Office Closings Due to Weather

The credit union has altered office hours in recent weeks due to inclement weather conditions in the Tennessee Valley. I thought that it might help members to understand the process on how and why we change our business hours in relation to weather conditions.

To begin with, safety of our employees is the primary determining factor in adjusting our operating hours due to weather. Employees are required to be here so they cannot leave on their own whenever weather conditions deteriorate. It is the responsibility of credit union management to estimate future travel conditions and to place employees on the road at a time when they will be safe. Emergency management resources, local radar, and weather media all play a part in trying to determine current and future weather conditions.

If we do have to close early or open later, the objective is to make this determination with several hours of notification being available to the membership. All three major television networks in this area (ABC, CBS, and NBC) are contacted as soon as possible to report any change in our operating hours. Our credit union home page is updated with the weather closing information being prominently displayed at the top of the page. Home banking users also receive a broadcast message upon signing in about any closings. Our Facebook page is updated to report weather closing information. The credit union is in the process of establishing a Twitter account and this would be another excellent means of communicating weather closing events.

Contrary to popular belief we do not follow the weather closing schedules of school systems in the area. Schools have built in weather days in their calendars. The credit union does not.

If inclement weather is possible in the area, either call the credit union or visit the credit union's home page for potential weather closing information. The television web sites can also be visited for their list of business closings/delays. (Visiting their web sites is much faster than waiting for closings/delays to scroll across the television screen.)

Weather closings and delays do occur at times. This is another reason why VISA Debit Cards and direct deposit are such great services as they provide account access whether our offices are open or not.

54th Annual Membership Meeting

Our 54th Annual Membership Meeting will be held on Monday, February 8th at the Holiday Inn-Research Park in Huntsville, Alabama. This is the Holiday Inn in front of Madison Square Mall. The meeting will begin at 5:00 PM with complimentary refreshments. The business session of the meeting will start at 5:30 PM.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Our offices will be closing at 4:00 PM on this date so that our employees and members can participate in the annual meeting.

At the conclusion of the business session, a drawing will be held among those members in attendance for total cash prizes of $2,150. This amount includes a Grand Prize amount of $500 to be given away as the last prize! Winning that $500 will be a nice evening for someone.

We encourage members to attend the meeting. As members, this is your credit union. Information on the credit union this past year and moving forward will be shared to help provide a good overview of North Alabama Educators Credit Union and the industry as a whole.

Phishing Attacks Increase Nearly 600% in 2009

Criminal phishing (email), smishing (text messaging), and vishing (telephone) attacks increased nearly 600 percent in 2009 according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group. Unsuspecting credit union members continue to respond to fraudsters who contact them through these various methods to obtain their personal and financial information. These scams are well-designed to mimic legitimate organizations (including credit unions), so it's often too late when members realize that they have been swindled.

The following are examples of phishing requests mimicking credit unions:

"Your account has been temporarily suspended because of a security breach at your credit union. Please contact our security department to reactivate your account."

"Your credit card was suspended. Our customer service department needs to confirm your information to reinstate your card."

"Your loan is delinquent. Payment is needed immediately (over the phone)."

"You can receive a reduced interest rate on your loan. We need to confirm your information."

Members should NEVER respond to requests such as these that appear to be from a credit union or other trusted organization, no matter how urgent or persuasive the request. Keep in mind that e-mails and Internet pages created by scammers may look exactly like the legitimate organization. Instead, members should initiate communications using the published customer service number of the organization.

The credit union does have an anti-phishing service available to monitor Internet sites and take down fake websites when they are exposed. If members receive a fraudulent e-mail that has a phished site mimicking North Alabama Educators Credit Union, please contact the credit union immediately so that the phished website can be taken offline.

$1,500 Scholarship from NAECU

North Alabama Educators Credit Union is offering a $1,500 scholarship in 2010. Applications will be available starting January 1, 2010 through April 1, 2010. Applicants must be a 2010 graduating high school senior or equivalent. A primary membership account with NAECU is required prior to the awarding of the scholarship in 2010. Keep in mind that all students in Madison, Morgan, and Limestone counties of Alabama are eligible for membership in North Alabama Educators Credit Union. Relatives of existing members are also eligible for membership.

The application is available online on our home page at http://www.naecu.org/. Applicants can also stop by any NAECU branch office to receive a scholarship application. Good luck to all applicants!

Merry Christmas from NAECU

From the officials, management, and staff of North Alabama Educators Credit Union

- Merry Christmas and best wishes for a safe holiday season.

Oh, You Better Watch Out....

The holiday season is a wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, the holiday season is also a prime time for fraud activity. Member education and awareness is so important during this shopping season as so many individuals face financial difficulties during these economic times.

Below are some Holiday Fraud Prevention Tips to help protect against becoming a fraud victim this holiday season;

Ensure that receipts reflect the correct transaction amount.

When performing a PIN transaction, ensure that others are not watching you to capture your PIN number.

When using a debit card, you may select "Credit", which requires a signature and extends the $0.00 member liability under the VISA/MasterCard association rules.

Review all accounts (checking, savings, credit card) activity daily.

Lower your credit limit on credit cards during the holidays.

When paper checks are converted at a merchant to an ACH electronic draft, store voided checks safely to prevent counterfeit checks or unauthorized ACH transactions.

Be suspicious of emails from unknown parties; don't open the email or click any links within them. Watch for electronic greeting cards from strangers.

Shop online with trustworthy merchants who require security information such as address verification and the CVV2/CVC2 number on the back of your card.

When shopping in person or using an ATM, be aware of your surroundings and report any unusual activities.

Never leave your purse, wallet, or cards unattended. Do not lock your purse in a trunk at a public place, thieves can observe this and quickly break a window and release the trunk lock.

Finally, if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is, so be cautious.

The average fraud victim loses over $900 as a result of a fraud case. No one wants to part with $900 these days so be cautious and safe this holiday season.

Animated Unemployment Map by County

The rising unemployment rates throughout the country are provided in this animated map that tracks the history from January 2007 to October 2009. The results are reported monthly by county throughout the United States.

The visual effect is sobering to say the least. Click HERE or the map above for the link.