For the past 57 years, the staff, management, and board of Neighbors Federal Credit Union has been proud to provide our members with the very best in products and services. To this day, Neighbors remains dedicated to the same values and goals that were set forth by our founding members.
With our merger with Keypoint Federal Credit Union as well as improvements being made to our current facilities, Neighbors is always looking for ways to better serve our members and our community. One such addition is our new YOUR PORTFOLIO personal financial management tool. Now all members who use Neighbors online banking can view all of their accounts in one convenient location, even those accounts that are held at other financial institutions. YOUR PORTFOLIO is just another example of how Neighbors continues to improve our service to
our members.
If you know someone who has not taken advantage of credit union membership; be a good neighbor and share the many benefits Neighbors Federal Credit Union has to offer. Working each and every day to enhance our members’ financial well being as well as being a partner in the communities we serve… Neighbors is where you belong.
Kathi M. Gill, CCUE
President and CEO
Neighbors 2011 Annual Business Meeting
Neighbors FCU held its 57th Annual Business Meeting on March 27th at the Perkins Road branch. Board incumbents Mrs. Melanie Brunson, Mr. Grady Hazel, and Mr. Graydon Walker were re-elected to the Neighbors Board of Directors by acclamation. Thank you to all the members in attendance who helped to make this years Annual Meeting a success.
Introducing YOUR PORTFOLIO- find your financial way
What is YOUR PORTFOLIO? YOUR PORTFOLIO is a personal financial management tool provided by Neighbors FREE to our members as part of online banking. Today's members typically have multiple accounts with multiple financial institutions. You may have a credit card, mortgage or 401k savings with financial institutions other than your primary institution. YOUR PORTFOLIO allows Neighbors members to bring all of their accounts together in one convenient place.
Why should I use YOUR PORTFOLIO or PFM? • View all your financial accounts in one convenient place
• View daily transactions and history
• Create your own customized financial dashboard
• Categorize and track spending
• Set up budgets and financial goals
• Set up alerts for upcoming bills and income deposits
How do I access YOUR PORTFOLIO?
Members can login to online banking at neighborsfcu.org, where you will see a new tab for YOUR PORTFOLIO. Once you select that tab, it will take you to the YOUR PORTFOLIO portal. Upon first access, you will be asked to "read and accept" agreement and disclosure information. Upon accepting the terms, members will be transferred to YOUR PORTFOLIO where you will be able to get started adding accounts and setting up your own financial dashboard.
How do I add my accounts to YOUR PORTFOLIO?
"Add New Account" button on the upper left side of the panel. You can select accounts at other financial institutions to bring in to the YOUR PORTFOLIO view by following the online search for financial institutions Please note - you will need to have login and passwords to access accounts form other financial institutions available while setting up accounts in YOUR PORTFOLIO.
Is my financial information secure using YOUR PORTFOLIO?
Your information is secure as YOUR PORTFOLIO uses several layers of security. Your account information resides behind a firewall and all information is encrypted. In addition, all sessions are protected by your password and the securities built in to your browser. All of your logins and passwords to access additional accounts at other financial institutions are verified by CashEdge (our aggregation provider) and are NOT stored on our site.
Who should I contact if I'm having trouble adding my accounts to YOUR PORTFOLIO? YOUR PORTFOLIO includes its own support team and help desk through ZEN DESK. You can easily submit a request for assistance by clicking the HELP button in the upper right corner of the YOUR PORTFOLIO dashboard screen.
Who hasn’t wished for super powers? Since superheroes hone powers to save people from harm and take action to protect the common good, it’s no surprise that youth around the country admire them. Little do kids know, they also have the power to protect the future by becoming credit union super savers.
To show kids the powers they have to save and safeguard their money, visit Neighbors the week of April 22-28 and help us celebrate National Credit Union Youth Week. This year's theme, "Be a Credit Union Super Saver" shows youth and teens how Neighbors can help them utilize their own strengths and credit union resources to meet financial goals.
Whatever young members are saving up for, their trusty sidekicks at Neighbors are ready to lend a hand. That's because Neighbors is for members, by members, and we want our sensational youth to be prepared for the future.
So stop by and get in on the action.
Come with your young super savers to see your trusty sidekicks at Neighbors Federal Credit Union, where we help you save money one dollar at a time.
Keypoint Branches Now Serving Neighbors We are excited to announce that the merger of Keypoint Federal Credit Union into the Neighbors family is now complete. We are beginning the process of replacing the Keypoint signage with the Neighbors logo and hope to have that complete in the following weeks. The addition of Keypoint allows our members even more convenience with four new branches. Beginning April 16th, Neighbors members will be able to conduct all of their business at the following branches:
Brusly / Port Allen Branch
4181 Hwy 1 South
Casa Loma Plaza
Port Allen, LA 70767
Denham Springs Branch
7755 Magnolia Beach Rd
Broadway Shopping Center
Denham Springs, LA 70726
Shada Branch
1836 Shada Ave
Baton Rouge, LA 70805
Sherwood Branch
5423 S Sherwood Forest Blvd
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
This includes lobby, drive-thru, and ATM facilities free of charge, just like our current locations. Thank you for being a valued member and we look forward to serving you at one of our 13 locations as well as online.
What settling a debt can mean at tax time
It almost seems too easy. Settle your debt, the TV ad goes, for 'pennies on the dollar'. It isn't bankruptcy, so you're not looking at 7 years of bad luck. What the ads don't tell you, though, is that a settlement will show up on your credit report, possibly bringing your credit score down.
However, there's another issue to be aware of when considering a debt settlement. As far as the IRS is concerned, anytime you've been forgiven for more than $600 of debt, the money you no longer owe is considered income.
And income is, of course, taxable.
So, say you have $20,000 worth of debt. You're able to negotiate with the creditor for a payment of $8,000 instead of the full amount and wipe the debt clean.
Sweet.
Except now there's a mark on your credit report. And you also owe taxes for $12,000 worth of income.
How will the IRS know? Well, the creditor will provide you with a 1099-C tax form. So, it's official, and you owe taxes on the forgiven debt because you borrowed the money at one point and didn't repay it. Looking at it from the IRS's perspective, you've just earned money. And, yeah, the IRS wants a slice.
But there are exceptions. When your debts are greater than your assets (for example, you owe $50,000 and your assets are $30,000), the IRS will usually waive the tax liability for any forgiven debt that makes up the difference. In this case, if your debts are $20,000 more than your assets, you can show "income" of up to $20,000 through a debt settlement without having to worry about paying taxes on the money you didn't repay. Just make sure you file Form 982 with your taxes in the year that you received a debt settlement.
Before agreeing to a settlement, or actively looking for one, speak to your tax advisor and find out how it'll effect you in the long run.
What To Do If Your Cell Phone is Lost or Stolen
Here's a little known fact: If your cell phone is stolen, the wireless company can hold you liable for all charges made from the time it was stolen until you report the theft. One woman was reportedly charged $26,000 when her cell phone was stolen just before she left for a vacation in another county. Credit card issuers are required by law to limit the liability a consumer has for fraudulent charges, but cell phone companies are not. So you'll want to report a lost or stolen cell phone immediately. It's also a good idea to note the name of the person you spoke with, along with the time and date. Ask for confirmation in writing that your phone has been disabled. You might want to consider filing a police report too.
However, fraudulent charges may be the last thing on your mind when your cell phone is stolen. All the information, such as phone numbers, stored in your phone is now in the potentially dangerous hands of a stranger. Contact anyone whose phone number you have stored by relationship ('Mom', 'Grandpa', 'Hubby') instead of their name to let them know your phone was stolen so they can be wary of calls and text messages coming through. Identity theft has been known to take place when a stolen cell phone was used to text 'hubby' asking for a PIN reminder.
Better yet, don't save any names this way. Why take a chance on identity theft?
Holiday Hours
All Neighbors branches will be closed on the following days in honor of the listed holidays.
