A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR
2022 was quite the year for Town & Country Credit Union! I’m proud to report that our credit union is in a very strong financial position. We continue to grow our membership base - surpassing 25,000 members this year! Hitting milestones like this is exciting, but what’s even more exciting to me is that every new member is one more person who we can help reach their financial goals.
Thank you to all our members for continuing to choose Town & Country as your financial partner.
Speaking of thanks, I also want to thank Senior Executive Vice President Kalli Schell for stepping in as Interim CEO for much of the year while the Board conducted a search for the credit union’s next leader. Her experience and practical leadership style were invaluable as the team navigated this time of transition.
I’d also like to welcome Brad Houle who joined Team TCCU as our new CEO in November 2022. Our credit union is strong and poised for continued success. I could not be more excited to see how Brad, Kalli and the rest of the team are able to harness the power of our growing member base and positively impact our members, employees and communities for years to come.
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT/CEO
I would be remiss not to begin this note from a place of gratitude. Thank you to the Board for trusting me to lead this great credit union. Thank you to our Town & Country team for all their work this past year and for being so welcoming. And most of all, thank you to our members for trusting Town & Country to help you reach your financial goals. We plan to continue to earn that trust each and every day.
Since joining the Town & Country team in November, I’ve been nothing short of impressed with what our credit union can do. Our team is strong, talented, and most importantly, incredibly committed to serving members like you. I feel privileged to join them in continuing Town & Country’s long-standing tradition of offering meaningful value, pursuing continual growth, and providing exceptional member service.
Our credit union is on an exciting path. I look forward to serving you and helping Town & Country continue to develop and grow for years to come.
MISSION, VISION & VALUES
MISSION
To Positively Impact those we serve.
VISION
Best Service | Meaningful Value | Continual Growth
VALUES
Do the Right Thing. | Operate with Integrity. | Keep it Simple. | Find a Way to Say Yes. | Make a Difference
NEW IN 2022
UPDATED WEBSITE
In October, we unveiled an updated website, which continues to offer the information and access members have grown accustomed to with some exciting improvements.
- More user-friendly design, with a reorganized menu and powerful search function.
- Enhanced online forms with features like ‘save and finish later’ to simplify applying for loans and opening accounts.
- Built with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind, meaning those searching for relevant products and services have a higher chance of finding our site.
- And most importantly, our new website is completely secure with the ability to log in to TCCU Online from every page.
SKIP-A-PAY AUTOMATION
We’ve made it easier than ever for eligible members to skip their next loan payment — right within TCCU Online and our app! No more waiting to see if you’re approved or needing to remember your account number.
242 applications were processed instantly using this feature!
STAR REWARDS TRACKER
Our new Star Rewards Tracker launched within TCCU Online and the app. The tracker shows how many days are left in the month and your progress on the following Star Rewards requirements:
- How many debit card purchases you have made.
- Whether or not you are signed up for eStatements.
- Whether or not an ACH has cleared your Star Rewards Checking account.
- How much you earned in the previous month in rewards and ATM refunds!
REWARDING OUR MEMBERS
On top of the interest earned from savings and CDs, members can earn cash back with our free Star Rewards Checking Account, and 1.5% Cash Back Visa®.
$368,997
Earned from ATM Fee Refunds and Star Rewards 3% Cash Back.
$2,421,380
Total Dividends & Interest Earned from Savings, CDs, and Star Rewards 3% Interest
8,940,916
Visa Signature® Rewards Points Redeemed
$158,973
Visa Signature® Cash Back Redeemed
FINANCIAL COUNSELING
Credit Score is a free service within TCCU Online that allows members to view their credit score and provides insight on how to improve it.
4,058 members are using credit score
16% improved their scores
69% maintained their scores
To provide even more guidance, we have
15
Certified Financial Counselors on staff.
SUPPORTING OUR EDUCATORS, MILITARY AND FIRST RESPONDERS
As our way of saying thank you to those who make sacrifices and serve our communities every day, we offered 1% loan discounts for two months to educators, military, healthcare workers and first responders.
188 members benefited from these special offers.
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69 Educators
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31 Military Service Men & Women
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88 Healthcare Workers & First Responders
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We celebrated International Credit Union Day with our 2nd Annual Rate Race! For one day only, the first 20 people in line at each participating location could snag a coupon good for either 2% off their qualified loan rate or a 12-month CD at 3% Annual Percentage Yield.
We had 133 members claim their deal!
YOUTH ACCOUNTS
Our youth account holders, ages 0-12, receive added benefits to encourage them to practice responsible money habits.
Youth members get:
- Dividends paid on all balances.
- A quarterly eNewsletter.
- A prize when making deposits.
- $5 when making a deposit of at least $25 during their birthday month.
- A $25 deposit match when depositing at least $25 in December.
- Invitations to special free youth events like Ice Skating, Swimming, Movies, the Zoo, or others!
Youth members earned
$35,860
with deposit matches and our birthday deposit offer!
1,289
Youth members and their families attended free events hosted in Fargo and Minot.
I SAVED A MEMBER
We’re on a mission larger than finances - to positively impact those we serve. What does that look like? Our lenders look at your whole financial life to find ways to help save you money. We call these savings success stories “I Saved a Member.” Check out a couple of our favorites from this year.
A couple came in to see Melissa Kellerman, Branch Manager at our West Fargo location. The husband didn’t have a credit score since he recently moved to the United States. At Town & Country, we know that no credit score is not equivalent to having a low credit score, so we were able to get them a great rate.
The couple had originally financed their auto loan at the dealership through the wife’s credit only. Melissa knew we could help them save money and add the husband onto the loan, as well! She was able to save them $134.79 a month and reduce their term from 72 to 66 months, saving six months of payments.
With the reduction in payment amount, the number of payments, and the interest savings, Melissa was able to save this member $12,069.60 over the life of their loan!
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A member was looking for some more room in their budget and hoped an auto loan refinance could help. Teona, Branch Manager at our Minot Dakota Square location, reached out and determined that not only could we help her refinance and save, but we could also add credit life and credit disability while we were at it!
Teona was able to drop the member’s auto loan rate by 5.30% AND save her $113 a month, even after adding in credit life and credit disability premiums! Credit life and credit disability insurance offer protection in case you die or become disabled before your loan is paid off.
Her savings totaled $8,000 over the life of her loan!
MEMBER PURCHASES MADE POSSIBLE
With simple and affordable financing options, we help our members make purchases big and small.
MAKING HOME HAPPEN
We helped members secure 597 mortgages for home purchases, remodeling, debt consolidation, new construction, lot purchases and refinances.
194 of those mortgages were for First Time Homebuyers.
Our members were able to take advantage of special loan programs, ensuring they received the best loan for their situation.
SUPPORTING BUSINESS & AGRICULTURE
$41,060,000
In Ag & Commercial Loan Growth
Town & Country Insurance Agency, owned by Town & Country Credit Union, is an independent insurance agency offering farm, crop, personal, health and commercial insurance options. They have agents in the Minot, Fargo and Bottineau areas who can help you compare prices and benefits and determine the best policies for you.
GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY
We positively impact the communities we serve through cash and in-kind donations and by allowing our employees time to volunteer with organizations of their choosing.
$214,295
Donated to local non-profits
4,116
Employee hours reinvested in the community
Employees could choose to donate $1 each week for Jeans Day in 2022. Those dollars were then donated to a local nonprofit voted on by the employees. This year’s donations went to:
EMPLOYEE CULTURE
We take our mission of positively impacting our employees seriously. We work to cultivate a culture of teamwork, engagement, creative problem solving, and trust. Work-life balance is important here and staff are highly encouraged to use their generous vacation and sick time.
In addition, we also encourage staff to expand their network by attending chamber events, conferences, applicable training and utilizing volunteer time away to support causes important to them.
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
In 2022, we introduced the Town & Country Credit Union Scholarship, awarding $1,000 scholarships to ten deserving high school seniors. The Town & Country Credit Union mission is to positively impact those we serve.
By assisting our members with the financial costs of furthering their education, we believe we’re not only impacting that student but also the community in which they will influence for years to come.
Members applied by submitting an essay answering this question:
How do you plan to make a positive impact in your desired career field?
Submissions were blindly reviewed and scored by a panel of Town & Country Credit Union employees.
Congratulations to the 2022 Town & Country Credit Union Scholarship recipients!
TOWN & COUNTRY IMPACT AWARD
These employees were nominated by their peers for embracing the Mission, Vision and Values of Town & Country. The 2022 Impact Award recipients each received a $500 cash award and the opportunity to donate an additional $500 to the non-profit of their choosing.
MATT TEDRICK
Senior Business Credit Analyst, Fargo
Matt Tedrick joined the credit union in 2011 and is currently the Senior Business Credit Analyst at Town & Country’s 52nd Avenue location in Fargo. Matt was nominated for living out our values in many intangible ways and encouraging his team to do the same.
For me, creating a Positive Impact means taking action to provide solutions that make meaningful differences to our members and my co-workers. We can achieve this by effectively listening and appreciating specific situations and circumstances and thinking outside the box to find a way to say “yes,” while always keeping our members’ best interests in mind,” said Matt.
Matt chose to donate his $500 to Creative Care for Reaching Independence (CCRI) of Moorhead.
KARNA TAFT
VP Member Services, Minot
Karna Taft joined the credit union in 2013 and is currently the VP Retail Manager at Town & Country’s Minot Main location. Karna is described by her nominators as a hard-working, dedicated, exceptional leader.
To me, Positive Impact is affecting those around me in a positive way, whether it’s answering a question, researching a problem, or putting a smile on someone’s face. It is the little things we do each day that make the biggest impact on people, said Karna.
Karna chose to donate her $500 to the Minot Kiwanis Club.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
In 2022 we received the following local and national recognition.
- 5 Star superior Rating from Bauer Financial.
- A+ Health Rating from depositaccounts.com.
- 1st Place Best Credit Union from the Minot Daily News Best of the Best Awards.
- 1st Place Best Mortgage Company from the Minot Daily News Best of the Best Awards.
- 2nd Place Best Credit Union from Fargo Forum’s Best of the Red River Valley.
- 2nd Place Louise Herring Philosophy in Action Member Service Award from the Credit Union National Association.