Newsletter

$22,500 in Scholarships Granted in 2020!

On July 23, 2020, in a ceremony held online, the Waterbury CT Teachers Federal Credit Union granted a record $22,500 in scholarships to five area students. The ceremony was led by Board of Directors Members; John Fontaine, Gary Huckins, and Lory Park-Knowles. 

The 2020 WCTFCU Scholarships recipients
Claire Demers, a Nonnewaug High School graduate, received The Jean O’Brien Memorial Scholarship. Named for a former Board Member, this 4-year scholarship is granted to an exemplary student who has a declared major in Education, and is planning for a career in teaching. Claire will attend the University of Rhode Island where she will study Aquaculture and Secondary Education. 

The newly established, John F. Cronan Scholarship, recently named for our former Board Chairman, was granted to Britney Barton, a Kennedy High School graduate, who will attend Eastern Connecticut State University as a Business Administration major.

The 2-Year General Scholarship, granted to the most academically outstanding applicant, was given to Allison Davenport, a Litchfield High School graduate, who will attend the University of Connecticut School of Business, Storrs.

The two 1-Year General Scholarships were granted to (alphabetically) 1) Katherine Brown, a Sacred Heart High School graduate who will attend the University of Connecticut, Storrs, and 2) Jordyn Alexis Hunt, a Naugatuck High School graduate who will attend the University of Saint Joseph to study Chemistry.

Renewals. Prior years' recipients of The Jean O’Brien Memorial Scholarship, who confirmed the continuation of their Education Major, received renewals of their 4 year Scholarship.

In 2020 WCTFCU received a record 85 scholarship applications, of which 77 were eligible. The Scholarship Committee, a subcommittee of the Board of Directors, carefully evaluated the anonymously presented applicants’ Application Form, GPA, Transcript, Essay, and Extracurricular Activities Resume, in order to rate each student's submission, and select the recipients. 

Congratulations 2020 Scholarship Recipients!

For descriptions of each Scholarship, and to learn more about the Application Program & Process visit the Scholarships Page on this website.

New Board Chair Announced

McCasland Succeeds Cronan.

 

SPECIAL OFFER! July 1 - October 31

 

$25/$25 Membership Drive!

Refer a new Member... You'll each get $25!

Eligible applicant* must:

1. Open a New Membership
2. Select eStatements

Referral by an existing WCTFCU Member is not required for a qualified new Member to participate in this offer. *A qualified applicant is either paid through the Board of Education or other participating schools in our 27 eligible towns, or is an immediate family member of a current WCTFCU Member.

Offer available 07.01.20 – 10.31.20 to WCTFCU eligible, promotion qualified applicants. For further promotion, eligibility information & details please call Member Service. Applicant provides Referral Slip &/or referring Member’s name at time of application. $25 deposited to each: qualifying new Member’s & referring Member’s Share Account on/by 12.16.20.

New Member Referral Slip 

Click here to print one, for use during our Membership Drive! Your New Member Referral slip must accompany the referred Applicant’s Application.

Questions? Contact Member Service 800.992.2226 

 

2 Special Offers!  

Available July 1 - September 30, 2020

I.   Auto Loans - from 2.49% APR* - Visit the Car Buying Tools page for details.

 

II.  1.99% APR Visa Credit Card - Cardholder Special!  - Visit the Visa Credit Cards page for details. Don't yet have one of our Visa Credit Cards? Visit the Compare our Cards page for details.

* Annual Percentage Rates

Annual Members' Meeting, Thursday, June 25th 10am

Due to the pandemic, the Annual Meeting:

1) Will NOT be held onsite.

2) Will take place as both a conference call available from any telephone, and as a free live-stream video (Zoom meeting) accessible online by computer, tablet or smartphone.

3) Requires Pre-registration , prior to June 24 at noon.

Your Pre-registration will enable meeting access by link & call-in number. These will be emailed to the personal email address of any Member who pre-registers.

Simply click below on the Register Here. This will take you to the secure Zoom Registration page where you will enter your first & last name, and email address - then click the blue Register button. That's it! You will receive a confirmation email from Chris Morin, with the details to use on June 25th a little before 10am.

REGISTER HERE


Agenda to include:
• Board Reports
• Committee Reports
• Members' Q&A with the Board

Please check back here or the WCTFCU COVID-19 Information page on this website for updates re: this meeting.

*Pending resumption of business as usual, following COVID-19 precautions.

WCTFCU Events Cancelled

For the health of our Members, employees and community, the Member BBQ, Shred Hunger! & the Pre-Retirement Workshop have been cancelled, due to COVID-19.

update 06.01.20

Happy Holidays, from your Credit Union Team!

Now you can enjoy all the benefits of your WCTFCU Visa Credit Card & Visa Debit Card, with the convenience of your smartphone's Digital Wallet App (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay*).

Simply add your WCTFCU cards to your Digital Wallet App for quick convenient & secure in-person and in-App purchases wherever you see the Digital Wallet icons.

Here's How:
1. Open or download your Digital Wallet App. Use the App to scan your card(s) or take a photo with your device's camera.

2. Follow the prompts to add & secure your WCTFCU Visa Credit Card & Visa Debit Card to your Wallet.

3. WCTFCU will securely verify your card(s) information. 

4. To use - hold your phone (or Apple Watch) to the card terminal as indicated, and your payment will be processed!

Fast. Convenient. Secure. The new, mobile way to make purchases with your WCTFCU Visa Cards.

Questions? Call us 800.992.2226

*Available on participating smartphone models, through most major carriers.

 

EXTENDED!  SPECIAL OFFER! July 1 - December 31

 

$25/$25 Membership Drive!

Refer a new Member... You'll each get $25!

Eligible applicant* must:

1. Open a New Membership
2. Select eStatements

Referral by an existing WCTFCU Member is not required for a qualified new Member to participate in this offer. *A qualified applicant is either paid through the Board of Education or other participating schools in our 27 eligible towns, or is an immediate family member of a current WCTFCU Member.

Offer available 07.01.19 – 12.31.19 to WCTFCU eligible, promotion qualified applicants. For further promotion, eligibility information & details please call Member Service. Applicant provides Referral Slip &/or referring Member’s name at time of application. $25 deposited to each: qualifying new Member’s & referring Member’s Share Account on/by 01.31.20.

New Member Referral Slip 

Click here to print one, for use during our Membership Drive! Your New Member Referral slip must accompany the referred Applicant’s Application.

Questions? Contact Member Service 800.992.2226

Trusted Partner in Your Financial Success, for life.

 

Fall News!

2 FREE, New Services for WCTFCU Members


Credit Score, Report & Alerts - Available 24/7!

(09.04.19)  Now, WCTFCU online banking users have free, unlimited, 24/7 on-demand access to their current credit score, credit report; and the ability to set up credit monitoring alerts! ...Any time, from anywhere! Click HERE to learn more!

Carvana - A new way to buy a pre-owned car!

WCTFCU has partnered with Carvana to offer WCTFCU Members a simplified online buying experience for quality pre-owned vehicles. Search Carvana's ever-expanding inventory of thousands of high-quality, pre-owned vehicles. Then buy online, using your WCTFCU Used Car Loan. ...all without having to visit a dealership! For added peace of mind, every Carvana vehicle comes with a 7-day return policy and a 100-day Worry Free Guarantee. Click HERE to learn more about this new WCTFCU Member offering.

2 New ATMs!

(July 2019) Enjoy the speed & ease of use of our 2 new Middlebury ATMs.

Both the drive-through ATM and the walk-up ATM have been replaced with brand new, state-of-the-art models!

Always Free! When you use your WCTFCU Debit Card.

The Danbury Branch ATM will be upgraded later this year.

$16,000 in Scholarships Granted in 2019!

On July 25th, 2019, in a ceremony held at the Middlebury Branch, the Waterbury CT Teachers Federal Credit Union granted $16,000 in scholarships to area students. The ceremony was led by Board Chairman, Jack Cronan, and Board Members, John Fontaine and Gary Huckins. 

The 2019 WCTFCU Scholarships recipients
Ahmee Konishi, a Nonnewaug High School graduate, received The Jean O’Brien Memorial Scholarship. Named for a former Board Member, this 4-year scholarship is granted to an exemplary student who has a declared major in Education, and is planning for a career in teaching. Ahmee will attend Vassar College. 

The 4 general Scholarships were granted to Olivia Davidson and Elizabeth Carrizzo - Brookfield High School graduates, and Olivia Sarasin, a Wolcott High School graduate; all of whom will attend the University of Connecticut, and Diana Ieronimo, a Terryville High School graduate, who will attend Boston College.

Prior years' recipients of The Jean O’Brien Memorial Scholarship, who confirmed the continuation of their Education Major, received renewals of their 4 year Scholarship.

In 2019 WCTFCU received 61 scholarship applications. The Scholarship Committee, a subcommittee of the Board of Directors, carefully evaluated the anonymous Applicants’ Application Form, GPA, Transcript, Essay, and Extracurricular Activities Resume in order to rate each students’ submission, and select the recipients. 

Congratulations 2019 Scholarship Recipients!

Security Apps!

Fraud protection for WCTFCU Visa Debit & Credit Cards.

WCTFCU Members can get an extra level of security to safeguard their WCTFCU Debit & Visa Credit cards from fraud.

To control access, usage & spending on your WCTFCU debit &/or credit cards, simply use our 2 free mobile Apps on your smartphone & tablet.

Each App is unique to the specific card.
- CardValet for your debit card
- SecurLOCK Equip for your credit card

You can decide when, where and how your card is used; set customized alerts and activity limits.

Already using the Debit Card Alerts feature within WCTFCU online banking? For faster Debit Card Alerts, we suggest that you switch to CardValet. 

 Click below to learn more about each App:

• Debit Card App CardValet

• Visa Credit Card App SecurLOCK Equip

Get $15 off TurboTax!

...and optimize your 2018 Tax Return.

WCTFCU Members can get up to $15 off their purchase of intuit TurboTax for Tax Year 2018.

Click here for to take advantage of this offer today!

TurboTax has you covered  TurboTax is up-to-date on the latest tax laws and guarantees 100% accurate calculations, so you can be confident your taxes are done right. 

+ You can snap a photo of your W-2, or import it into TurboTax from over 1 million companies. Either way, you'll save time and get a jump start on your 2018 tax return.

+ Real CPAs review your return With TurboTax Live, you can even talk with a CPA or EA onscreen for aunlimited advice and a final review of your return.

...Just another benefit of WCTFCU Membership!

How To Retrieve 2018 Tax Information

Your 2018 Tax forms (1099’s and 1098’s) are now available. Members can access their forms, and see the amounts that they paid & received on individual accounts, by following these simple steps.

Members that received at least $10, and Members that were paid at least $600, will be able to retrieve their 1099 & 1098's respectively as follows:

• Login to your online banking, click on Accounts widget (on the left-hand side)
• Click on Statements (across the top)
• All available statements and tax forms will show

Members that did not receive at least $10 or were not paid at least $600 will be able to retrieve their tax information as follows: 
    • Login to your online banking. Click on Accounts widget (on left-hand side)
    • Click on a specific savings or loan account 
    • Click on Account Details (to the right and across the top)
    • Scroll down to bottom of the screen to view Interest paid prior YTD

You will also be able to access this information in your estatements.

2018 Mortgage Statement will be mailed to you by our partner, Midwest Loan Services.

2018 IRA Statement will be mailed to you by our partner, ASCENSUS

2018 Student Loan Tax Information 1098-E retrievable on the UAS website, within your Student Loan account.

Questions? Call Member Service for assistance.

Your Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Plan

WCTFCU is switching AD&D insurance providers.

Have you elected to purchase additional Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage through CUNA Mutual?   (Supplemental to the $3,000 already provided through CUNA Mutual at no cost to WCTFCU Members.)

If so, effective December 1, 2018, Minnesota Life Insurance Company is your new carrier for your AD&D coverage. This includes the initial $3,000 provided to you at no cost by WCTFCU, as well as any  supplemental coverage that you choose to purchase.

Premium Payments You may have noticed that your December 2018 monthly AD&D premium was not deducted. This is because you will no longer pay on a monthly basis; you will now pay quarterly. Due to the change in administrator, the December 2018 billing will be delayed to be billed on or around January 14, 2019. Going forward, your premiums will be billed on a quarterly basis, on or around the third business day of March, June, September and December.

There will be no interruption in coverage. Affinion Benefits Group, LLC will be the new Plan Administrator.

You will be receiving a letter shortly from Minnesota Life with detailed information on these changes. 

2018 Scholarships Awarded

2018 WCTFCU Scholarship Recipients (Left to Right) Kayleigh Anne Moses, Alexa Millius, Lauren Stango, John Fontaine Board Member, Missing from the photo is Gaia Mistriel 

Teacher’s Credit Union Grants $14,000 in Scholarships

The Waterbury CT Teachers Federal Credit Union granted $14,000 in scholarships to area students. The Credit Union received 62 scholarship applications this year. The Scholarship Committee, a subcommittee of the Board of Directors, carefully evaluated the anonymous Applicants’ Application Form, GPA, Transcript, Essay, and Extracurricular Activities Resume in order to rate each students’ submission, and select the recipients. 

The WCTFCU Board of Directors is pleased to introduce, the 2018 WCTFCU Scholarships recipients, all of whom graduated with honors. Alexa Millius, a Thomaston High School graduate, received The Jean O’Brien Memorial Scholarship named for a former Board Member, this is a 4-year scholarship granted to a student with a declared major in education and plans for a career in teaching. Alexa will attend Central CT State University.

The 3 WCTFCU general Scholarships were granted to the following 2018  graduates. Kayleigh Anne Moses, a graduate of Southington High School who will attend Trinity College, Gaia Mistriel a Danbury High School graduate who will attend Eastern CT State University, Lauren Stango, a Pomperaug High School graduate, will attend Lafayette College.

Additionally, the 2015, 2016 and 2017 recipients of The Jean O’Brien Memorial Scholarship all received renewals of their 4 year Scholarship.

Congratulations 2018 Scholarship Recipients!

Equifax Breach 

UPDATE 02.2018  Equifax has reported to Sen. Elizabeth Warren and the United States Senate Banking Committee, that hackers in the 2017 breach accessed more of consumers' personal information than the company initially disclosed publicly last year. Stolen records include tax ID numbers*, email addresses and additional driver’s license information (driver’s license issue dates and states) beyond the license numbers it originally disclosed.

The additional stolen data could, for example, make it easier for cyber-criminals to access a victim's 401k, and IRS Taxes - in order to submit a fraudulent tax return. It is unclear how many of the 145.5 million people are affected by the additional data stolen.  Equifax has sent mail notices to consumers whose credit-card numbers and certain other documents were affected. The fact that hackers accessed even more data shows both the vast amount of information that Equifax holds and the risks at stake for consumers given the level of personal information that has been compromised.   

Source: Synopsis of WSJ 02.09.18 Equifax Hack Might Be Worse Than You Think, A Andriotis)

Equifax Incident Involves 145.5MM+ Consumers

Equifax offers free identity theft protection & credit file monitoring to all US Consumers.

9.7.17 Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) today announced a cybersecurity incident potentially impacting approximately 145.5 million U.S. consumers. The information accessed primarily includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers.

Equifax has established a dedicated website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, to help consumers determine if their information has been potentially impacted, and to sign up for free credit file monitoring and identity theft protection (TrustedID Premier) whether or not they have been compromised. The website also provides additional information on steps consumers can take to protect their personal information. In addition to availing the website, Equifax will send direct mail notices to consumers whose credit card numbers or dispute documents with personal identifying information were impacted. 

The complimentary 12 month monitoring offering, called TrustedID Premier, includes 3-Bureau credit monitoring of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion credit reports; copies of Equifax credit reports; the ability to lock and unlock Equifax credit reports; identity theft insurance; and Internet scanning for Social Security numbers – all complimentary to U.S. consumers for one year. Due to the severity of the risk associated with this Breach, there is now discussion that this service may in fact be extended as a free life-time service for all who enroll (update to follow). Consumers must enroll by January 31, 2018 to receive this free 12 month credit protection service. (this date was extended from the original November 2017 date)

How to enroll in TrustedID Premier:
1) Go to https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/  read info provided, FAQs etc.
2) Select ENROLL & read info provided, select BEGIN ENROLLMENT enter your Last Name, and the last 6 digits of your SS# 
3) Activate Service: Within a few weeks, you will receive an email with a link to activate TrustedID Premier. (check your Spam & Junk email folders for this email) When the email arrives, follow the link to verify your email address and complete your enrollment. You will create a password and verify your identity by answering a few brief questions that only you should know. TrustedID Premier will then be active. Keep your password in a safe and secure location.

You may/may not immediately see a notice that your data was/was not compromised. Regardless of whether or not your data was compromised, you are given the option to enroll in the 12 months of free TrustedID Premier service. WCTFCU strongly encourages Members to sign up for this free service. If you do so, you will be shown a date on which you should return to the equifax website to complete your enrollment.

Enrollment period has been extended to Wednesday, January 31, 2018.

Questions? Call Equifax at 866-447-7559, as WCTFCU does not have further information.

Equifax recommends that consumers with additional questions visit www.equifaxsecurity2017.com or contact the dedicated call center at 866-447-7559, which the company set up to assist consumers every day (including weekends) from 7:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m. EST.
Source: www.equifaxsecurity2017.com

 

What else can I do?

Freeze Your Credit Report or Fraud Alerts You can elect to freeze your credit report at all 3 major bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion and Experan. Credit freezes typically cost $3 to $10 per bureau to place and remove. If you decide against a freeze, you should place a fraud alert on your credit reports at all 3 bureaus.

Get your free reports You can get your free credit report from each of the 3 credit bureaus once per calendar year. Do so in order to check for irregularities.

SS# and/or Identity Stolen? File an identity theft police report, and send a copy of it to each of the 3 credit bureaus along with any correspondence you have with the bureaus, the government and businesses.

The Gift of Time!

You will save time when you use these free, time-saving and secure resources:

• Online Banking: Real time, live account info & transactions, accessible on-demand; anywhere, anytime, from your smartphone, computer & tablet
• Account Activity Alerts: for whatever you want to track, such as transactions over a certain amount
• Monthly Estatements: email alerts when your statement is available in online banking
• Automatic Bill-pay: simply select the payee, select the pay-on date(s) & designate amount you'll pay
• Direct Deposit: into checking &/or savings then set transfers into your holiday & vacation club, taxes and other accounts
• WCTFCU App featuring:
• Mobile Check Deposit
  
• Person to Person Pay
• VISA Website: ezcardinfo.com to set alerts, monitor account activity & pay your Visa credit card bill

   

How will you spend your newly found time!?

 

2017 Scholarships Awarded

2017 WCTFCU Scholarship Recipients (Left to Right) John Fontaine Board Member, Shannon Goggin, Damaris Cabrera’s Mother (rep), Heather Brown, John Cronan Chairman WCTFCU Board of Directors, Katelyn Brodeur, Gary Huckins Board Member. 

Teacher’s Credit Union Grants $12,500 in Scholarships

The Waterbury CT Teachers Federal Credit Union granted $12,500 in scholarships to 4 area students The Credit Union received 55 scholarship applications this year. The Scholarship Committee, a subcommittee of the Board of Directors, carefully evaluated the anonymous Applicants’ Application Form, GPA, Transcript, Essay, and Extracurricular Activities to rate each students’ submission, and select the recipients. 

There were some stand-out themes among this year’s scholarship recipients. All started saving for college at a young age, and each wrote of the importance of personal responsibility and hard work.
Furthermore, their personal commitment to hard work within academics, areas of interest, and volunteerism has resulted in a very high level of performance.

The WCTFCU Board of Directors is pleased to introduce, the 2017 WCTFCU Scholarships recipients, all of whom graduated with honors. Katelyn Brodeur, a Naugatuck High School graduate, received The Jean O’Brien Memorial Scholarship a 4-year scholarship granted to a student with a declared major in education and plans for a career in teaching. Katelyn will attend Southern CT State University. The 3 Waterbury CT Teachers Federal Credit Union $1,500 Scholarships were granted to the following 2017 graduates. Damaris Cabrera, a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School. Damaris will attend the University of Connecticut. Heather Brown, a graduate of Sacred Heart High School, will attend the University of Connecticut. Shannon Goggin, a graduate of Nonnewaug High School will attend Texas A&M University. 

Great Rate CDs!

New term lengths & New earned interest rates!

New ways to save! A Share Certificate is a Credit Union’s version of a ‘CD or Certificate of Deposit’. Our newly expanded offering includes competitive rates on existing Share Certificates, and new term-lengths of 24, 36 & 48 months.

A smart, secure way to save. Now with more choices of term lengths & improved earned interest rates!

For more details on share certificates click here!

Gifts that keep on giving, 24/7!

3 secure, digital resources for our Members! Convenient, easy to use tools. Improving you 24/7 Member Experience.

Our Website

Simplified. Intuitive. Member-friendly. Comparative loan resources, rates, calculators, AutoSMART^® car research & buying tool, videos & more!

Online Banking

Secure. State of the Art. Easy to Use. Customizable accounts dashboard, person to person pay, budgeting & savings goals tools & more!

WCTFCU App with P2P & Mobile Check Deposit

Whenever & Wherever! Mobile deposit, transfer funds, view transactions, person-to-person payment, check accounts & more!

Free VISA Credit Card Activity Alerts. Opt-in now!

• track specified card activity (ex. charges, payments, etc.)
• track your spending habits (ex. charges over a set $ amount)
• monitor your account for fraudulent activity (unfamiliar charges)