News & Articles
Shelwin House Donation
Instead of exchanging gifts at their Christmas party this year, staff from Kamsack, Norquay, Pelly, Togo and Lintlaw each bought a new toy and donated them to Shelwin House in Yorkton which offers emergency shelter for women and their children.
An Affinity for Finances - read all about it!
Affinity has been named the “Best of the Best” in the category of financial institutions for a feature that will run in the next issue of the Regina FineLifestyles Magazine.
To view the article, click here.
To read the entire issue of Regina FineLifestyles Magazine Summer 2011, go to: http://www.finelifestyles.ca/magazineissue25
Credit Unions support Canadian Red Cross efforts to help flood victims in southeast Saskatchewan
Credit Unions across the province have once again stepped up to collect donations on behalf of the Canadian Red Cross to help the flood victims in southeast Saskatchewan.
To learn more, click here
2010 Annual Report & Financial Statements available
Click here to see the latest financial statements.
Equity Building Program
His Worship Mayor Donald Atchison, and Mark Lane, Chief Operating Officer of Affinity Credit Union today celebrated the launch of an innovative new housing program called the Equity Building Program. In an ongoing effort to meet the needs of today's potential home owners, The City of Saskatoon, in partnership with Affinity Credit Union, launched the Equity Building Program with the aim of assisting low to moderate income households in moving from rental accommodations to home ownership.
Recent statistics indicate that many moderate income (household income between $44,500 and $70,000) households in Saskatoon are now dedicating 40% of their pre-tax household income towards shelter costs. This is approximately 8% higher than the standard permitted by private lending institutions. The aim of the Equity Building Program is to assist moderate income households in moving from rental accommodations to home ownership. The Program is designed to allow eligible applicants to access market financing from a private lending institution, and to target moderate-income working individuals and families to purchase a dwelling for homeownership.
Supporting 250 households over a five year period, the program will allow eligible households to purchase a home (includes all forms of housing in any part of the city) ranging in value from $220,000 to $280,000. The program will assist the homeowner with the down payment requirement by providing assistance of approximately $12,000 per unit.
“The City of Saskatoon is pleased to invest in the Equity Building Program to help people with modest incomes become homeowners in a time of rising house prices,” said His Worship Mayor Donald Atchison.
“We are delighted to create more accessible homeownership opportunities for our members. Community investment is one of the socially responsible ways we do business and together with the City we are contributing to stronger, healthier communities,” added Mark Lane, Chief Operating Officer of Affinity Credit Union.
To support the program, the City of Saskatoon will invest $3 million with the Affinity Credit Union. The program is expected to support 50 eligible applicants per year over a period of five years with an average down payment of $12,000.
For further information, contact:
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Alan Wallace |
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Celebrating Our Community Partners
Carol Cisecki (right), Labour Community Representative, Affinity Credit Union
Affinity Credit Union was proud to host a reception in the Affinity Gallery of Saskatchewan Craft Council. This was a celebration of Affinity’s 52 Saskatoon partners and the difference they make in the community every day.
The list of community partners and the good work they do is diverse. Some of the partners are the: Canadian Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, John Howard Society, Ness Creek Music Festival, Oskayak High School, READ Saskatoon, Saskatoon Downtown Youth Centre – EGADZ, Saskatoon Zoo Foundation and Tamara's House.
Affinity is proud of its community partners.
Working TOGETHER to Fight Fraud
At Affinity Credit Union, we take our members’ security very seriously. That’s why we are taking the following steps to further protect you and your money:
- Enhanced card security with Chip technology.
- New ATM machines.
- Adjusting limits on ATM withdrawals.
- Adjusting limits on Point of Sale purchases.
- Verifying all ATM deposits before funds can be accessed.
What you can do to reduce the risk of potential card fraud:
- Keep your eye on your card when conducting a point-of-sale transaction, and only allow your card to be swiped once.
- Ensure the cashier does not take your card out of your sight in order to process your transaction.
- Be cautious if you are asked to swipe your card through more than one machine.
- If you suspect anything unusual or suspicious about an ATM or point-of-sale terminal do not use the machine and report it to your the financial institution immediately. Pay particular attention to any piece of equipment that appears removable.
- Be alert. If someone is watching you or makes you feel uncomfortable, cancel the transaction.
- Check your transaction records against your financial statements regularly. If you detect any unusual activity, contact your financial institution immediately.
By working TOGETHER we can reduce the risk of card fraud.
Affinity Credit Union Wins Community Involvement Award
Affinity Credit Union is the winner of this year’s Community Involvement Award presented by Saskatoon Awards for Business Excellence (SABEX).
The award was presented at the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce Celebrate Success! Gala held at TCU Place on May 18th.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Credit Union was Senior Vice President Corporate Development, Linda Moulin. She said: “This is a prestigious award and an honour for our Credit Union. It recognizes our commitment to community partnerships and the tremendous work staff do to help our members and communities thrive and prosper.”
Affinity Credit Union invested $1.3 million in contributions to community development and corporate citizenship in 2010 and its 610 employees spent 24,920 hours volunteering: an economic value of $604,310.
“As a locally-owned financial cooperative, we take pride in making a difference in people’s lives. We are socially responsible and support our community financially through sponsorships, donations, and non-traditional loans, and through employee voluntary work in a variety of ways to create positive change,” added Moulin.
“Time and again, we hear glowing accounts of the positive impact that our community development programs have had on individuals and families throughout Saskatchewan, particularly in the areas of affordable housing, health, learning and education, environment, arts and culture and community building. The dedicated employees, and elected officials at Affinity Credit Union make all the difference!"
Affinity Credit Union is the second largest credit union in Saskatchewan and aims to be the financial institution of choice. It offers access to a complete range of financial services including insurance and wealth management products to over 95,000 members through a network of 44 branches in 36 communities across the province.