NorCalUrban

CUs NATIONWIDE COME TOGETHER TO OPEN CU BRANCH IN UNDERSERVED AREA OF EAST PALO ALTO Branch Is First Credit Union in Area Currently Served By One Community Bank, Several Check-Cashing and Payday Lending Establishments March 21, 2008 From coast to coast, several credit unions have banded together to help Community Trust Credit Union in Modesto, CA open up a branch in East Palo Alto. The community of more than 40,000 residents, mostly low-income and Latino, is currently served by one small community bank as well as a number of check-cashing and payday lending establishments. Many banks left the 2.5-square-mile city in the 1980s. On March 15, Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto held its grand opening celebration with more than 150 members, community and credit unions leaders, residents, and legislative officials in attendance. Palo Alto, CA-based Stanford Federal Credit Union and Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union, and San Francisco-based Patelco Federal Credit Union joined u...

Dear NCUD Friends, Recap of Grand Opening Last Saturday we had a wonderful grand opening celebration. Many leaders, well wishers and friends from the East Palo Alto (EPA) and surrounding community attended. This included State Assemblyman Ira Ruskin, East Palo Alto Mayor Pat Foster, City Council members David Woods, Ruben Abrica and Pete Evans, members of the national, regional and local credit union community and church leaders from EPA and surrounding communities. We also had a special presentation of a flag that was flown over the Capitol in Washington D.C. from Congresswoman Anna Eshoo given to us by State Congressman Ira Ruskin. This was a wonderful, joyous celebration where we culminated over 3/1/2 years of work, planning, praying and organizing. I know many of our friends were able to stop by, thank you for celebrating with us. I will shortly post pictures of the event on our website at www.norcaludc.org. I have also attached an article that was in the Palo Alto Daily News las...

Here's a recent article about the credit union project. Our grand opening was yesterday - more updates to come... First credit union shows signs of success Plan aims at low-interest loans for East Palo Alto By Banks Albach / Daily News Staff Writer John Liotti has a vision for East Palo Alto, and it involves low-interest loans. With the support and help of several community members, Liotti last December launched Community Trust Credit Union, the city's first credit union. He's hoping that a combination of cheaper car loans and mortgages, eventual small business financing and an alternative to the expensive check cashing outlets in the city will help locals save and succeed financially. Liotti said the credit union can offer members car loans 5 to 10 percent lower than banks. The credit union will celebrate its grand opening today. "This community has been amazingly under-banked," Liotti said inside his credit union office on Bay Road. "Our goal is to move pe...

OK - so it's small. Here's the details: Community Trust Credit Union Grand Opening Celebration Saturday March 15th 12:00 to 2:30 Ribbon Cutting at 1:00 PM Please come and join us!

After a much needed hiatus, I'm back! What a whirlwind 2007 was. Here's a few updates from my life and work..  Credit Union: As previously mentioned in this blog, we opened for business on 12/19. Since we had a soft opening, we haven't done any real promotion in the community. Even so, we've been successful in opening new accounts, just based on word of mouth. It's been exciting to see friends and community members coming in to start accounts or stop by to give their greetings and blessings. CU Supervisor Maria Chavez is doing a great job. We're proud of her.  The top photo is of NCUD co-founder Marc Prioleau and I behind the teller line at the new branch. Below is the 'famous' Maria!  Sam's Back: Finally! Samuel always heads to the Central Valley during his breaks. He loves hanging out over there. Essentially, he hangs with his grandmother, Uncle Fabian and Aunt Alicia and his cousins Jose and Nevaeh. Over there he's a prince, eating, playing vi...

Article found  at EPA.net. Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto Is Open For Business Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto opened its doors for business on Wednesday, December 19, 2007. After three years of planning, much hard work, and unwavering faith, the dream of a mainstream financial institution owned and governed by the residents of East Palo Alto is a reality. Why is this important? Because the people of East Palo Alto and surrounding communities will now have easy access to high quality, low-cost financial services to take care of their everyday needs and a way to build assets for the future. Community Trust Credit Union (CTCU) is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution that has been established since 1961. Under the leadership of President and CEO Joe Duran, CTCU has become one of the most respected community development credit unions in the country largely because of its mission “to provide excellent personal service” to all of its mem...

Thanksgiving seemed to come quickly this year. I've been so involved with the credit union construction project and focused on opening day I haven't had much time to think about the holidays. Now that it's here, I'm glad to slow down and reflect. While the drywall finishers wanted to work on Friday, I decided to take the time off. With all that's going on, the early mornings and late nights, I'm feeling spent and relish some time off and away. We're headed to the Modesto area to spend the holiday with Melissa's family. Melissa's brother Fabian is hosting the meal at his home. We'll hang out with he and his family for the weekend, returning home Saturday or Sunday. Samuel, as always is excited to see his family. Sometimes I swear that he'll move over there as soon as he can. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. While consumerism is beginning to creep in (I've been heard it called 'gray Thursday, the day before the big shop...

Dear NCUD Friends, As I write this letter I'm brimming with excitement and thankfulness. Our journey began three years ago with a seemingly random conversation with NCUD co-founder Marc Prioleau regarding poverty, justice, opportunities and economic development in East Palo Alto. That conversation planted a seed of faith that now, after much planning, praying, crying, countless meetings and much perseverance, has blossomed into two very significant milestones: the opening of Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto this December and the kicking off of our youth financial literacy initiative! Credit Union Update Earlier this month we received our final building permits from the City, paving the way to a projected opening in mid-December. I can now say that East Palo Alto, for the first time in history, will have it's own community focused financial institution - by the people and for the people! Finally there is a safe alternative to predatory lenders and check cashers. T...

COMMUNITY TRUST CREDIT UNION of East Palo Alto POSITION TITLE: Financial/Member Service Representative (PT) SALARY: $12.00- 15.00/ Hr (DOE) We are looking for a friendly, energetic, dedicated individual for our East Palo Alto Branch. We train in all aspects of our front line operations. If you are anxious to be part of a team that values team work and excellent member service, Community Trust Credit Union is the place for you. JOB SUMMARY: Responsible for performing a broad variety of paying and receiving functions, including processing deposits, withdrawals, loan payments, cashiers’ checks, money orders, and cash advances. As well as a broad variety of member services such as opening accounts, renewing certificate accounts and assisting members with bookkeeping and checking account matters. Candidates that meet the following requirements are encouraged to apply for this position IMMEDIATELY. This is a part-time position. To apply for this position, please email your resume and cover l...

So, it's been an exciting couple of weeks. Last Friday was our annual golf tournament supporting NCUD's efforts. We had an amazing event, doubling the revenue from the previous year. If you've not had the chance to play Poppy Ridge Golf Course you really should! Better yet, mark your calendar for July 18th, 2008, the date of next year's tournament! Thanks to all our sponsors, golfers and especially our golf committee this was a fabulous event. Last Wednesday we reached an important milestone. As the press release I posted last week suggested, we had a signing ceremony where the four credit unions who have come together to make Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto a reality. In the picture are the CEO's of Addison Avenue Credit Union, Patelco Credit Union, Stanford Federal Credit Union and Community Trust Credit Union (Modesto). Now once we receive our permits from the city of East Palo Alto we can begin building out the building and push toward opening ...

Played golf with my normal crew this morning at Palo Alto Muni. My Friday morning partners are a bunch of retired guys and a couple of pastors who have welcomed me into their normal group. It's good to be the youngest! They really are a great group of men. I feel honored to be with them One man is 82 years old and is still walking 18 holes! I can't complain about my sore feet when I'm with them. I shot a horrible 53 on the front nine then parred 4 holes in a row to shoot 43 on the back ending with a score of 96. Not great, but getting better! My handicap is now 24.3, down from around plus 30 6 months ago. The Yankees are in town this weekend playing the Giants. I like both teams, but I'm a Yankee fan at heart. The Giants are my National League team. It's the first time the Yankees have played in San Francisco. I couldn't get tickets - but I'm watching it on TV. This week is our yearly Church of God in Christ California Northwest Holy Convocation. This year...