We’re very proud to welcome HarborLight Credit Union to the Muskegon Channel and our other publications, Channel 96 Muskegon, Positively Muskegon and Muskegon Channel Radio as a sponsor. There are a lot of really big things to think about when it comes to “local business”. Some of them might even slip past you in the day to day of life. But if you think about this one small fact, using a truly local financial institution….one with over 70 years of history working in a community and knowing it’s members and residents….it’s a HUGE piece of the local economic wellbeing for all of us! We’re pleased to welcome CEO Justin Bamford and CMO Jessie Wilde to share the story of HarborLight Credit Union with us.
If you’ve been familiar with our work, Jessie is probably not new to you. She’s been working her magic all over town and with HarborLight Credit Union for some time. Justin has been part of the CU for long enough to have a steady hand on the tiller and the entire team knows when it’s time to take their message of better financial well being to everyone. That time is now. When you see a logo, or pull up to one of HarborLight’s locations, the term “More than Money” pops up. It’s really the culture of the institution to be just that. An ATM can be found anywhere for deposits and withdrawals….an institution that focuses on helping their members strive for stability and financial success early on is what you’ll find at HarborLight Credit Union, and it’s not just a bunch of chatter.
From their work in schools to promote early financial literacy to helping people who may have missed that opportunity while they were in school to gain the know how is what they are all about. In the long term, the financial wellbeing of the members adds to the success of the credit union so the push is always for one more. “Is there anything else I can help you with? “No, I think I am all set.” Well, ok did you hear about how we can lower your car loan interest rate and save you a couple hundred bucks a month?” That’s the internal thought process…and I’ll share a personal story with you to boot.
It’s been a long road for me to repair credit. I did it though. In the world of auto finance, I am like anyone else. Run my credit, get me a loan, get me out of here and I want to be done with it. Anyone not wanting to spend one extra minute dealing with buying a car understands. Get the approval, get the car, get out. Well, after the “day of” I rode with the original lender a while. The payment was within my budget….the days of the overpriced credit were behind me so it was acceptable but HarborLight Credit Union asked to take a look. In under an hour….my interest rate dropped 2 points. My payment dropped by 200 a month and I kept the same car I have without even stepping into a branch. It was really that fast. Imagine with a home loan? That kind of advocacy for a member with a car saves thousands. Move up to a home loan and you’re saving 10’s of thousands.
Back to that idea of local. Yes, I am still paying interest but that interest stays right here in the Muskegon area. It’s not going into some Wall Street money void and it’s not being gobbled up by some celebrity spokesperson for their image on a billboard. This goes in to local wages. Local school programming for smarter kids down the line. Local non-profit organizations are helped through the outreach of HarborLight Credit Union and so much more. This is truly smart money used wisely for local growth.
Stay tuned! Watch for more as we share the story of this historic institution that’s stood on it’s own for almost a century while other financial centers have just sold off the stock and walked away. The push to reinvent, re-emerge and refocus on the times has always been what HarborLight has focused on. It’s time to turn the focus back on local financial services. We’re proud to work with Harbor Light Credit Union.
CLICK HERE to visit HarborLight Credit Union online. CLICK HERE to follow HarborLight Credit Union on Facebook.
