Technological tools and an abundance of financial offerings are what it takes to keep up with the times in the financial industry. While the general public trusts that banks possess these features, some individuals do not feel equally confident that credit unions maintain the same standard.
Marketing Director at First Trust Credit Union, Dorene Martinson, said that this conception does not reflect the vast array of all that credit unions have to offer. Credit unions are fully functional financial institutions with a wide variety of banking services including checking accounts, saving accounts, direct deposits, e-statements, credit card programs, student loan programs, auto loans, personal loans, mortgages, home equity lines of credit, and much more.
First Trust also has options for small businesses that are unique to them.
“One thing that First Trust does that some banks and credit unions don’t do is we work with small businesses on the lending side,” Martinson said. “We not only have small business accounts, but we also work with small businesses on acquiring small business loans. That’s one of our focuses that even some banks, for whatever reason, don’t always venture too far into in their overall daily operations .”
First Trust members and prospective members can access and learn more about all that the credit union has to offer on its newly redesigned website. The new website went live on March 1 after undergoing a redesign that helped to clean up the existing content, condense information, improve navigation, incorporate member testimonies, and modernize the overall look and feel of the site.
“I was here when we designed the old website, and it was time for a new look and change. Our website is very warm and friendly with a fresh new look,” Martinson said. “We hope to draw new people not only via the appearance of our website but also the functionality of it. Certainly, we want to keep up with the times and be as electronically advanced as possible for our current members as well.”
In the line of electronic services, members can also take advantage of the “It’s Me 24/7” banking option, which allows them to view their accounts, check their balances, perform money transactions and transfers, and apply for loans along with many other standard financial features.
Another 24/7 bank access option is the First Trust Mobile App which allows members to complete tasks such as deposit checks remotely, submit loan requests, and pay with digital wallets.
“We work hard to be convenient for our members so they can perform tasks right at their fingertips,” Martinson said. “We have the ability to log in to the mobile app with voice or face recognition, fingerprint, or pin number. You can access your online banking at any time of day. You can basically do all of your banking right through the mobile app.”
Through the app, members can also pay with digital wallets (ie: Google Pay, Apple Pay, etc.) and lock and unlock their debit cards on the spot with ease. Martinson shared that she personally enjoys the "Manage My Cards" feature on the app, which allows her to lock her debit card within about 20 seconds if it has been lost or stolen, or in her case - just misplaced.
“It locks instantly, so nobody else would be able to use that debit card that’s lost or stolen or misplaced. Say you have misplaced it; you can go right back in there and unlock it once you find it, and it’s immediately good to go! I’ve definitely used that feature a couple times myself,” she laughed. “I just go on my phone and lock my card until I find it just to be safe.”
First Trust also has mobile text banking, allowing members to perform tasks such as obtaining account balances and performing money transfers without logging in to an app or online banking. This is a free feature where you can use the same phone number for multiple memberships.
To discover all that First Trust Credit Union has to offer and to check out the website’s new look, visit https://www.firsttrustcu.com/
