamond Club Rate. APR=Annual Percentage Rate. Rate subject to change without notice. Contact the Credit Union for complete details.

Congratulations To All Our 2007 Winners!

Our 2007 Grand Prize Annual Meeting Winner:
Frank Sturm

Our April 22-28, 2007 Youth Week Challenge Winners:

• Michael A.
• Carry K.
• Gretchen S.
• Vincent P.
• Tyler P.
• Quincy R.
• Donovan G.
• Craig D.

Our Monthly Dollar Dog Savings Bonds Winners:

• Jasmine K.
• DaKuan M.
• Daniel S.
• Maria S.
• Tia G.
• Dakota P.
• Caleb K.
• Laila C.
• Amari W.
• Angelica K.
• Janell R.
• Donovan C.

Our Dollar Dog Holiday Giveaway Winners:

• Simone K.
• Ashley K.
• Reina G.
• Taylor M.
• LaRon M.
• Kieley H.
• Haley G.
• Caden H.
• Jenna E.
• Griffin P.
• Preston B.
• Tiffany B.
• Miah H.
• Zoey D.
• Will C.
• Jack O.
• Michael T.
• Julianne S.
• Vinny C.
• Celeste B.

Our Holiday Club Account Giveaway Winners:

• Elizabeth T.
• Anna M.
• Joann L.
• Marilyn G.
• Bonnie H.
• Diane E.
• Ellen B.
• Jennifer T.
• Richard A.
• Mary H.
• Leonard H.
• Gwendolyn W.
• Tsehai M.
• Nancy M.
• Cathy C.
• Sharon B.
• Clyde S.
• Gail W.
• Dorothy D.
• Theresa R.

Elder Financial Abuse Is On The Rise

Most of us think of our golden years as a time to slow down, relax and simply take it easy. Yet for many senior adults, nothing could be further from the truth. In the United States, it’s estimated that as many as 5 million people who are 65 and older are financially abused each year. This type of abuse involves illegally or improperly taking money or other resources from an elderly person.

Sadly, the abuser is often a family member or friend of the victim. And, because of fear, embarrassment or confusion, the victim may not report the abuse.

As a result, many state laws now either require or strongly suggest that financial institution employees report any suspected incidents.

Warning Signs Of Financial Abuse

• Sudden changes in financial activity that’s uncharacteristic of previous habits (more withdrawals than usual or use of an ATM card despite the fact that the cardholder is homebound)
• Members being accompanied by someone who won’t allow them to speak or treats them in a rude or threatening manner
• Withdrawals of unusually large amounts from members’ accounts done in a secretive manner
• Making significant financial changes (signing over property titles, changing a will, executing a power of attorney)
• Complaints about a loss of amenities or housing (utilities being shut off or being evicted) despite the fact that a member can likely afford these expenses
• Indications of personal property suddenly missing
• Members mentioning that their mail is no longer being delivered to their home or that financial statements are missing
• Members withdrawing socially from staff or appearing afraid to engage in conversation

If you or anyone you know has experienced these difficulties, you should report your problems to the authorities. Call your local Adult Protection Services Office at (513) 421-5433. Make sure the golden years don’t turn into fool’s gold!

The Board Of Directors Invites You
To Celebrate Our 73rd Anniversary

Saturday, March 15, 2008
At
The Manor House
7440 Mason Montgomery Road
Mason, Ohio 45040

Appetizers: 11:00 a.m. – Noon
Luncheon: Served At Noon
$20 Per Person

Hundreds Of Prizes Will Be Given Away.
Please Join Us For Your Chance To Win!

Seating Is Limited. Please Return The Reservation
Form By The Deadline Of March 8, 2008.

Financial Center Group

Please contact our Credit Union sponsors for all your investment, financial and estate planning needs.
Our Financial Center partners are:

Eisenzimmer Financial Services, Inc.
Financial Planning Services
(513) 984-9111

Long, Schaefer & Company, Inc.
Tax Preparation Services
(513) 245-0300

Horace Mann Insurance Company
For all your insurance needs
www.horacemann.com

Ritter & Randolph, LLC
Attorneys At Law
A wide range of legal assistance
(513) 381-5700

Online BillPay Spells Savings

Members are discovering they can save both time and money with our online BillPay service. You can set up automatic payments of bills that recur each month (like mortgages) or schedule payments that have varying charges (like credit cards). If you need to add or remove bills, or modify a payment, simply log in and make the changes. It’s fast, easy and secure – you’re always in charge!

A big “thanks” to our members who have signed up for online BillPay. It’s a great way to save on stamps, gas and your valuable time. For those of you who haven’t yet tried this service at no additional cost to you, we encourage you to contact us to find out how much easier bill paying can be. For more information, call us at (513) 559-1234.

VISA^® Skip-A-Pay

Are your holiday bills starting to pile up? If you need a little extra time paying your Credit Union VISA^® bill, we invite you to skip your payment.* Watch your January statement so you don’t miss out on this money-saving opportunity.

*Interest will continue to accumulate on skipped payments, increasing your cost of borrowing.

Diamond Club Membership!

Our Diamond Club membership provides you with all the products and services you use in everyday life. Plus, with a Diamond Club membership you can enjoy discounted interest rates on most loans, and earn a higher rate on selected Share Certificates.

Take advantage of all the benefits of a Diamond Club membership by maintaining these convenient products and services:

• Share Savings Account – It’s never too early to start saving for a college education, a family vacation or for any other reason.
• Checking Account With ATM/STAR_sm Debit Card – Our Checking Account gives you the freedom to write checks and access your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with your debit card.
• Online Bill Pay – Get peace of mind knowing your bills are paid on time every month. It’s easy to set up and you’re just a click away from paying your bills. Members with our Checking Account receive this service at no additional cost.
• VISA^® Credit Card – You never know when an emergency will arise. Be prepared with a GCCU VISA Credit Card and enjoy no annual fee!

Sign Up Today!
If you’re interested in enjoying the benefits of a Diamond Club membership, call (513) 559-1234 or stop by the Credit Union.

Dollar Dog To The Rescue!

The New Year is here and we hope our Dollar Dog members have made a resolution to save money! We encourage our young members to continue making deposits so they can increase their balances. Once they’ve saved $500, they can open a Certificate of Deposit, earning even more money!

HOLIDAY CLOSINGS

The Credit Union will be closed to observe the following events and holidays:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008

Presidents' Day
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008

Memorial Day
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008

FREE Informational Seminars
To Benefit Our Members

You’re invited to attend one – or more – of the informational seminars we’re providing as financial management tools for our members. Seminars will be small groups limited to 16 (with a minimum of 5) participants so that you’ll have time to ask and receive answers to your questions. All seminars are FREE.

Please reserve your place now by calling Tammi at
(513) 559-1234 ext. 1605.

Temporary Holds & Authorizations For Credit and Debit Card Amounts In Excess Of Transactions

To facilitate certain electronic transactions you make, a temporary hold may be placed by the merchant on available funds in your checking accounts or on your available line of credit. This will show as a hold on the amount available to use for credit card purchases and a hold on available funds in your checking account for debit card purchases. These holds may be for periods of 36 hours or more; and are generally imposed by the transaction networks that process your payment requests. The Greater Cincinnati Credit Union can neither control the parties with whom you do business nor regulate the processing of transactions through the commercial networks used to facilitate your transactions. Therefore, it is your obligation to insure that sufficient funds are on deposit or you have sufficient line of credit at all times to cover the transactions you make – including the amount that may be subject to these holds. Pursuant to the processing networks rules, a merchant (hotel, car rental company, gas station, merchant, etc.) may obtain authorization for up to three times the total estimated amount of your actual hotel stay, car rental, gas purchase or retail purchase. This is deemed to be an “authorized amount” by you and the authorized amount will not be available via your account for 36 hours or more after your bill is finally settled with such merchant(s), which can cause an insufficient funds situation or an inadequate available balance to make additional purchases. Even if your bill is satisfied with another form of payment, the merchant/retailer may continue to hold the funds as originally authorized by you for these time periods.