What's New At Mid American
Winners named in last major anniversary giveaway promotion
Congratulations to Nina Oller of Wichita for winning Mid American’s grand prize anniversary promotion of a Flint Hills getaway package.
Oller won two-nights’ accommodations for two at the Bed and Buggy Inn, 15 miles northeast of Manhattan and a $500 VISA gift card.
Wilma Dishman, Merle Hopkins and Jared Rogers of Wichita and Elnora Jenks of Larned won the other major anniversary promotion prizes, each selecting $500 gift cards to Dillons.
To celebrate Mid America’s 75th anniversary in 2011 and in recognition of the state’s 150th year of statehood the same year, Mid American was giving away Kansas-made products. Every month in 2011, Kansas Originals were given away at all branches, and other promotional giveaways included a 42-inch Hustler Sport and Yoder Smokers pellet smoker grills.
Pending First Choice merger has only slight effect for Mid American members
Mid American Credit Union members will see only slight changes as part of the pending merger between First Choice Credit Union and Credit Union of America in Wichita.
Mid American members can continue to make cash transactions such as deposits and withdrawals, loan payment and transfers between accounts as part of the Credit Union Service Centers shared branch network at First Choice and Credit Union of America branches
Mid American members can no longer open accounts or apply for a loan at the First Choice branch at 1401 N. Maize as part of the pending merger.
Adding value to an existing home
From Debbie Stang, Home Loan Officer
A big trend in real estate is remodeling an existing home. In 2009, Americans spent more than $114 billion on home remodels, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Remodeling is expected to surpass new home construction in the next few years, says the NAHB.
If you’re looking to add value to your home and enjoy some of the more modern trends of home living, here are some projects to consider:
Create a family room. Many new homes feature open floor plans with a family room playing center stage. You can remodel or renovate your existing home to be more new construction.
Remodel your basement. Game rooms and guest suites are also trends in new construction. Create the same spaces with a remodel of an existing basement or finishing an unfinished one.
Create a home office. More people are either telecommuting or starting home businesses. Create a dedicated space that is wired and outfitted to function as an updated office for yourself now and to attract potential future homebuyers.
Replace the roof. First impressions count, plus ensuring you have a solid roof over your head helps retain your home’s value.
Landscape your yard. Create curb appeal with the front yard and an outdoor entertainment space in the back to provide not only a good first impression, but an increase in your living space.
Make smaller changes. A couple of buckets of paint, new tile and trim, an upgrade in bathroom fixtures, adding or replacing cabinet hardware, some decorative detailing such as crown moulding – they can give your home a fresh, new look on relatively low-cost budget.
If you’re embarking on a large-scale renovation, consider either a home equity loan or a second mortgage to finance those costs. Click here to find out more about Mid American’s loans.
Spread the word
BY JIM HOLT, PRESIDENT/CEO
Matthew Kotch has become a walking advertisement for Mid American Credit Union. Whenever he can, he tells new hires at one of our more than 300 affiliate employee groups about the benefits of opening an account and establishing a membership with us.
“I tell everybody,” he says. He became a member nearly two years ago and has been an advocate ever since.
He tells others how easy it is to get his paycheck directly deposited into an account and that he can easily access it through free ATMs and shared branching nationwide. He tells them how we provided him with an account, when banks turned him down because he didn’t have an established credit history.
He tells them how he likes the fact that he knows there’s a local, caring person he can contact, rather than someone answering an 800 number, when he has financial needs.
There are many more benefits, and as banks are imposing more and more fees, credit unions are becoming a more attractive option for people who want to keep more of their money and benefit themselves. One of the key differences between banks and credit unions is ownership. Banks are owned by a group of investors, looking for a profit. As not-for-profit cooperatives, credit unions are owned by their members, looking for a way to access financial services at the lowest cost possible.
This past year, credit union membership jumped significantly – primarily when banks announced they would start charging fees for services such as a debit card. Following Bank of America’s announcement of such a charge in late September – which it later retracted – a survey of 5,000 credit unions showed
650,000 new members signed up, according to Credit Union National Association. According to Bloomberg News, the percentage of banks offering free checking has fallen from 76 percent two years ago to 45 percent, with the average monthly fee being $14. Free debit cards and checking accounts are the norm at credit unions, not the exception.
Increasing our membership benefits all credit union members. It makes it possible for us to continue to provide lower interest rates on loans, offer free or low cost services and for you to keep more of your own money to meet financial needs and wants.
We hope more members take up Kotch’s advocacy and help others find the benefits of credit union membership and ownership. If you have a chance, spread the word. It will help keep us – and, more importantly, you – financially strong.
Free tax return service offered
Mid American Credit Union is partnering with Consumer Credit Counseling Service to offer freeVITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) services to members who qualify.
A VITA-trained volunteer will be available at Mid American’s main Wichita branch, 8404 W. Kellogg, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Jan. 19-21 and 26-28 and Feb. 2-4, 9-11 and 16-17. Dates for the Arkansas City branch will be announced later. The VITA program offers free tax help for those earning generally $49,000 or less annually and who can’t prepare their own tax returns.
To make an appointment, contact Ryan Deitchler, 316-265-2000 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The VITA volunteer will prepare 1040 Schedules A, B, C EIC and R, in addition to special credit forms for Child and Dependent Care Expenses, Education Credits, and Additional Child Tax Credits.
Free electronic filing e-filing) of both state and federal income tax returns is offered. For faster delivery of tax refunds, direct deposit into a member’s account is recommended.
Winner named in iPad2 giveaway
News that she won the iPad2 in a recent promotion to encourage mobile and text banking signups made Christina Jenkins day.
“I’ve had such a great weekend, and this just made it even better,” said Jenkins who had celebrated her birthday and earning her master’s degree from Baker University. Jenkins won the iPad 2 giveaway in a promotion that ended Dec. 16.
The new mobile and text banking options are also making it better for Jenkins and other members to get account information.
With Mid American’s mobile banking service, members can check balances, view account history, transfer funds and do national and local searches for the nearest ATM or branch.
With text banking, members can text the credit union for account balance and recent transaction history and even transfer funds.
To sign up for the new services, go to http://www.co-opmobile.org.
