U.S. Eagle in the Community

Giving back to the community is one way U.S. Eagle exhibits the credit union difference. We do our best to emulate the credit union philosophy of "People Helping People". 

Here are our community service initiatives for the month of August:

• Packaging Food:  Every other week, employees from different branches and departments head to Rio Grande Food Project to help package food for those who may not know where their next meal will come from. Rio Grande Food Project provides food and emergency support to working families, seniors, and people in need. Our employees spend their morning packaging beans, veggies, rice, and more for those in need. 

• Popcorn Sales: U.S. Eagle sells popcorn throughout the year with proceeds benefiting a local nonprofit organization. This month, members and nonmembers can purchase popcorn from our tellers for $2.50 with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Association New Mexico Chapter. Popcorn flavors include cheese, green chile cheese, cherry, green apple, and caramel. Treat your sweet tooth all for a good cause!

• School Supply Drive: Access to books, backpacks or the materials needed to learn is a challenge for New Mexican children and their families. U.S. Eagle is dedicated to helping those in need and are again hosting an in-branch school supply drive. In all our branches, members and non members can donate school-related goods or cash to helps students at La Luz Elementary and El Camino Real in Albuquerque, Adelante in Santa Fe, and Farmington Public Schools. These donations will go directly to the students in need.

• Blue Star Mothers Supply Drive: U.S. Eagle supports Rio Grande Valley Blue Star Mothers by hosting supply drives at our branches. Drives collect much needed supplies to send to our troops overseas. Supplies include: toothbrushes, shaving cream, packaged snacks, and of course, green chile! Make a soldier's day, drop off some supplies at any of our branches.

• Meals on Wheels: Every week, a pair of U.S. Eagle employees come together to deliver meals to residents around Albuquerque. They meet at the Meals on Wheels headquarters, pick up warm meals, and hit the road to ensure the meals are delivered. Our employees knock on the door and provide a delicious meal to someone in need. Recipients are thankful and look forward to seeing a friendly face. Meals on Wheels of Albuquerque is the only home delivered meal program in our area supporting special diets. They provide service to anyone of any age. 

• Casa Esperanza: Twice a month, U.S. Eagle employees come together to plan, purchase food, and prepare a meal for residents at Casa Esperanza. Employees meet at Casa Esperanza, cook, and mingle with residents as residents enjoy a home-cooked meal. Casa Esperanza provides appropriate housing and emotional support for patients and their families who are temporarily residing in Albuquerque while the patient receives treatment. A delicious meal and friendly conversation could be just what someone needs while enduring a difficult season. 

These are just a few examples of what your credit union does to help our community. When you buy a bag of green apple popcorn, donate a can of hatch green chile, provide colored pencils, or make a monetary donation, you're helping someone else in our community.Thank you to everyone who make these opportunities for us to help, possible. 

The Authentic Difference

 

 

Every third Thursday of October since 1948, credit unions across the globe celebrate International Credit Union Day. For those of you who didn't know credit unions exist on a global scale - now you know. In fact, the first credit union was founded in Germany by Friedrich Raiffeisen. Moving on from my history lesson of the day, International Credit Union Day recognizes the history of the credit union movement and its achievements. This momentous day also celebrates the hard work of those who dedicate their lives to the credit union industry.

 

This year, the theme of International Credit Union Day is "The Authentic Difference". Not to toot our own horn, but there truly is an authentic difference in the credit union industry. Our goal is to serve our members and help them financially succeed. We do this as an organization, and each department has an integral role to make our members' experience as authentic as possible. Here is how some of our employees exhibit the authentic difference in their roles at U.S. Eagle:

 

Meet Theo. Theo has worked for U.S. Eagle for nearly 27 years! Theo was the "SEG Champ" back when the ball first started rolling. "SEG" stands for "Select Employee Group". In order to join U.S. Eagle you had to be a part of a select employee group or a family member of an employee. Theo added hundreds of SEGs so that all their employees and family members could truly experience the authentic credit union difference.

 

  

 

Meet Jeremy. Jeremy has worked for the credit union for almost three years and is one of our biggest cheerleaders! His favorite part of his job is helping people with their financial needs. Jeremy is passionate about the credit union movement and exhibits the authentic difference by providing the right services and products that will fit our members' lifestyles. Jeremy leaves work every day knowing he made a difference in someone's life.

 

 

Meet Patty. Patty has been working for U.S. Eagle for eleven years! Her favorite part about working for the credit union is the impact she has on families. Many families may be in need of guidance concerning financial situations. Her financial knowledge is continually developing and allows her to confidently give members different options that best fit their specific needs. Patty says the best part of learning is that it never stops - tomorrow is an endless day full of possibilities! Patty demonstrates the authentic difference to our members by helping them feel like a person and not a paycheck. She strives to offer them an experience of belonging and is always eager to share our meaningful mantra - "Where Everyone Belongs".

 

 

 

Meet Ina. Ina has been working for U.S. Eagle for nearly five years. Her favorite part about working for a credit union is how our organization lives out the credit union philosophy of "People Helping People". She recognizes how community-centered U.S. Eagle is and appreciates the many opportunities available to commit time to local non-profits. Ina exhibits the authentic difference through her position in human resources by ensuring our internal members are happy and confident in their position which allows better service for our external members. She is a trusted resource, her door is always open, and she commits daily to go above and beyond in her position.

 

Meet Diana. Diana has been lovin' life at U.S. Eagle for almost a year. Her favorite part of her job is interacting with our members and knowing that U.S. Eagle is helping them financially. Diana exhibits the authentic difference in a few ways. Farmington is such a tight knit community and everybody is familiar with one another. This allows Diana to demonstrate authenticity by acknowledging each member by their name and treating them as individual and not just a number. She welcomes them as soon as they walk through the door and treats them with kindness. Through membership interaction, Diana has become more outspoken and enjoys having important conversations with members to ensure their financial success.

 

Stop by any branch on Thursday, October 20th from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and celebrate International Credit Union Day with U.S.!

 

 

 

 

Beware of Fraudsters

Have you ever received an email from a random individual offering you a job, and even better – advance pay before you have even interviewed? What about receiving a message from someone who claims they are romantically interested in you and within days requests to deposit a check into your account with the promise to designate a portion of the cash to you?  Have you ever heard the saying, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is”? Well that applies to these scenarios.

Recently, our Fraud Department has noticed an influx of our members falling prey to scams like these. Let me break down these two scenarios a little bit better.

Scenario 1: At some point in the past year or so, you have posted your resume on a job search engine. One day, you receive a job offer sent to your personal email describing a position the “employer” is pretty much giving to you with the promise of a paycheck before you even start. All you have to do is send your account information and you’re set! Should you send any of your information? NO. In fact, you should block the sender and report the email as spam.

Scenario 2: You have recently started online dating. After exchanging some messages with a promising contender for your heart, they ask if they can deposit a check into your account. Even better – since you two are exclusive, they want to provide you with some money for the trouble and have offered to deposit the check on their end using RDC (remote deposit capture). You agree and send them your login information. They download the app on their mobile device, deposit the check, and boom – your balance increases $5,000.  All you have to do is head to the credit union and withdraw the amount they want you to send to them. The things we do for love!

Both of these situations have one thing in common – you never meet the person on the receiving end. You never meet your “employer” nor do you ever meet your new “crush”. In the end, you’re the one with the negative balance in your account, and your information is in the hands of a scammer somewhere in the world.

So, what can you do to avoid these types of situations? Never give out any of your account information or personal information.  Stop all communication with the fraudster – they will be very persistent. These scams are common no matter what age you are. If you find yourself in a similar situation, please call our Fraud Department immediately at 505-342-8871.