Financial Services Indianapolis

Indianapolis Credit Union Offers Directo a Mexico

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 by Debby Blake

Want an easy way to send funds to a family member in Mexico? Financial Center, your local credit union, now

offers a new financial service to help you. Directo a Mexico is a secure, low cost, fast and convenient way to transfer your money to Mexico. Ask one of your Credit Union associates to tell you more about Directo a Mexico. We think you will agree that it's the best way to send money home. Contact us today at 317.916.7700 to learn more.

That Time, Again: Tax Season

Monday, February 15, 2010 by FCFCU Web Team

If you haven't already begun thinking about preparing your taxes, you better start soon. We all know April 15th comes faster than expected. Got questions?

Really understand the implications of your personal tax situation through our Indianapolis Credit Union's helpful seminar. Experienced professionals at your fingertips is just one of the benefits of membership at Finance Center Federal Credit Union (FCFCU). Key areas to discuss will be common deductions, tax planning, self-employed health care, and retirement planning.

At FCFCU, membership resources are abundant. Money education and literacy, and methods on how to manage your money are all available to members. Helpful seminars and interactive guides through Anytime Adviser, are some the financial services and membership education provided to you.

Learning about money couldn't be easier at FCFCU. Check out the 2010 schedule of free member seminars. Contact a Center or learn more online.

Questions on Credit Union Cards

Monday, February 15, 2010 by FCFCU Web Team

Recent news has indicated that rising fees, higher rates, and unfavorable terms from the major credit card companies is probable soon.

Sounds a bit extreme, but an article posted Friday explains the issuing of a legal, and looming interest rate of 79.9% on a First Premier Bank card. Unbelievable? Check it out.

This is just one example of what may be ahead for credit card owners. Many are stressing consumers be aware of all terms and conditions associated with their current and future cards concerning fees and inflated interest rates.

You may want to include in your research local credit union cards as a viable alternative. An article on Saturday by the AP answers many questions on why a local credit union card may be more beneficial than sticking with your current bank.

Consider becoming a member at Financial Center Indianapolis for great rates and virtually no fees on cards. Our local credit union boasts many financial services that the Indianapolis bank offers at more exceptional rates and better service.

Educate your self here, and consider credit union banking for all your banking needs. Learn more about the local Indianapolis Credit Union. Contact FCFCU.

Two thirds of internet users reuse online banking credentials – research

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 by Greg Schmeisser

Incredible! Given the amount of press that is given to Phishing, trojans, and other means of online banking fraud, you might expect that customers would be sensitive to account security issues. It appears human nature overrides the considerations of security.

What can we learn from the research that we can apply to safe web surfing?

Create diversity in your online credentials. Do not reuse sensitive credentials across multiple sites and particularly with non-sensitive sites (e.g. using your online banking credentials for social sites or web mail).
Maintain diversity between sensitive credentials. Do not use the same password between multiple transactional sites (banking, shopping sites, etc.).
Protect both the User ID and the password for sensitive credentials.

Here are a few details from an article on this research:

"... 73 percent of bank customers use their online account password to access other websites, and that 47 percent use both their online banking user ID and password to login elsewhere on the internet."
"... this widespread reuse of online banking credentials is being exploited by criminals who have devised various methods to harvest login credentials from less secure sources, such as webmail and social network websites. Once acquired, these usernames and passwords are tested on financial services sites to commit fraud."
"... when a bank allows users to choose their own user ID, 65 percent of users share this ID with nonfinancial websites."
"... when a bank chooses the user ID for its customers, 42 percent of customers use the bank issued user ID with at least one other website."

Read the entire article here.

Financial Center Welcomes New CEO

Monday, January 4, 2010 by Michael Hostetler

Financial Center, an Indianapolis credit union, welcomes J. Kevin Ryan as its new CEO. With over 28 years experience in the financial services industry, Mr. Ryan brings an abundance of knowledge to the local Credit Union. He has been involved in the credit union movement for the past 23 years with experience in finance, budgeting, investments, regulatory compliance, business development, and marketing.

Mr. Ryan has been a Board Member for Financial Center and its CUSO for the past two years. His previous Credit Union experience includes employment at the Indiana Credit Union League and CUNA Mutual Group. He has also earned numerous credit union executive certifications. Mr. Ryan has also received a Bachelors of Science in Management and a Master of Arts in Executive Development from Ball State University. He is a volunteer for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. He is also active in youth sports for his local community.

In his new position as Credit Union CEO, Mr. Ryan aims to lead Financial Center’s employees in providing Credit Union members with quality products and services while fulfilling the company’s mission to provide the highest level of personal service excellence attainable in the marketplace.

Become a Banking Locavore

Monday, November 23, 2009 by Michael Hostetler

I recently read a great article on green.indy.com about people who are locavores in the Indianapolis area. A locavore is someone who eats locally produced food as much as possible. According to the article, foods that are grown locally and travel fewer miles can be

safer, fresher, and healthier for you.

Apply this thinking to who you're choosing as your banking services provider. A local credit union has employees and members just like you who work cooperatively to deliver financial services with preferable rates and less fees than bigger banks. Decisions regarding your money are made locally, and your institution is committed to serving the community in which you live.

When deciding who your next bank should be, consider an Indianapolis Credit Union.

Take Advantage of Bank on Indy at Indianapolis Bank Locations

Thursday, October 29, 2009 by Michael Hostetler

Our Indianapolis Credit Union is proud to be part of the Bank on Indy. This partnership between Indianapolis banks and credit unions aims to bring financial services to the 79,800 unbanked citizens in Marion County.

If you need tips on how to manage money better or if you need help learning about money, this program is right for you. The overall goal of Bank on Indy is to promote financial education in Indianapolis. If you've never had a savings or checking account, or if you've had trouble in the past and need a second chance, Bank on Indy is right for you. Indianapolis residents can take advantage of this program at any Financial Center location.

Here's what you will need to open your account.

1. A photo ID such as a driver's license, state ID card, or passport.

2. A second form of ID. A utility bill with your current address can be used.

3. Your Social Security number or your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.

Get started with using financial services in Indianapolis. Open your Bank on Indy account today at our Indianapolis Credit Union.

Fantasy Football and Your Indianapolis Credit Union

Friday, October 9, 2009 by Debby Blake

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of attending the Colts game at Lucas Oil Stadium. This is the first year of our season tickets and we sit next to people mostly from Indianapolis, but there is a couple next to us who now live in Columbus, Ohio. Much of the conversation centered around how each person’s fantasy football team was doing, as well as why Freeney was playing when he was supposed to be out for two weeks. Some of the guys in our row had benched Freeney and were disappointed to miss out on his performance!

Fantasy football is a fantasy sports game in which participants (called "owners") are arranged into a league. Each owner gets to pick their best defense, their best offense, etc. Each owner drafts a team of real-life American football players and then scores points based on those players' statistical on-the-field performances.

If you think about it, this is the same idea when choosing your financial institution. At the Finance Center Federal Credit Union, all of the members are owners of your Indianapolis credit union. We consistently have the best defense, the best offense – and even the best special teams! Whatever your financial services needs are, your Indianapolis credit union will meet those needs with the best financial services team in the city.

Indianapolis Checking Accounts

Friday, July 10, 2009 by Debby Blake

I recently

read a story about how pandas spend the majority of their waking hours trying to get enough bamboo in their system to survive. Turns out that bamboo has very little nutritional value so the panda has to eat alot of it! The panda is in a habit that is too hard for them to break, even though there is an abundant food supply all around them if they would just switch.

Is your current financial services provider in Indianapolis causing bad habits for you? It is not too hard for you to switch to the Finance Center -- your local credit union! Right now we have the best Indianapolis checking account with our Rewards checking -- 4.51% APY. Plus, we are easy to do business with and vow to treat you as an honored member. We can help you make the switch to easy credit union banking so that it is not a hassle, including setting up your bill payees and automatic deductions. Stop by any of our centers to become a member, or you can e-mail me at dblake@fcfcu.com.

Local Credit Unions Work Together For You

Friday, April 24, 2009 by Michael Hostetler

One of the things that I enjoy about working in the credit union industry is its cooperative culture. I have been able to go to numerous meetings around the country where I exchange stories and advice with other marketing professionals who work for credit unions. Everyone is always willing to lend a hand, and this atttitude carries over into how we serve our members. In fact, I'm headed out this afternoon to meet with a representative from another local credit union in the Indianapolis area to work on a joint project. It's our hope that the project we're working on will be implemented at each of our credit unions and others across the state.

Credit unions in Indianapolis provide cooperative financial services such as shared branching and ATM networks to help serve you better. If you're currently doing your business at another bank in Indianapolis, consider joining a credit union. We're all here to help.

Demystifing HSA's for Indianapolis

Monday, April 13, 2009 by Andre Arnold

I worked for Radio Shack prior to moving into financial services and they had this tagline of "Demystifing Technology" for obvious reasons the term never caught on but their intent was sound. They wanted to take the mystery and F.U.D. (fear uncertainty and doubt) out of consumer electronics. In the process of using a very bad tagline, Radio Shack sold a lot of cellphones, home audio and more. I feel there is a lot of F.U.D. when it comes to health care options. especially High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) and associated Health savings Accounts (HSA). So let's try to demystify HDHP and HSA's (wow..just looking at that last sentence strikes some FUD)

I have the pleasure of working with HDHP and medical savings accounts as part of my role with FCFCU. When companies are rolling out HSA's as a new insurance option, I have a front seat in the process and because I get to peek behind the curtain I understand the "why" behind HDHP more than most outside of insurance or human resources. One thing I am sure of concerning High Deductible Health Plans and Health Savings Accounts is if our country ever makes a serious attempt to "fix" our national healthcare issue, it will likely come in the form of HSA's.

So, what do you think? Are you concerned that healthcare cost are almost 10k per employee? Do you have questions about HDHP's and how they work? Would you like sites where you can find additional information? Or would you just like to talk about your healthcare experience, good or bad?

I will share my experiences with health savings accounts as well as financial education surrounding insurance brokers, healthcare providers and more. Ask a question or post a comment. We'll explore together.

Credit Uniontology

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 by Michael Hostetler

March Madness is here finally. One of my favorite parts of this time of year is filling out my tournament bracket. Even President Obama got in on the act this year. I enjoy rooting for the underdog teams and usually have a couple of upsets in my bracket. When an underdog beats a large school, it creates the type of excitement that makes March Madness such a great event.

Credit unions are the underdog in the financial services industry. We are typically smaller than some of the more recognizable banks, but we usually provide the same products and services as our counterparts. The difference is that when you do business with a credit union, your membership means more to us since we have fewer individuals using our institution. Your financial well-being is important to us because it dictates our well-being as an institution.

While a larger bank may only refer to you by your account number, a credit union will refer to you by your first name. Which gives you the better feeilng?

As your filling out your tournament bracket, pick a couple of upsets. I've got Virginia Commonwealth over UCLA. What's your upset pick?

Introducing Friday Feedback

Friday, February 20, 2009 by Michael Hostetler

I'm adding a new feature to the blog which is called Friday Feedback. Each week, I will answer questions from our members and anyone else who reads this blog in regard to what's going on with our credit union, how we are helping the Indianapolis community, or anything else you have a question about regarding financial services.

I invite you to send all questions to mhostetler@fcfcu.com. Each Friday, I will select a set of questions and write my response in a blog post. If you have a question that you'd rather not see answered on the blog, let me know and I can also answer those, as well.

I hope everyone has a good weekend, and I'm looking forward to answering your questions.

Mr. President - How do you feel about credit unions?

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Michael Hostetler

I was watching President Obama's first

press conference last night and I was intrigued by much of what he had to say. Being part of the financial services industry, one particular exchange caught my attention. Here was the question:

"In your opening remarks, you talked about that, if your plan works the way you want it to work, it's going to increase consumer spending. But isn't consumer spending, or overspending, how we got into this mess? And if people get money back into their pockets, do you not want them saving it or paying down debt first before they start spending money into the economy?"

Here was President Obama's answer:

"Well, first of all, I don't think it's accurate to say that consumer spending got us into this mess. What got us into this mess initially were banks taking exorbitant, wild risks with other people's monies based on shaky assets and because of the enormous leverage, where they had $1 worth of assets and they were betting $30 on that $1, what we had was a crisis in the financial system."

I was waiting for the President to talk about the strength of credit unions and how well they've been able to manage their assets and their lending practices while other financial institutions have not been so prudent.

This has led to mistrust in consumers towards all financial institutions.

As a credit union, Financial Center takes this very seriously. Each one of our members is important to us and we strive to be a trusted financial advisor in this uncertain period in our nation's history.

When you visit one of our Centers or talk to one of our representatives on the phone, you are doing business with someone just like you. We are from the same community and we share your concerns as well as your goals.

While larger banks on Wall Street are the subject of criticism, credit unions operating on Main Street remain as a great option for you to manage your personal finances.

Take a look at Financial Center today. We're all in this together.