Credit Union News

Congratulations to Mr Michael McKortel, Retired Police Officer from Lancashire, pictured here with Vicky Harrison the Office Manager of the Credit Union,  receiving a cheque for the cash equivalent of the TV which was the prize in our 2010 Summer Draw.  Mr McKorkel chose the cash equivalent to enjoy on his forthcoming holiday.

Mr McKorkel is a founder member of the credit union.  He opened his account with us over 18 years ago whilst serving with Lancashire Police.  Following his retirement he has since joined North West Ambulance Service whose employees are also eligible to join our credit union. 

A big thank you to all those members who entered the draw. Don’t forget to look out for future competitions, you could be the lucky winner next time!  

_{1^st   PRIZE - £500     MICHAEL BUCKLEY-SITE SUPERVISOR, LEA C of E SCHOOL}

_{2^nd  PRIZE - £150     CATHERINE LEGGE-RETIRED}

_{3^rd   PRIZE - £50       DAMIEN BARROW - FMIT}

_{4^th   PRIZE - £30       JOHN MACLELLEAN-FMIT, BLACKBURN}

_{5th   PRIZE - £20       AMANDA GALLERY - PPU ORMSKIRK}                                         

_{6^th   PRIZE - £20       GREGORY GEE – PS, ORMSKIRK}

_{7^th   PRIZE - £20       ANON}

_{8th   PRIZE - £20       ANON}  

_{9th    PRIZE - £20      TREVOR POLLARD – PC, HUTTON HQ}

_{10^th PRIZE - £20       CHRIS ANDREWS – RETIRED}                                                            

                      _{CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS}

_{DON’T FORGET YOU HAVE GOT TO BE IN IT…… TO WIN IT!}

_{DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION FORM NOW}

A word of comfort to our members!

In these days of financial uncertainty and even possible redundancies if you are experiencing problems and having difficulty in meeting your credit union loan repayments please contact us FIRST before seeking advice elsewhere. We may be able to help!

Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions page on this website for details on how your money is proctected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Blues & Twos Credit Union are pleased to be able to offer our members two great new insurance producted - FamilyLIFE+ and MortgageCover+.

FamilyLife+ is a unique, guaranteed whole of life protection product for you and up to twelve members of your family providing peace of mind at an affordable price.

MortgateCover+ is an affordable Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance policy that can provide real peace of mind should you suffer illness, an accident or involuntary unemployment.

To read more about both of these great products go to our Insurance Products page on this website and and get a no obligation quote.

We have a new sponsor for our website - Fred Coupe Motors - offering our members good deals on motor vehicles. So if you are looking to change your vehicle contact them through this website - click on their information on the homepage.

 Are you credit card bills mounting up?  Why not apply for a loan from the us and pay them off in one go.  You can have your loan repayments taken straight from your pay.  Alternatively you might like to consider Revolving Credit which is explained under our Special Offers page on this website.

The Credit Crunch - a reassuring word from the Chair

During this period of financial turbulence and uncertainty, members are bound to wonder about the security of their savings. Let me explain the current position.

 The Blues and Twos credit union is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Our Registration number is 213538. As such, our business is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FCSC).

The FCSC will be notified by the FSA if and when a credit union, for whatever reason, becomes insolvent. From 7th October 2008, the FSCS can pay compensation for financial loss of up to £50,000 for deposit claims if a deposit taking business, such as a credit union, is unable to pay back deposits it owes to its members.

In other words, your savings are covered by the FSCS. The Board of Directors are aware of the natural concerns of members and regularly meet to discuss and monitor the evolving national financial situation.

For further information visit our Frequently Asked Questions page      www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk  or  www.fcsc.org.uk/consumer

Maggie Roberts MBE

Chair of the Board of Directors

Are you looking for a mortgage? The Yorkshire Bank is offering a competitive mortgage service to our members - contact them through the link on our homepage.  You can arrange to see a representative in your own home, at the bank or at either of our credit union offices if you prefer.  Don’t forget when contacting them to tell them you are a member of Blues & Twos Credit Union to receive this special offer.

The Blues & Twos Society ( a group of volunteer members) run a lottery. The profits are donated to the credit union to assist with running costs and so continue to provide a healthy dividend to members at the end of the financial year.  If you want to help and do not subscribe to the lottery but want to take part  go to our Transactions & forms page and download a subscription form today! Tickets are £1 each.

The credit union is managed by a voluntary Board of Directors made of credit union members.  We are currently seeking new members to the Board particularly from the Fire & Rescue, Ambulance NHS Trust and Lancashire County Council.  If you are a member of our credit union and feel that you may have the skills and experience that would be useful to the management function and can spare a few hours a month please contact the General Manager, Vicky Harrison who will send you more details.  Board meetings are held in the morning of the third Tuesday each month and are normally held at Lancashire Police Headquarters.

It’s easy to join the credit union and even easier to save with us. With deductions directly from pay you can save anything from £10 upwards each month. It soon adds up and our regular savers use the money for holidays and special occasions like Christmas or a birthday. You can even ask to have different account titles for saving - for example we have members who save for Holidays in one account and Christmas in another.