FCCU recognized for service to Hispanic immigrant communities

By Chris Spangler

Fort Community Credit Union has received a national Juntos Avanzamos/Together We Advance designation in recognition of its service to the area’s Hispanic and immigrant communities.

Edgar Hernandez, a manager of CUNA Mutual Group in Madison, presented a proclamation from Inclusiv to FCCU and its branches during the Fort Fall Fiesta sponsored by the Unity Project of Fort Atkinson at Jones Park Saturday.

Inclusiv is a national association committed to serving and empowering low- and moderate-income members of the Hispanic and immigrant communities by providing safe, affordable and relevant financial services. Its Juntos Avanzamos /Together We Advance designation indicates that FCCU is committed to that mission, as well.

Juntos Avanzamos-proclaimed credit unions employ bilingual, culturally-competent staff and leadership, accept alternative forms of identification and treat all of members with respect, regardless of immigration status.

“I’m honored to be here on behalf of Inclusiv,” Hernandez said, speaking in both English and Spanish. 

“In the United States, there’s about 5,000 credit unions, and out of those 5,000, only about a fourth offer Spanish services,” he said. “And out of those, close to 1,500, only 100 are part of the Juntos Avanzamos program.”

He said that the designation is a testament that Fort Community Credit Union is investing in the Spanish community. 

FCCU’s team “has demonstrated that as an industry, we can do well by doing good,” Hernandez said. “Thank you for your leadership in opening the doors of opportunity for your community.”

FCCU President and CEO Sue Johnson thanked Hernandez and said that receiving the Juntos Avanzamos designation is special to FCCU for two main reasons.

“First, we are incredibly honored to be recognized by an organization like Inclusiv, who works incredibly hard to close gaps and remove barriers to financial opportunities for people living in underserved communities across the nation,” she said. “Second, this designation confirms to us that FCCU is heading in the right direction as a strong and genuine ally to everyone in our diverse communities.”

Johnson added, “Everything we do — every decision, every product and service offering, every financial literacy resource — everything, is to better live out our mission of ‘helping every member be in a better financial position than before we met them.’”

She noted that FCCU has several bilingual team members dedicated to serving the Hispanic and immigrant communities. The credit union accepts alternate forms of ID to open accounts and has offered ITIN loans for many years.

In addition, she announced that FCCU now offers ITIN mortgages.

An ITIN, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, is a tax-processing number only available for certain nonresident and resident aliens, their spouses, and dependents who cannot get a Social Security Number. 

“We are excited to work with Inclusiv to bring more services to our Hispanic and Immigrant members and communities,” Johnson said.

Also thanking Hernadez was Dianne Butt, chair of the FCCU Board or Directors.

“On behalf of the FCCU Board of Directors, I want to thank you for the honor of being named a Juntos Avanzamos-designated financial institution,” she said. “We look forward to working with Juntos Avanzamos to continue helping our Hispanic and immigrant members to be in a better financial position.”

Welcoming guests and introducing speakers were Whitney Townsend, Southside Branch manager and mortgage loan officer at Fort Community Credit Union, and Yolanda Ramirez, Jefferson branch manager and mortgage loan officer, who translated remarks into Spanish.

“Today, we are here to celebrate FCCU’s Juntos Avanzamos, or “Together We Advance,” designation from the nation’s leading financial inclusion advocate, Inclusiv,” Townsend said.

“Throughout my three years at FCCU, I have seen firsthand the conscious and continued effort made by everyone on team FCCU to find ways to best serve our Hispanic and immigrant communities,” she added.

Also offering brief remarks in Spanish was Juan Villegas, a member of FCCU who thanked FCCU, who noted that in general, it is difficult for an immigrant to get a mortgage.

He said he struggled for many years in hopes of buying a house. Finally last year, he met with Townsend and was able to acquire a mortgage through FCCU to purchase a home for himself and his family.

Villegas thanked FCCU for helping make his dream come true.

FCCU joins a Juntos Avanzamos credit union network that includes 112 credit unions in 27 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.