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The New LogoThe survey results are actually represented in the upper left hand corner of this Newsletter. By a two to one margin the respondents preferred the logo that incorporated the tribute to the “Twin Towers.” Although the intention was to honor the memory of the Towers (and therefore what happened that day), we would also like the logo to be visually appealing and clear. As we apply this logo to different materials we’ll gauge how well it is represented. For instance, it shows well above and on our website, however the imprint on member checks is too small to distinguish the “Shadows.” We also hope to incorporate the logo into our plastic card program in 2014. |
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| The survey allowed us to test several features on our online banking platform. We had hoped for more members to participate in the survey, but to those who did, we Thank You! And to one specific participant, Michael Steiner, we congratulate on being the random drawing winner of an iPad Air. Michael, a retired IBM’er, has been a member of the Credit Union since 1979. He maintains his account with us even after moving to Florida almost 15 years ago. | ||
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Tax Information 2013
Your December 31, 2013 statements act as substitute 1099s providing you with your 2013 interest income information. This interest/dividend information is provided to the IRS. If you have a real estate loan with Greater Metro you will also receive a separate 1098 statement in the mail. These 1098s will contain interest paid on your real estate loans and will also be provided to the IRS. If you have an escrow account set up, the 1098 will also display the amount paid on your behalf in Real Estate Taxes. The “taxes paid” is not provided to the IRS. |
The 2014 Annual Meeting — Update| Features Coming In The New Year: |
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See And Jump!For members who have an interest in more than one account at the Credit Union and utilize “It’s Me 247” online banking, they will be able to jump to the other accounts without logging out and logging back into the other accounts. Permissions between accounts must be granted by the owner of the account and can only be given to members who are primary or joint on the membership. This feature is expected to be in place before the end of March. We’ve also submitted requests to our processor to create a “back” button to make it easier to navigate between summary and detail information in member accounts. 
MasterCard® Electronic StatementsLong overdue, members will be able to view and print their monthly MasterCard Statements on line as early as the February statement period. Members who currently log onto the PSCU site can only view several transactions and printing the information is even more of an adventure. Single Sign On — It’s Me 247 & MasterCardMembers who participate in online banking and also view their MasterCard transactions on line must do so in a two step process. For the longest time, CU Answers, our core processor offered a single sign on feature to cardholders of the core processor’s preferred partners. CU Answers recently extended this courtesy to PSCU. Once set up, members will be able to jump to their MasterCard account directly from It’s Me 247 without a second log in. |
The VA Manhattan Campus Branch —
After The Hurricane
Since re–opening in March 2013, the Credit Union has had to implement some changes to the hours at the Manhattan Branch. Initially, due to the sporadic return of employees back to the Manhattan Campus, we went from a 5 day schedule to 3 (Monday/Wednesday/Friday). Although understandably less convenient than in the past, members at the VA worked with the new hours. There has also been a significant increase in the use of our Surcharge Free ATM in the lobby. In September, we encountered several staffing issues which required us to change our hours to 9:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. We continued to increase staff every other Friday to accommodate members on payday.
For any and all of the inconveniences created by our changes, we apologize and extend our appreciation to our members at the VA for their understanding. As we move into 2014, we plan to increase staff in order to return the branch to full time service but to also provide additional services to our members at the VA Manhattan Campus.
Tax Refunds Deposited Directly To Your Greater Metro Account
Remember to provide Greater Metro’s Routing Number and your account number to the IRS in order to receive immediate access to your refund.
Routing Number 221475605
The “Target” Compromise
As this has been widely covered in the media, Target reported that approximately 70 million credit and debit card accounts may have been impacted in unauthorized access to payment card data between November 27 and December 15, 2013. Our card processor, PSCU, has had its Risk Analytic team put on high alert and is closely monitoring activity since Target’s announcement and have not seen any fraudulent charges impacting Greater Metro accounts.
A positive report relating to debit cards coming from Target, which PSCU confirmed, is that the encryption technology used to secure PINs, known as Triple DES, remains the strongest technology in the industry and this may be the reason that there has not been a spike in cash–related fraud.
The Credit Union urges all members to regularly review transactions in their checking accounts and on their MasterCard credit card statements and bring any suspicious activity to the attention of Member Services.
Holiday Closings
Martin Luther King, Jr Day – January 20, Monday
Presidents’ Day – February 17, Monday
Memorial Day – May 26, Monday
Independence Day – July 4, Friday
Labor Day – September 1, Monday
Columbus Day – October 13, Monday
Veterans’ Day – November 11, Tuesday
Thanksgiving Day – November 27, Thursday
Christmas Day – December 25, Thursday
