Siren. Get financially fit in 2013! the. We want to help you trim all that holiday weight, but mostly from your high interest rate credit cards.

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1 WINTER 2012 the Official Publication of Houston Texas Fire Fighters Federal Credit Union Inside this issue the Siren Scholarships The credit union is now accepting scholarship applications - apply online today! Page 2 Join the Sup. comm Consider joining the Supervisory Committee and help the credit union move forward! Page Club Changes New changes have been implemented to our 258 Club - read more. Page 4 NSF Notices We will be discontinuing the mailing of NSF notices. Page 5 ezcardinfo New security upgrades on ezcardinfo! Page 6 Get financially fit in 2013! We want to help you trim all that holiday weight, but mostly from your high interest rate credit cards. So the holidays are over. And you may have racked up more money on those high interest credit cards than you may have wanted. It happens to the best of us. Let us help. We re offering a competitive promotional interest rate of 2.9%* APR for 12 months for balance transfers and new purchases posted to your account January 2, 2013 to February 28, 2013**. Transfer your high interest credit card balances to your HTFFFCU Visa or MasterCard to take advantage of this great offer. Get financially fit! Fill out an application today! Contact the credit union for promotional details at (713) *Refer to the enclosed credit card disclosure included on a separate insert in your statement. **PLAN AHEAD: Transactions may take up to 5 days to post. Transactions that post to your account after 2/28/13 will not get the 2.9% rate, even though you may have authorized the transaction before that date. EQUAL HOUSING LENDER Federally insured by NCUA Credit Union Closures New Years Day Tuesday, January 1 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, January 21 Credit Union EVENTS Valentine s Day Bake Sale benefiting local children s charities February 8 Mother s Day Basket Raffle benefiting local children s charities April 10 - May 8

2 2 Capt. Mac Says... Carelessness Can Cost You Many Americans are concerned about someone stealing their credit card, check, or debit card numbers, but they may be ignoring one easy way thieves can access financial accounts: receipts. Disregarding receipts that have valuable information greatly increases the risk of credit and debit card fraud. Some easy steps you can take to prevent thieves from stealing your financial information: * Shred all preapproved credit offers, credit and debit card receipts, insurance forms, financial statements, and other paperwork containing personal and financial information; * Check credit union statements and other financial statements monthly for discrepancies and order a credit report once a year to make sure no one else is using your personal information to obtain credit cards or services; * Don t print your Social Security number on your checks and don t carry your Social Security card in your wallet. Now accepting applications for Credit Union Scholarships! In keeping our commitment to our members, HTFFFCU every year gives back by offering scholarships to our member owners. This year s $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to graduating high school students, current college students and those starting their college careers. The scholarships will be awarded to individuals based on academic achievement, character, leadership, community involvement and an essay. The application deadline is March 8, 2013 and interviews for the finalists will be on Saturday, May 18, To obtain a complete list of details and the scholarship application, download an application from our website at htfffcu.org or call the credit union at Return the completed application to Julirey Velasquez at HTFFFCU, P.O. Box 70009, Houston, TX Don t get caught short this tax season With the April 15th tax deadline quickly approaching, many Americans are stressed about getting their taxes filed and paying any tax balance due. Beginning on March 1 through April 15 we will offer an Income Tax Loan for as low as 9.9% APR. You may qualify for: Up to $2,500 With a Term of up to 24 months And a fixed rate of 9.9% APR For more details, please contact the credit union. APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Some restrictions apply CU Online Scheduled Maintenance! CU Online will undergo upgrades on January 4, More information will be released soon.

3 Join your Credit Union s Supervisory Committee Houston Texas Fire Fighters FCU needs you. The Supervisory Committee is made up of qualified, volunteer credit union members. It s a great way to take a leadership role at your credit union. Prospective applicants should be familiar with accounting and auditing principles and be willing to commit time and effort to the committee s activities. Experience in accounting or auditing is preferred in this position. The Board of Directors reviews all candidates and appoints members to the Supervisory Committee. As an applicant for Supervisory Committee you: Must be willing to volunteer time to the credit union; Must be a member in good standing who is at least 21 years of age; Must be bondable by the Credit Union s fidelity bond company; Cannot be a Houston Texas Fire Fighters Federal Credit Union employee; and Cannot be related to any credit union employee. If you would like to be considered for appointment to a 3-year term to the Supervisory Committee, please log on to htfffcu.org to download an application or your request to hr@htfffcu.org. Some travel may be required for training purposes. Applications must be received by February 6, If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Julirey Velasquez at Income Tax Refund Check Endorsements Income tax season is here! Please remember there are procedures at the credit union when cashing or depositing your tax refund checks. Just a few reminders on how to properly endorse your IRS tax refund check. All checks must be signed by all payees. For Deposit Only will not be accepted unless it is accompanied by all payee signatures. If the check is payable to more than one individual, it must be deposited into a joint account with both payees as signers. If a joint account is not set up, then both parties must be present to cash or deposit the check (please contact the credit union for further instructions on this type of transaction). Both individuals must sign the receipt for the cash. A valid driver s license or state issued ID must be presented at the time of the transaction. Following these procedures is very important because the federal government has up to 7 years to reclaim the funds if they discover that the payees did not have proper access to the funds being cashed or deposited. These procedures should also be followed if you mail in deposits or use the night deposit at the credit union. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Robin Boehm or Paloma Diaz at the Main Office at (713)

4 It s on the house...check out our Home Equity Loan! Struggling under the weight of heavy expenditures, like home improvement projects, medical bills, tuition, or even a family wedding? A home equity loan may be just the financial muscle you need. If you own your home free and clear, a home equity loan can give you up to 80% of the equity in your home. Since your house secures the loan, the interest rate is much lower than what you d pay on a credit card or personal loan. And the rate is even more competitive at your credit union than other financial institutions just a 3.5% interest rate (3.55% APR*) for a 10 year lump-sum loan or a 3.875% interest rate (3.91% APR*) for a 15 year term. Here s what makes our home equity loan such a smart way to pay off your big expenses: The potential for tax-deductible interest (consult a tax adviser) Low interest rates Personal service to help you match your goals with your budget Why look elsewhere when your credit union membership can get you the money you need, for less? Call us today at and exercise your right to lower borrowing rates. *APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Annual Percentage Rate assumes a $90,000 loan with $200 document prep fees & $14 flood cert. In order to be eligible for the low rates, you must have a FICO 08 credit score of 660 or better and a debt ratio of no more than 40%. Credit Union must be in 1st lien position. At least $10,000 of the loan amount must be new money to the credit union. Some restrictions apply. Changes to the 258 Club Program Effective March 1, 2013, there will be various changes to our current 258 Club program. The following changes will take effect starting March 1, 2013 for all members enrolled in the 258 Club Program: Maximum of 5 free check copies per month. Maximum of 5 free cashier s checks per month. Maximum of 5 free stop payments per month. The 258 Club is not to be used with a business account or for business related activities. What is the 258 Club? Upon turning 55 years of age, members are automatically enrolled into the 258 Club, a program tailored specifically for 55+ members. There is no charge to become a part of the program; upon turning 55, members will receive a birthday card letting them know that they have been automatically enrolled into the club along with a list of benefits just for being part of the club. To learn more about the club, please visit our website at Go to the Products and Services tab and select CU Clubs. 4

5 5 discontinuing nsf notice letters through the mail Effective March 1, 2013, you will no longer receive NSF notices through the mail if your account has become overdrawn or negative. However, there are faster ways of being notified of your account. If you are signed up for CU Online, you can set up for Account Alerts. Account Alerts notify you of various different transactional activity on your checking, savings, term share certificate or loan accounts. For example, you can set up an alert on your checking account to let you know when you re below a certain balance. And you can choose to send the alert to you via , secure message or through a text message. It s easy to set up. Simply log on to CU Online. Hover you mouse over the Accounts tab and select Account Alerts. From there you can set up alerts - even notifications such as when your wedding anniversary is. Pretty cool, huh? Join us for our 78th Annual Meeting for HTFFFCU HTFFFCU invites you to attend our--your--annual meeting on March 26 and 27, Why? Because all members are equal owners of the credit union, whether their deposits amount to $50 or $500,000. The HTFFFCU Annual Meeting will be held Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at the S.P.J.S.T. Lodge on 1435 Beall St. Dinner will be served both nights from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm. The business meeting will be held on the first night of the annual meeting at 7:00 pm. No take out plates will be available. Just as a reminder: Each attendee will be checked against an account listing to ensure that they are a member of the credit union. A member is defined as an individual who is the primary owner on an account. A joint member will be considered a guest. Each member will be limited to bringing one guest but may bring as many children as are in their immediate family (children age 0-12). Only the members, guests and the children will receive a door prize ticket. If you have any questions regarding these procedures, please do not hesitate to contact the credit union at (713) or online at htfffcu.org. See you at the Annual Meeting! Property Tax Loans Available Property Taxes are expensive and can catch property owners by surprise. A Property Tax Loan is a very good way to avoid foreclosure and extended debt from penalties and interest on delinquent property tax. If you do not have an escrow account or if taxes have gone up and your escrow won t cover what is due, our Property Tax Loan may be just what you need. Contact the credit union for rates and loan details. Some restrictions apply.

6 Just for 258 Club Members! Skip Probate With POD Accounts Take one simple step to keep at least part of your estate from being processed through probate court. Fill out a payableon-death (POD) form for HTFFFCU accounts. When you die, the money from those accounts goes right to the person you named. Probate can drag on for months or years, and the process can eat away 5% or more of an estate s value. Residents of most states can fill out similar transfer-ondeath documents for stocks, bonds, and mutual funds that are not in retirement accounts. Log on to for more information on how to get your estate plan in order. For more information on how your accounts are currently set up, contact a Member Service Rep at (713) ezcardinfo will implement new security enhancements Attention HTFFFCU MasterCard and Visa credit card holders: The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) issued a supplement to an industry-wide guidance intended to help make online banking activities more secure. Because ezcardinfo remains committed to security, they are adding layers of security to its site. Upon login, you will soon be required to register your device and select a new Security Image. You will also be prompted to select and answer four (4) Security Questions. If unusual or risky activity is detected in future sessions, these questions will be used to verify your identity. When challenged with a security question, the answer must match precisely according to the answer provided initially. This registration is only if you log in through com. If you access ezcardinfo through CU Online, you may not see the registration screen. If you have any questions concerning these new security enhancements, please contact the credit union at (713) You have access to your account information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through CU Online at or by calling PATT at (713) If you need assistance with a lost or stolen Debit MasterCard, call (800) If you need assistance with a lost or stolen MasterCard or VISA, call (800) immediately. Credit Union Locations and Hours Main Office 4200 Kolb St. Houston, Texas Tel: (713) Tel: (800) Fax: (713) North Branch Heathrow Forest Pkwy Houston, Texas Fax: (281) South Branch 3030 Cullen Pkwy Ste 111 Pearland, Texas Fax: (281) Lobby Hours M-W,F 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thurs 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sat 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Drive Thru Hours M-F 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sat 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Lobby Hours M-W,F 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thurs 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sat Closed Drive Thru Hours M-F 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sat Closed Lobby Hours M-W,F 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thurs 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sat Closed HTFFFCU Mailing Address P.O. Box Houston, TX