Credit Unions spotlightWe want your nominations for unsung heroes

We’re delighted to announce the launch of Unity Trust Bank’s exciting, brand new Credit Union Awards scheme, and we want you to submit nominations.

The awards, to be known as the National Credit Union Awards for Excellence have been devised by Unity and modelled on similar schemes in the United States and Canada. They are designed to champion and pay tribute to the extraordinary work of the countless unsung individuals who give their time and expertise to the credit union movement. The winners of the awards will be selected by an eminent panel of judges.

Neither you nor your nominee have to bank with Unity Trust to either nominate or be the winner of one of these awards, as they’re open to every registered credit union and credit union member in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

There will be 6 awards, recognising excellence in the areas of: • marketing;• community mobilisation;• credit union education; • fundraising;• active partnerships; and• an award for a single benefactor.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony hosted in the Houses of Parliament, and will receive a trophy to keep and £150.

The judges will choose an overall winner from one of these categories to be the recipient of the Filene Award for Social Entrepreneurship, named in honour of Edward Filene, one of the ‘founders and benefactors’ of the credit union movement. This award will be presented to the person or credit union who has done the most to promote the concept of credit unions, and the winner will receive a trophy and £250.

The inaugural awards will be sponsored by Ansvar, a leading ethical insurance company.

For more details and an application form, visit www.unity.co.uk/creditunionawards

“Credit unions play a significant role in supporting various government savings initiatives … and play an important role in instilling and encouraging a savings culture amongst their members. Your proposed acknowledgement and recognition of the valuable work that credit unions and their staff undertake is most welcome and I know the sector will be very appreciative of your proposals.” Sarah McCarthy-Fry MP, Minister for Mutuals

At Unity our support for credit unions has been a long term commitment and a fundamental building block in our strategy of promoting key social initiatives such as tackling financial and social exclusion.

Over the past 26 years, we have worked with our credit union customers and trade bodies to develop initiatives, some of which are highlighted in this publication, to help make a positive and lasting difference.

Our unfailing commitment to credit unions is evidenced by the fact that almost 45% of all credit unions choose to bank with us, and a number of Unity staff are both members of and on the board of credit unions in their own right.

We were proud when, in 1997, we joined with one of our trade union shareholders, the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union, to help them form a credit union of their own. This successful credit union was the first trade union credit union in the UK to have a national common bond. Since then, we have advised a number of other trades unions such as the GMB, PCS and RMT on how to establish credit unions of their own.

And, since it was launched in 1998, our Credit Union Development Fund has put more than £85,000 in to the movement through grants to individual credit unions.

Long term goals not short term objectives

This long-term approach is one of the reasons why

226 credit unions (45% of all credit unions) choose to bank with Unity.

CUAthe national

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“We’ve found the corporate version invaluable for managing expenses at UKCU. And at HHH, issuing the individual prepaid card to people is making a real difference - helping them feel financially included even when they don’t have access to traditional banking facilities.

We’d been approached by other providers offering cards for individuals but Unity’s costs and processes were a better fit. We found other companies were asking credit union members to pay up to £15 a month just to have the card. That’s a lot for people who don’t have much money.

The ALTO card costs just £6 for three years and credit unions are able to absorb that cost instead of passing it on to their members.” Dawn Vear, operations manager for UK Credit Unions (UKCU) and treasurer, HHH Credit Union in Rossendale, Lancashire.

The Alto card is available to your members NOW. And if you’re worried about the potential cost, we can assure you that our objective has been to minimise the cost of ownership and ensure that the ALTO card is one of the most convenient and cost effective prepaid cards in the marketplace.

We can also help promote the card to your members with leaflets, posters and standard press releases.

For a limited period, we are subsidising the initial cost of the cards by paying the initial £6.50 set-up and load

fees*. This will essentially allow your members to obtain an ALTO card, load it (minimum £10) and give them the chance to try the card out at no cost.** For more information, contact our ALTO card team on 0845 155 9876.

Send your members a card this year - an ALTO MasterCard® prepaid card - withNO monthly fees and NO point-of-sale fee!We’ve seen great interest in our new ALTO MasterCard prepaid card, designed specifically for credit union members, with some credit unions ordering more than 70 cards for their customers.

The card has no monthly fees and there are no credit checks.

• Members can arrange for regular payments to be loaded onto the card through the credit union.

• The card holder can only spend the amount that’s loaded onto the card – there’s no chance of getting in to debt using it.

• The card will only work with the PIN, making it a safer alternative to carrying cash, and can be stopped if lost or stolen.

• The card can be used to make purchases on-line, over the phone, by mail order or wherever you see the MasterCard Acceptance Mark as well as at over a million ATMs in over 210 countries.

Feedback from cardholders shows that the range of choices offered by the card, including the considerable savings that can be made by shopping on-line, is extremely welcome in these difficult economic times.

Available NOW and free for a limited period

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Leslie Stevens and Dawn Vear of HHH Credit Union

* Terms and conditions apply. The initial set-up and load fees will be reimbursed to you by way of a credit to your ALTO card account, equivalent to £6.50 per activated card, subject to any limit of cards we may set.** Please note there is a fee of £5.00 should a member wish to cancel their card and get their money back.

Kingdom Credit Union in Methilhill, Fife, decided that the ALTO card was the best fit for its members. “There are other prepaid cards out there but we decided that the ALTO card would offer our members the best value,” says Roberta Goodall, Kingdom’s money guidance officer.

It might sound like a small difference, but having a prepaid card has made a big impact on the lives of credit union

members. “I’ve spoken to one member who’s so pleased they can now pay their Argos bill over the phone,” says Roberta. “Previously, they would have had to travel to the store each time to pay their bill in cash.”

Being able to pay with plastic in the form of the ALTO card helps people enjoy the same benefits that others take for granted. “When you think about how many bills most people pay with plastic or direct debit, not having access to those facilities is a huge disadvantage,” says Roberta. “Paying for everything in cash can also create quite a stigma.”

Credit unions like Kingdom are finding their services in demand as a rise in bankruptcies leaves people unable to find bank accounts. The ALTO card is one way the credit unions can help make lives a little easier. Members can set up a regular payment on to the card from their share accounts, request a top-up when they come into the office or do it over the phone with a password system.

The ALTO card has also proved a safer way to carry money around. “One member took her ALTO card abroad on holiday,” explains Roberta. “It proved its worth when her husband had his bank card stolen and thieves cleaned out their bank account. They were able to use the ALTO card instead, and had that been stolen, their losses would have been limited.”

In the future, Roberta hopes Kingdom can use the ALTO card for Growth Fund loans - part of a government idea to increase the borrowing available for people on low incomes.

“Using the ALTO card for the loans could help us reach people from a wider area,” Roberta explains. “Putting loans onto a prepaid card means that people wouldn’t have to take an expensive bus journey to collect their money. But the real benefit to people living further away is that we can put the balance of their benefit on their card each week or fortnight, saving them time and money, by not having to travel to see us.”

Did you know that the CUDF is a deposit account that currently pays up to 0.30% on all savings, and what’s more, Unity pays an amount equivalent to 0.125% of the total combined balances into a separate grant fund which is used to support individual credit unions? Since the fund was launched in 1998, £85,000 in grants has been ploughed back into the credit union movement.

Best of all, you can get instant access to your funds which means you don’t need to tie up your monies for 3 months, 6 months, or even longer.

If you hold a Credit Union Develpment Fund account you can also apply for a grant to help you market and promote your credit union to a wider audience.

Interested in finding out more? Contact our Central Development Management team on 0845 155 3355.

The Credit Union Development Fund -why tie up your funds when you don’t have to?

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Roberta Goodall of Kingdom Credit Union

Kingdom Credit Union

But don’t just take our word for it...

For more information, including all costs associated with the ALTO card, please call us on 0845 155 9876, email sales@altocard.co.uk or visit www.altocard.co.uk.

At the end of 2009, we carried out a survey of Credit Union Development Fund customers, asking for their views for extending the use of the monies that accrue from the fund.

These comments covered many issues that we’re sure you are all facing at the moment, from access to a prepaid debit card to support for mergers and in meeting the FSA’s new capital requirements.

Respondents wanted to see help to broaden the knowledge, membership and appeal of credit unions. They asked for this to be done in three ways:

1) through financial support;

2) helping to extend their reach to more people in their local communities; and

3) using the fund to raise the profile of credit unions generally - which is one of the objectives of our new National Credit Union Awards.

We are currently working on a number of issues to help address these concerns, such as grants of up to £1,000 to help credit unions promote and market themselves to their local communities.

The CUDF currently pays up to 0.3%, has no notice period, and enables you to benefit from these grants.

If you would like to know more about opening an account with us, please contact us on 0845 155 9876.

We asked for your views and we’ve acted on them!

Can we help with your banking or loan finance needs?

If so, please contact Neil or Remi on 0845 155 3355 or cdm@unity.co.uk

In 2009, the Credit Union Development Fund paid credit unions grants totalling £6,250 to 10 credit unions. These grants have helped credit unions to extend their common bond, contribute towards volunteer expenses, market a PayPoint scheme, recruit board members and hold open days.

Unity Trust Bank is authorised and regulated by the FSA and is entered in the FSA’s register under number 204570. Registered Office: Nine Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2HB. Registered in England and Wales no. 1713124.

MasterCard® is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. Card issued by Newcastle Building Society (“NBS”) pursuant to licence by MasterCard International Incorporated. NBS is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority as an issuer of e-money (registration no. 156058). NBS subscribes to the Banking Code. Copies of the code are available upon request.

UTB267 April 2010

Would you like more information on our prepaid MasterCard? If so, please call us on 0845 155 9876 or email sales@altocard.co.uk

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Take a look at our trophy cabinet:

Winner, Banking Services - Charity Times, 2009

Highly commended, Best Charity Account Provider - Business Moneyfacts, 2010

Winner, Corporate Social Responsibility - Credit Today, 2009