Free Debit Cards

Over the past month, there has been quite a bit of publicity about debit cards in the national media. The attention has resulted from a recent announcement that a large national bank will begin charging their customers a monthly fee of $5 for using their debit card. Other large banks have been considering this strategy so there may be more that come forward in the future.

This is a great opportunity for the Lisbon Credit Union to share the benefits of our VISA Debit Card program. If you have a checking account with us, you’re eligible for a debit card that can be used for both point of sale transactions and ATM withdrawals. Here’s the best part—regardless if you use your card once per month or 100 times per month, there is NO monthly fee. Also, you can make ATM withdrawals with your card at over 200 SURF Network locations across Maine for FREE!

The $5 debit card fee may not seem high now but consider the cost over time--$60 per year and $300 over 5 years. That’s a lot of money! Please spread the word about our free debit cards and if you don’t currently have a checking account, contact a Member Service Representative today to make it happen. For more information on our debit card program, click here.

Building Futures. Preserving Dreams.

Young & Free Maine Explained

With a few months under his belt, the Young & Free Maine Spokester Seth Poplaski has been quite busy traveling around the state to promote the benefits of Maine’s Credit Unions. He has trekked as far north as Fort Fairfield to attend the Potato Blossom Festival and as far south as Sanford to watch the Sanford Mainers baseball team. Seth also has hit a bunch of other events in between—to promote the great new checking account called Free4ME.

Wherever he goes, Seth makes a record on the Young & Free Maine website by either writing a blog post or creating a video. We wanted to share some of those great blog posts and video that he has posted thus far in the program. Enjoy!

Blog Posts:

• Those Pesky Bank Fees
• Gift Cards at a Discount
• Saving Money on your Cell Phone Bill

Videos:

• NMCC 50^th Anniversary

• What is Shared Branching?

• Road Trip Tips

Building Futures. Preserving Dreams.

Looking for a Winter Vehicle?

The official end of summer is coming soon. In fact, some parts of the state have already experienced a frost warning—how crazy is that? Although we don’t want to admit it, Old Man Winter will arrive soon. For some of you, buying a winter vehicle is on the top of your priority list. To make your purchase fast and convenient, consider using one of our Pre-Approved Loan Drafts!

The process is simple. We’ll take your application and pre-approve you up to a certain amount, lock you into a great low rate and give you a blank check to go shopping with. This tool will allow you to go to a dealership and negotiate the best price for you. The check and rate are good for 60 days.

Remember…winter’s coming! Let us make your transition to a new vehicle easy and enjoyable with a Loan Draft.  Our Loan Officers are standing by to answer any questions you may have so feel free to contact us.

Building Futures. Preserving Dreams.

Concerts in the Park

A well-kept secret in the town of Lisbon over the past couple of summers has to be the Lisbon Concerts in the Park series. From the middle of July to the end of August, aspiring bands and musicians take the newly-constructed pavilion behind the Marion T. Morse (MTM) Center to perform some of their melodious creations. These concerts are FREE to the public and typically run from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. Refreshments are provided through various fundraisers and raffle prizes are also available.

There is one problem with this well-kept secret—it shouldn’t be a secret! The Lisbon Credit Union encourages everyone in the area to check out these concerts. Furthermore, we encourage you to invite other family members and friends to also participate. For your reference, here is the remaining list of performers during the 2011 series:

• July 24 – Rick Graham performs local classic rock.
• July 31 – Three Button Deluxe performs rock hits from the 40’s and 50’s. As a bonus, classic cars will be on display.
• August 7 – The Wild Horse Band performs classic country and western.
• August 14 – Bath Municipal Swing Band performs traditional swing.
• August 21 – A Single Thread performs local acoustic alternative rock.
• August 28 – Blues Buzzards with Brass Attack Horns performs rhythm and blues.

The Lisbon Concerts in the Park series is sponsored by the Lisbon Promotions Committee. For announcements and updates, please visit the Facebook page Lisbon Concerts in the Park.

Building Futures. Preserving Dreams.

Membership 101

We firmly believe that consumers around the state of Maine (and nationwide) should consider a credit union as their primary financial institution. The benefits are fantastic! Taking into account that not every Mainer can join the Lisbon Credit Union, we wanted to highlight how our membership process works.

Our Field of Membership is made up of the following towns and cities: Lewiston, Auburn, Durham, Lisbon, Sabattus, Bowdoin, Topsham and Pownal. Any individual that lives, works, worships, does business or goes to school in these communities is eligible to become a Member of Lisbon Community Federal Credit Union. Also, relatives of current Members are welcome to join and enjoy the benefits. If eligible, just open a savings account and deposit $25 and you’re off!

It is important to mention that if you do not qualify for Membership with us, you most likely qualify at another credit union! Take a minute to research the credit unions in your area—it will be worth it! Why choose a credit union? Here are a few quick points courtesy of www.aSmarterChoice.org.



Building Futures. Preserving Dreams.

Lights, Camera, LACO!

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In our opinion, a video may be worth even more! To further explain the services offered by Lisbon Area Christian Outreach (LACO) to our surrounding communities, we have created a video that gives a great overview of the organization in a little less than 4 minutes. Enjoy!



Building Futures. Preserving Dreams.

Moxie…It’s Maine in a bottle

With the Town of Lisbon gearing up for the 40,000 expected attendees for the annual Moxie Festival, it is clear that some out-of-state folks wanted to be a part of the action. Back in March, the Moxie Committee announced the theme of Moxie…it’s Maine in a bottle for 2011. In fact, there were submissions from six other states: California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Jeff Moxcey of Waterville submitted the winning theme. He received a basket full of Moxie items from The Kennebec Fruit Company and a VIP ticket to view the parade from the judging stand on Main Street. He is a product evaluator and song writer who had this to say about his theme. “I thought the theme idea up by thinking how Moxie is a lot like Maine…unique, fresh, crisp, lots of good taste and unlike anything else. To me, Moxie is one of the best beverages. I liked it from the first taste.”

Congratulations Jeff! The 2011 Moxie festival will take place on July 8th, 9th and 10th. For complete festival details, please visit moxiefestival.com.

Building Futures. Preserving Dreams.

Lending Money…Responsibly!

We hope you have heard or seen the phrase Lending Money…Responsibly in some of our marketing materials so we’d like to take a minute and explain what it means.

The mission of the Lisbon Credit Union is to improve the financial well-being of all Members. In fact, our lending philosophy is centered on our ability to lend money responsibly. It is important to recognize that when an application is reviewed, our Loan Officers always have the Member’s financial well-being in mind. It is not in our best interest to approve a Member for loan with a monthly payment they cannot afford. In our experience, lending money responsibly means doing our best to help Members build a secure financial future.

As we lend money responsibly, we also lend money fairly. The Credit Union is proud to offer ALL Members the same rate on loans. When underwriting a loan, we look at the entire picture and no just your credit score. This lending practice truly makes us unique among area competitors.

Building Futures. Preserving Dreams.

Lisbon Area Christian Outreach

During our 52nd Annual Meeting this past Sunday, the Lisbon Credit Union presented a donation to the Lisbon Area Christian Outreach (LACO) as part of our Social Responsibility campaign. In fact, over $6,500 has been donated to the organization on behalf of the Credit Union and its Members within the past two years. We feel it’s time to take this opportunity and explain who LACO is, the services they offer to the community and how we all can support their mission.

LACO has provided valuable assistance to our community members by way of food, clothing, fuel and Christ like compassion. Founded in 1985, several area churches have since collaborated and created a food pantry and clothing bank operated by an executive board of directors. The food pantry is located in the Marion T. Morse Center and available for residents of Lisbon, Durham and Bowdoin who are experiencing financial hardships and lifestyle challenges. However, anyone may visit the clothing bank regardless of where they live. A small group of volunteers from the participating churches have donated countless hours of their own time to keep both the food pantry and clothing bank running at peak efficiency.

According to figures provided by LACO, they served over 510 families and over 7,290 individuals in 2010. This participation was a significant increase from 2009. In fact, with every current month that passes, a new record number of families are being served. Thus, a challenge for LACO is keeping certain types of food on the shelves in the pantry. Feel free to visit their website at www.lacopantry.com to see a list of items in short supply and donate according to your circumstances. Another challenge for LACO is the lack of awareness among the community. The Credit Union encourages community members to discuss the services provided by LACO to family and friends. Plus, there is always a need for volunteers.

Building Futures. Preserving Dreams.

Heard of the Supervisory Committee?

During the week of January 24th, 2011, auditors from the accounting firm Macdonald Page & Company will be at the Credit Union performing an annual audit. The firm was hired by our Supervisory Committee to accomplish multiple objectives: certify the accuracy of our financial statements, conduct a verification of Member accounts, review our adherence to policies, monitor the performance of the Credit Union and evaluate other critical areas of operation.

After mentioning this, we wanted to ask a question. Do you know what the Supervisory Committee does at the Credit Union? Another question: Did you even know that it existed? We figured it may be time to remind or enlighten you about the primary role of the Supervisory Committee. The committee at the Lisbon Credit Union is very active and displays a strong desire to see the organization succeed. The group consists of five Credit Union Members who serve as volunteers without compensation. Each month, they assemble together and review loan files, closed account notices, investments, teller cash totals and other items. Basically, the Supervisory Committee is another set of eyes to help make sure the Credit Union is being managed properly and that Member assets are safe and secure. For a list of committee members, click on this link to our website: https://www.lisboncu.org/About-Us/Volunteers-and-Staff.aspx. If there are any negative issues that arise, they in turn notify the Management Team and the Board of Directors.

We are happy to report that the Lisbon Credit Union’s financial performance is excellent – thanks in part to the Supervisory Committee. We invite all Members to contact the committee if there is a need to surface an issue or to report an unresolved complaint. As always, please feel to contact the Credit Union with any questions or comments.

Building Futures. Preserving Dreams.

Got a Theme for Moxie?

Besides the 16 inches of snow that fell in the town of Lisbon this past Wednesday, we are pleased to offer another reason to look forward to the warm days of July. The 2011 Moxie Festival Committee has recently launched a contest to seek out the theme for the upcoming festival. Do you have a cool idea for a theme? Here’s your chance to share it!

Submitting an idea to the committee is pretty simple. Contestants will be able to access an entry form on the festival’s website and have a choice to mail or email a copy to Debra Wagner. All the detailed information is available on the contest form itself and for convenience purposes, we included the form below. The contestant who submits the winning theme idea will be awarded with a deluxe Moxie-filled basket and a VIP pass to hang out on the parade review stand while the parade’s in progress. This sounds like a great deal just for thinking outside the box! Be aware that the deadline for this contest is rapidly approaching—January 31, 2011.

The 2011 Moxie Festival will take place on July 8-11 and will again feature a three day Pow Wow, fireworks, parade, 5K road race and a river race on the Androscoggin River. For more information, please visit the festival’s website, www.MoxieFestival.com, and stay updated on the progress of this neat contest.

ENTRY FORM

Building Futures. Preserving Dream.