The author of this blog qualified for an auto loan after working with Andrea Heller, our Money Sense Manager, to tackle bill paying and face down a creditor. I am a single mother and an educator. My child has complicated health and educational needs. We have moved many times in the past two decades, and […]
News
What do you think about financial counseling?
I started financial counseling during the foreclosure crisis in 2008. A decade ago many of my clients felt isolated by their financial struggles. It was challenging for adults who struggled with their finance to find professional assistance, and the area of personal finance appeared to be an exclusive world. Today, I hear more people speaking […]
Simple 5 Loan – Get a quick loan to help out this holiday season
The weather has gotten cooler, and we’ve taken out our winter clothing. The holiday season is coming up, and so is the snow. At Opportunities Credit Union (OCU) we’re working hard to wrap up 2020, and we continue to innovate ways to best serve our customers. This time of year can be difficult for […]
Making Room for Greater Racial Justice in Vermont Loan Underwriting
Is the financial system in Vermont inherently racist? The death of George Floyd and the acceleration of the Black Lives Matter movement have inspired financial institutions to examine their underwriting standards in order to identify where their internal rules may unwittingly exacerbate racism. Cries for more just underwriting standards are being met by banks and […]
Credit Unions helping Credit Unions
Just recently posted to CreditUnions.com, Opportunities Credit Union’s president and CEO Kate Laud talks about the close relationship that Opportunities has with VSECU. From the article: According to Laud, VSECU and Opportunities will continue exploring opportunities to partner in other areas, such as compliance and operations. “We might have an opportunity to collaborate in ways […]
Community Declaration of Racism as a Public Health Emergency
Opportunities Credit Union will sign the community declaration of racism as a public health emergency today. Along with more than 30 other Chittenden County organizations we acknowledge the structural racism that is now exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic with, “Black and Latino people in the U.S. have been nearly three times as likely as white […]
Black Lives Matter
Opportunities Credit Union stands in solidarity with Black communities. We support ending systemic racism and police violence. We have never questioned that Black Lives Matter. OCU shares the outrage about the systemic racism plaguing our country. We reaffirm our 30-year commitment to racial justice. As a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI,) serving low-income communities is […]
Covid-19 Update
Effective 3/18/2020, due to the current health concerns related to COVID-19, Opportunities Credit Union’s Winooski Branch will be closed to the public. Transactions needing to be processed by Member Service staff can either be placed in our night drop at the Winooski Branch or processed at the Burlington Branch located at 92 North Avenue, Burlington, […]
President and CEO Kate Laud
On January 2, 2020 Katharine Laud will be the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Opportunities Credit Union. Laud comes to credit union with a background in banking and non-profit finance. Most recently, she was Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration at the UVM Foundation. Kate also serves as Vice-Chair of theboard of the […]
Hiawatha Elementary School Donation
Last week we presented the winner of the fundraising raffle. Congratulations to Hiawatha Elementary School! The money was raised earlier this year by the Opportunities Credit Union golf tournament, and the @Vermont Lake Monsters. Thank you to everyone that participated, and congratulations to Hiawatha Elementary School.
