By: Lauren

Lauren @ 1:27 pm

Below, please find the winners for the June E-Statement giveaway contest. Check back soon for more winners.

Grand Prize - 32″ LCD TV
Karen Bates

2nd Prize - $100 Best Buy Gift Card
Aaron Johnson

$50 Gas Card Winners

Dennis Gordon

Stephanie Webb

Edith C. Buckley

James A. Knox Jr.

Priscilla Clyburn

R’Kla Taylor

Rita J. Taylor

Vanessa L. Nelson

Liny Patricia Crawford

Larry D. Hudson

Latonya Hewitt

Kaduma Robeson Karanji

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By: Lauren

Lauren @ 4:13 pm

Michigan First Credit Union Continues Leadership with High-Tech ATMs and Member Services Years Ahead of Banks Breaking into Market with ‘New’ Introductions

Michigan First Installs No Fee High-Speed Coin Counters for Members;MoneyWorks(R) ATMs Accept Coins and Cash Checks to the Penny

LATHRUP VILLAGE, Mich., May 30, 2008 – ATMs that can accept coins, paper currency and checks without an envelope; can scan checks; and cash checks to the penny. These are just some of the innovative, convenient services that Michigan First Credit Union has offered its members since 2004. Now, Michigan First has introduced no fee high-speed coin counters for its members. It’s all part of its commitment to provide leading-edge technology and outstanding customer service.

“While some banks are introducing ‘new’ ATMs that scan checks and don’t require envelopes for deposits, Michigan First Credit Union was one of the first financial institutions in North America to introduce this technology at its branches more than four years ago,” said Michael Poulos, president and CEO of Michigan First Credit Union. “In addition to these convenient services, our ATMS – called MoneyWorks(R) Banking Centers – can accept coins and cash checks to the penny. We have a number of other innovative services in the works to further serve our members.”

To complement the coin counters that are incorporated into the MoneyWorks Banking Centers, Michigan First Credit Union is also in the process of installing high-speed coin counters at each of its branches and is already in use at its main branch in Lathrup Village, Mich. The high-speed coin counters can process approximately 3,000 coins a minute compared to the ATM counters that process 700 coins a minute. This service is free for credit union members, while non-members are charged a nominal fee.

“Every penny counts, especially in these tough economic times,” Poulos said. “Our members have saved time and money by using these convenient services.”

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By: Lauren

Lauren @ 4:12 pm

July 16, 2007 Lathrup Village, MI. Michigan First Credit Union recently helped seven Southfield elementary and middle schools celebrate their achievements in operating their student branches, with a pancake breakfast and awards ceremony.

The program is held annually at the end of the school year to recognize the students’ accomplishments and to congratulate them on the money they deposited into their savings accounts through the program. It is also a time to recognize the school that opened the most new accounts and had the most deposit dollars.

This year, Stevenson Elementary School won the award for the most new accounts opened as well as the most in deposit dollars, as they recruited 54 new accounts and collected over $16,000 in student deposits. Overall, the seven schools generated over $39,000 in student deposits with an additional $2,500 from the 160 new accounts that were opened.

Prior to the breakfast and awards ceremony, students were challenged to memorize the Mission, Vision and Core Value Statement of the Credit Union. This year’s challenge winner was Jennifer Wardell of Leonhard Elementary, who recited the statement in front of all the attendees. Jennifer was presented with a Beanie Baby and gift card.

After the breakfast, students received a tour of the offices in the Michigan First headquarters.

Students participating in the program hold various positions including Branch Managers, Assistant Managers, Tellers, Computer Operators, Bookkeepers and Greeters. This year, over 140 students applied for these positions. On school banking days, which are supervised by Michigan First employees, students wear Michigan First logo shirts and name badges.

The schools and principals participating in the Credit Union’s student-run branch program include Alder Elementary, Janet Jones, Principal; Birney Middle School, Sterling Russell, Principal; Brace-Lederle K-8 School, Andrea Hamlar, Principal; Laurus Academy, Raul Calderon, Principal; Leonhard Elementary, Vicki Perry, Principal; McIntyre Elementary, Greg Kubasiewicz, Principal; and Stevenson Elementary, Dr. B. K. Hentrel, Principal.

Since the Michigan First Student Branch Program began in 2001, it has had great success. Michael Poulos, President/CEO of Michigan First states, “The success of the program is due to building solid educational partnerships and assisting schools in our field of membership with educating young people about the benefits of credit union membership and how to save and manage money.”

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By: Lauren

Lauren @ 3:17 pm

Michigan First Credit Union was recently featured in an article in the Detroit Free Press. Michigan First member, Isabelle Lewis, used her stimulus check to contribute to the savings of her grandchildren. Please find the complete article with pictures below.

Where did stimulus funds go?
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080629/COL07/806290600
Detroit Free Press, SUSAN TOMPOR
June 29, 2008

Whenever she has extra cash, Isabelle Lewis deposits $20 or so into each of the savings accounts that she opened for her three grandsons.

But after she got her economic stimulus money, Lewis of Lathrup Village had another idea. One June day, she took three crisp $100 bills to the credit union and brought along her Triple A’s — 8-year-old Alton, who likes to be called AJ, and his 5-year-old twin brothers Alexander and Alston Andrews. “It’s like free money, so I just share with my grandkids,” Lewis remarked during their trip to the Michigan First Credit Union in Lathrup Village where, truthfully, the boys focused more on the fish in the bank’s tank than their own catch of the day.

So what is everyone doing with all that money? More than 130 million Americans will get a tax stimulus rebate either by direct deposit or paper check by mid-July.

I talked to five diverse Michigan households in April about what kind of money they thought they would get — and what they thought they’d do with it.

Now, two months later, I’ll tell you how life — and tax glitches — actually tripped up many people.

Some get more than expected

Lewis — who retired from Detroit Public Schools in 1999 — saw her money on schedule via direct deposit. But she received $600 on May 6, not the $300 she first expected.

Lewis didn’t realize that some retirees would receive a bigger payout.

Lower-income seniors and disabled veterans who normally do not have to file a return are eligible this year to receive a minimum stimulus payment of $300 for singles or $600 for married couples, plus $300 for each qualifying child if they filed a 2007 return.

But if better-off retirees had 2007 net income tax liability of at least $600 for single filers or $1,200 for joint filers, they would be eligible to receive stimulus checks in those amounts rather than other $300 or $600 minimum amounts, according to Mark Luscombe, an analyst for CCH in Riverwoods, Ill.

Some wealthier individuals, including retirees, did not qualify for the stimulus checks.

Lewis planned to give half her money to her grandsons for their college savings all along. Her own mad money account is flusher, too.

“This $300 will just sit there until I need something big.”

Check is still in the mail
Janet and Fred Pattan, who live about 30 miles outside Escanaba, need $850 for firewood to heat their home in the Upper Peninsula. The wood should last three years, but they won’t take delivery until they have their $600 stimulus check.

When Janet (Maudie) Pattan, 64, saw my number on caller ID last week, she chimed: “I still don’t have any money.”

They got a letter in early June from the Internal Revenue Service. They didn’t file the correct original form; they mailed a copy of the return instead. They had to then mail the original.

Teresa and Steve Smith, both 43, had a May 9 target date for their direct deposit, based on Social Security numbers listed in the IRS table.

The Northville couple saw their $2,100 check June 14.

No one knew it in late April, but thousands of people who used TurboTax and other tax-preparation services later discovered they had to wait for a paper check because they agreed to have fees for services deducted from their refunds.

Eligible individuals are receiving up to $600 for singles — or $1,200 for married couples filing joint returns. Plus families are receiving $300 for each eligible child under age 17.

The couple already has spent $1,295 on gutters for their home. At one point, Teresa and her husband wanted to go on vacation with their children: Adam, 16; Madeleine, 13, and Jacob, 10.

“Before gas prices went crazy, we were thinking of a drive through the Upper Peninsula,” she said. But now it costs nearly $62 to fill up the family’s Pontiac Aztek. It’s more for the family’s full-size Ford van.

They’re not sure how they might spend the remaining $805.

Second thoughts on splurging
Yulette Barnes, 36, says sky-high gas prices and a sky-high jobless rate in Michigan stopped her from buying some Narciso Rodriguez perfume.

“I can’t really see myself spending $100 for perfume at this time,” Barnes said.

She definitely planned to do that, if she got the money around Mother’s Day as she thought would happen.

But Barnes had to wait for the check because of the tax software mix-up.

The check popped up in her mailbox June 24. She received $704 — $404 as head of a household and $300 for her 4-year-old daughter Kaitlyn Rose.

And six weeks after Mother’s Day, she wasn’t feeling quite as giddy.

She’s paying about $350 a month to fill up her Chrysler Sebring.

Barnes, who lives in downtown Detroit, has a job as a legal assistant for Grant, Busch & Kirschner, a Southfield law firm that specializes in workers compensation and Social Security issues.

And her friend who has three children lost her job about two months ago and is still struggling to meet her bills.

Barnes lent about $300 of the check to her friend.

Barnes did shop a little. A day after she got the check, she spent about $280 on three pairs of sandals at Macy’s and a purse. And she spent another $100 or so on shoes and earrings for Kaitlyn Rose. No money ended up in her daughter’s savings account, as planned.

A nasty surprise

Michael Lary, event coordinator for the City of Ferndale, didn’t think he’d get a check at first. Then, he went to www.irs.gov and discovered he qualified for a $300 rebate.

He planned to take a trip to Chicago if the check arrived before the Memorial Day weekend.

No check, no trip, no clue.

So, as he waited, he kept thinking of new things to buy. One week, it was a recliner. Another, a $465 Schwinn bike.

Then, a letter arrived from the IRS.

The federal government withheld his $300 stimulus payment and told him that he owed back taxes and penalties in 2006 for his casino winnings.

Lary said he won about $2,000 at a casino. Now, he’s working through this tax mess. He still could owe about $500. But he plans to see if the casinos have records for his gambling on casino player’s cards for 2006. Those records could show that he lost more money than he won that year, so he said he is hoping that he might not owe as much money.

“I forgot that I won the money at the casino — and I didn’t report it,” he admitted, noting that he did his own taxes via a Web site. “It was my own fault.”

Contact SUSAN TOMPOR at 313-222-8876 or stompor@freepress.com.

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By: Lena

Lena @ 8:12 am

Mark your calendar for the summer concert series at the Lathrup Village Municipal Park every Wednesday evening. The eight week event, made possible through the efforts of the Lathrup Village Community Foundation, features a mix of great entertainment ranging from country, jazz, folk, Americana, to blues and classical.

All concerts are scheduled for Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Below are scheduled performances for this summer’s series:

July 2 - Dr. Dixie Goodtime Band
July 9 - Après le Jour (classical0
July 16 - Paul Carey (blues and jazz)
July 23 - Jesse Palter (jazz)
July 30 – Groove Essential
August 6 – Shepard’s Folly (Celtic)
August 14 - Free family movie night

The concerts are held in the park behind City Hall, located at 27400 Southfield Road in Lathrup Village. Parking is free. For more information, call (248) 557-2600, ext. 244.

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By: Lena

Lena @ 5:52 pm

Michigan First awarded recently students from 83 high schools in the metro Detroit area with one-time, non-renewable $1,000 scholarships. The schools are located within the 44 communities served by the Credit Union. Scholarship recipients were chosen by each high school’s scholarship selection committee or designee, and based on the student’s academic achievements, community involvement, special talents, leadership and civic and social responsibility. Scholarships awarded are applied to the student’s first year of college. During the past six years, Michigan First has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships.

Pictured is Mr. Michael Poulos (President and CEO of Michigan First) and the scholarship recipients.

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By: Lena

Lena @ 5:43 pm

In early June, Michigan First held its annual MoneyKids Fun Day at Lathrup Village Municipal Park. Nearly 300 MoneyKids, friends and family members enjoyed a fun day that included inflatable play attractions, clowns and face painters, train rides, and food. Maxamillion the Dinosaur, the MoneyKids mascot, was also on hand to put smiles on everyone’s face. MoneyKids were eligible to enter a drawing to win one of three Toys R Us gift cards. In addition, each child received a gift.

Michigan First Credit Union MoneyKids Mascot Maxamillion the Dinosaur (Max) hangs with his new pals Kel-El and Darrion.

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By: Lena

Lena @ 1:26 pm

Come and join us during this year’s “Art in the Park”. There will be plenty of opportunities to shop as artists booths will line Southfield Road and the Municipal Park. Enjoy court open for fabulous foods or simply stop by to listen to the music in the gazebo. To relax, try one of the Michigan brews offered at the mini pub this year.

Don’t forget to look for the Michigan First Credit Union booth to enter into a special drawing!

Where: Lathrup Village Municipal Park

27400 Southfield Road (Between 11 and 12 Mile Roads)

When: Saturday, June 21

10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, June 22

11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Have you been at this event before? Tell us about it by writing a comment on the blog.

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By: Lena

Lena @ 1:22 pm

Smooth Jazz V98.7 visited the Michigan First Credit Union Evergreen Branch to do a live broadcast, give out prizes and accept entries for Giveaways. Singer/Entertainer Kimmie Horne was present to sign autographs. Pictured are Michigan First President/CEO Michael Poulos, Entertainer Kimmie Horne, the V98.7 Jazz Cat, and Michigan First Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations Sandra Tomlin.

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By: Lena

Lena @ 1:20 pm

Michigan First Credit Union sponsored the Scholar’s Lecture and Spelling Bee at the Ford
Freedom Awards, an annual fundraiser for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American
History. Pictured below are Michael Poulos, President/CEO of Michigan First Credit Union; Keke
Palmer, star of the film “Akeelah and the Bee”; and Rob Bettie, the Community Relations
Specialist with State Farm Insurance.

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