Beware of Unidentified Calls or Attempts to Gain Access to Your Online Banking Account
If you receive an unidentified call or voicemail about your online banking account, and you believe it to be suspicious or fraudulent, please hang up immediately and contact us at 800-475-1150. We are available to assist you.
Important Tips: Never provide your credit or debit card information, or online banking credentials to someone who calls you unsolicited. Be suspicious of any caller who asks for your personal information, such as your Social Security number or bank account number. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of a call, hang up and call us directly at 800-475-1150. We will never contact you to ask for your personal information or login credentials. A message from Collins Community Credit Union will always include identification.
I love writing blog posts for the Credit Union each week. It’s an opportunity to tell a story and be transparent about life at Collins. As January is coming to an end I’m sitting at my desk, jamming to Hozier and working on my blog calendar for the next few months; trying to pencil in topics to write about that are insightful, inspiring and fun. If there’s a topic you want us to post about comment below and let me know.
With that, I’ll move on to this week’s topic, scholarships and student loans! Please, try to contain your excitement. I know this topic can be kind of dull, but it’s something that students and parents need to start thinking about this time of year. And, we want to help make this process as simple and painless as possible.
The first step in funding a college education is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is a free form provided by the U.S. Department of Education that will calculate your child’s eligibility for federal student loans. You can complete the FAFSA anytime after January 1, 2015, but most likely you’ll need to wait until you have your 2014 IRS tax return. Visit the Federal Student Aid website for more information about completing the FAFSA.
Also, work with the college financial aid office. Ask them any questions that you may have during the process and explore all resources of financial aid before turning to private student loans.
Speaking of resources, we’ve got a few that you need to know about. Currently on our website we have two different scholarship opportunities for high school seniors. The Warren A. Morrow Memorial Scholarship, which will award $5,750 in scholarships to six Iowa students and the Iowa Financial Know – How Challenge Senior Scholarship, which is a chance for 20 Iowa High School seniors to win $1,500 for college. Click here to learn more about these scholarship opportunities.
When you’ve exhausted all of your options and need to turn to private student loan funding, we’re here for you. This year, we’ve partnered with Iowa Student Loan® to offer supplemental private student loans to help pay for college. Click here to learn more about our program and to apply for aid.
If you have questions, let us know. We’d be happy to talk with you about planning for the future.
