LANSING, Mich. — Many Michigan consumers working directly and indirectly for the federal government have been financially affected by the recent shutdown, often unsure of when their paychecks will resume.
At least 25 Michigan credit unions have reported to the Michigan Credit Union League (MCUL) that they are offering assistance, whether it’s formal relief programs or a case-by-case basis, to members and non-members alike who are at a financial disadvantage due to the government shutdown.
“As not-for-profit cooperatives, credit unions serve their members and communities through good times and bad and especially when a crisis hits,” said MCUL President and CEO Dave Adams. “Michigan’s credit unions are joining with many nationally to step up for their members affected by this unfortunate government shutdown.”
- The following is a list of the products and services many Michigan credit unions are offering their community:
- Interest-only payments on existing loans
- No-interest loans (often for up to 12 months)
- Payment delays such as no-cost “skip a pay” on loans
- Waived-penalty Certificate of Deposit access
- Fee waivers on checking account overdraft fees
- Budgeting assistance
- Referrals to community assistance programs
“Several members have expressed how important our programs are to keep food on the table as they start missing paychecks even though many of them continue to work,” said People Driven Credit Union VP of Marketing Dave Sullivan, speaking to the immediate response they heard upon announcing their assistance offerings.
Some credit unions, such as HarborLight Credit Union and Forest Area Federal Credit Union, didn’t implement formal products, but made it a priority to aid all federal employees in need, making sure their members know there is help available wherever necessary.
Others, like Awakon Federal Credit Union and Calcite Credit Union, are supplementing their financial assistance programs with a fundraiser called “Dressdown for the Shutdown,” wherein staff donate $5 to dress casually, and additional donations are accepted from community members.
“Even though we are in a rural area we do have members that work for the United States Department of Agriculture or the United States Coast Guard that have inquired about this option to help them through this difficult time,” said Safe Harbor Credit Union President and CEO Adam P. Johnson. “So, it’s obviously not just affecting the large cities, this government shutdown is affecting people all over the country which is why we felt we needed to step up and offer something to our members.”
Here is a list of credit unions who have announced assistance offerings:
- American 1 Credit Union
- Awakon Federal Credit Union
- Calcite Credit Union
- Community Choice Credit Union
- Community Financial Credit Union
- CP Federal Credit Union
- ELGA Credit Union
- Filer Credit Union
- First United Credit Union
- Forest Area Federal Credit Union
- Frankenmuth Credit Union
- FreeStar Financial Credit Union
- HarborLight Credit Union
- Honor Credit Union
- Isabella Community Credit Union
- LAFCU
- My Personal Credit Union
- Northland Area Federal Credit Union
- Public Service Credit Union
- Safe Harbor Credit Union
- Shore to Shore Community Financial Credit Union
- Soo Co-Op Credit Union
- TBA Credit Union
- One Detroit Credit Union
