August 14, 2025 • 21 mins
https://www.gulfcoastfcu.org/
251-438-7464
Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with the sole purpose of giving you greater value than commercial banks. You can join if you live, work, worship, or attend school in Mobile County.
251-438-7464
Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with the sole purpose of giving you greater value than commercial banks. You can join if you live, work, worship, or attend school in Mobile County.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
This is News Radio seven to ten WNTM. Uncle Henry
here with you once again on Ask the Expert. And
in this episode of Ask the Expert, we're gonna learn
about Golf Coast Federal Credit Union in Mobile County. We're
gonna learn about Golf Coast Federal Credit Union here in
(00:28):
Mobile County by talking with one of their branch managers,
Leslie Brown. Now, Golf Coast Federal Credit Union has three
locations in Mobile County. They're located on Downtown or Loop
in Mobile, on Highway ninety in Theodore, and on spring
Hill Avenue in Mobile. And at any time in our conversation,
(00:48):
you can find out more about Golf Coast Federal Credit
Union by visiting their website golf Coast FCU dot org.
That's golf COASTFCU dot org for Golf Coast Federal Credit Union.
Now let's begin our conversation with Leslie Brown, the manager
of the Downtowner branch of Golf Coast Federal Credit Union. Now,
(01:11):
our conversation was recorded this week in her office at
Golf Coast Federal Credit Union. So, Leslie Brown, how are
things at Golf Coast Federal Credit Union?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Awesome?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Thank you awesome. How long have you been with Golf
Coast Federal Credit.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Union fifteen years?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Fifteen years? And how long have you been the manager
of the Downtowner branch.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Oh for probably the last eight or.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Nine years, so you've been here for a while.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, yeah, I have.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Do you have a lot of people here that have
also been with Golf Coast Federal Credit Union for.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
A while, Yeah, I do.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Well, that's always a good sign when it's a good
place to work and people stay.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
For listeners that are unfamiliar with credit unions, how different
is it from a bank? Don't you offer just amount
of the same thing that a bank offers?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
We do.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
We offer all of the same programs and products that
you're big banks offer, but the difference between banks and
credit unions or credit unions are geared more to help
the community. That's our model, people helping people.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
When you join a credit union, you actually have a
say in the credit union, right right right.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
All of our members I'm sorry, are shareholders and we
have annual meetings where they're able to voice their opinions
and ask questions. So, yeah, they have a say in
what goes on with the credit union.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
It's one of the reasons I'm excited to do this
show with you and to tell people about Gulf Coast
Federal Credit Union because I've been I've been a customer
of credit unions now for over twenty years, and I
never realized for me, I'm only speaking for myself, but
I think the customer service is better justin well because
of the focus on the shareholders and not anyone else. Right, So,
(03:01):
Golf Coast Federal Credit Union, it used to be just
for who.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
It used to be just for the CD and County
of Mobile employees.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Okay, but now who can be a member? If somebody
is listening to this and they're wondering already things be
a member of Golf Coast Federal Credit Union. Who can
be a member?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
If you live, work, or worship or go to school
in Mobile County, you're eligible for membership with Golf Coast
Federal Credit Union.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Okay, So that's not much of a barrier at all
to end for a year. So as long as you've
got something going on in Mobile County, you can be
a member. Tell me what are some of the programs
you have basically for saving money?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
So we have just a regular share account that's a
save as account, we offer money markets, we offer ras,
we offer CDs as well.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
But for personal things, personal savings and also checking. Are
there any differences in doing a checking account through a
gold of course, federal credit union versus your average bank.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yes, we don't have a minimum balance for the checking account.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Our fees are minimum.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I think you've got a checking account that is a
no fee at all checking account, don't you.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Yeah, all of our checking accounts are no fee as
far as I mean. Of course, there are NSL fees
and things such as that, but there's no fee as
far as balance fee or anything like that. Just the
normal fees, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
See when I first joined a credit union, that was
one of the attractive things to me, because I'd gone
to a bank and they handed me a printed out
sheet of all the fees. It was like an entire
page of fees, right right, And not nearly as many
fees with a credit union.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Yeah, definitely not as many fees here.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Well, talk to me a little bit and to the
listener a little bit about the type of loans we
can get at a credit union.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Okay, we offer a full array of loans.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Vehicle loan, personal loans, vehicles, I'm sorry, motorcycle loans. We
also offer a wide variety of real estate loans, such
as Helock's first mortgages, second mortgages, and so forth.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Okay, I understand that right now you have opportunities for
people to refine their car loans. And I was telling
you before we started this conversation that years ago i'd
never heard of anybody doing that. But of course, now
cars are more than they've ever been. Yeah, I'm sure
is there a demand for this? A lot of people
want to refine car loans.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
During this economic time, everyone is looking for ways to
save money. So we're offering a promotion where we can
see about or look into lowering your current rate by
two percent.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Wow. Okay for a lot of it, that would say,
but a lot of money for.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Some folks, Yes for sure.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Okay, So you're saying that if you can, you'll try
to lower somebody's loan rate by two percent.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Okay. How does somebody take advantage of this?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Well, all they'll have to do is just come in
and apply. You can apply before you actually become a member.
But of course, if we are able to get you approved,
you will have to become a member, but just come
to any one of our three locations and apply, and
you can also apply online at Gulf COASTFCU dot org.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Okay, so there are online applications as well, Yes, there are.
I don't want to jump around too much in the conversation,
but speaking of online, can I do a lot of
my banking online? Can I manage everything online with Gulf
Coast Federal Credit Union?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yes, you can.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
We have an app that you can access a lot
of your account information and do different transactions. And then
also we have the online banking portion as well.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Okay, so this refine the car loan saving a lot
of money where you trying to lower it by two percent?
Have you a lot of people take advantage of then?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Yes, yes, we definitely have.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Do people also come in for boat they do?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
They do it.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Right now, we're offering a one and a half percent
discount on boats for so it'll be one and a
half percent off of the rate that you would normally
qualify for. Right now, we're offering a discount on boat loans.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Wow, okay, didn't know that. What other loan deals do
you have? Let let's go down the list of loan deals.
I know that you have a program to help people
get into homes with one percent down. Can you talk
about that?
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Yes, so that's our home, our one plus home mortgage
program that we're doing with our retail partner. You will
put down one percent and then we will put down
the other two percent.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Okay, so you put down the other two percent, right,
That kind of gives me immediate equity there in the house.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yes, it does.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Okay. Has this been popular?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
It has? It really has.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
So what kind of reaction are you getting from people
with this?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
They love it. It recently just started to pick up.
We started the program probably about two or three months ago,
and so now it's really becoming popular and the members
love it. It's a big help to a lot of
people who want to become homeowners but don't necessarily have
the savings to put down, you know, a big deposit
(08:21):
or a big down payment. So this is definitely helpful
to those people.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Do you do you like working with first time home buyers?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Of course, yeah, that's the American dream is to be
a homeowners.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
It is the American dream. But people don't know what
they don't know about buying a home. So I'm sure,
that's you've got to do a lot of teaching.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yes, sometimes yes.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
What are the most common things people misunderstand about a
home loan.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
A lot of people misunderstand the fact that they do
have to have some sort of fun saved. Even though
you are receiving assistance, you still have some out of
pocket expenses that you will have, you know, as far
as appraisals and inspections and then what you would have
to put down for earnest money. So some people don't
(09:08):
quite understand that, even though they are receiving downpayment assistance,
that they do still have to have, you know, some
money saved. You know, maybe not a lot of money,
but at least, you know, a couple of thousand dollars
saved just for those reasons alone.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
You know, it's been a wild these last few years.
Buying and selling homes has been wild, hasn't it. I
bet you have seen really some big ups and downs
just in the last ten years. Yes, and unfortunately in
radio we can't show you the smile that Leslie Round
has given me. But yes, a knowing smile about all that.
(09:43):
But it looks like things are going good. This program
sounds fantastic. One percent down and you provide an additional
two percent. That's got to bring a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
In it does it does well?
Speaker 1 (09:54):
If somebody has questions about this, what should they do?
If they're interested in this one plus home land, they can.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Call into any of the branches and ask for a
loan officer and they can give them all the information
that they need.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Okay, what other types of home loans do you offer?
Speaker 3 (10:12):
We offer heelocks, We offer first mortgages, second mortgages, and
we also offer loans on undeveloped property.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Oh okay, how popular are those?
Speaker 3 (10:25):
The land loans are not as popular as they once was.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
You mentioned motorcycles at the beginning of our conversation. Are
people buying those these days?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Yeah? They are?
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Yeah, a lot of the side I size. Yeah, a
lot of people are, especially during the summertime.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Oh really, Okay, I didn't you know what. I didn't
think of anything in terms of your credit union as
being seasonal, but I guess it can be with things
like boats and motorcycles.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Cycles.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yes, So, as we head into the final part of
the year, the final quarter of the year, what kind
of things do you have more of at Gulf Coast
Federal Credit Union towards the end of the year.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Well, we're always pushing helock loans, always pushing those to
help people consolidate dits and do home repairs and such.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Okay, so you do a lot of those at the
end of the year, Yes, we do. Leslie Brown, you
mentioned helock loans for people that have never heard of
that term, can you explain what a helock is.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Yes, a helock is an abbreviation for home equity line
of credit, and the way that it works is your
equity determines your line of credit, so an appraisal will
need to be done, and we lend eighty percent of
the appraised value minus any existing link that you may
(11:48):
have on your property. The helock has a ten year
draw period and a twenty year term, and so for
the first ten years you are able to draw against
your line of credit. In the last ten years or
just strictly repayment, there is also a fixed rate option
within the helock where you can have a portion of
(12:10):
your balance on a fixed rate even you know, during
the term of your long even if you still have
a draw period left, you still can just take a
portion of that balance and have that portion on a
fix rate, and then the remaining of it would be
just open for you to still borrow, but that portion
will still be on a variable rate.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Now the helocks have They been incredibly popular over the
last few years. I guess starting when people had to
stay home during COVID and we wanted to do home
improvement project. Did you see a lot of helocks for them?
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Yeah, definitely then, and then just people wanting to consolidate
their debts.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Okay, so people use helocks to consolidate debt with the
credit card.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Rates, right, Yes, you can use a helock for an
array of things. Mostly you know, they're used to consolidate
dick and to do homing provements.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Uh, let's go over some of the ways you've already
told us. You have different ways for people to save.
You mentioned money markets. I rays, you have all of
these things that banks offer. What are most popular?
Speaker 3 (13:19):
CITs are most popular Right now, money markets are starting
to pick up now that more people are becoming aware
of what a money market is and how it works.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
But still the old fashioned certificates of deposits still really popular.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
They're still really popular.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Great rates here.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah, we have awesome rates.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Actually, Oh, okay, awesome rates. We know for many years
they weren't. They weren't awesome in the industry. It's great
to have them awesome again.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Yeah, they're awesome again.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Now, what about just basic services available to Credit Union
members that a lot of people may not be aware of.
I know that you can offer credit counts.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
Yes, we offer credit constantly. You can get that at
any other branches. With the loan officer at that particular branch,
we can go over your creatit report and let you
know of the things that you would you know, need
to potentially fix or things that could be hindering your credit.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Now, when we talked about car loans a few minutes ago,
you're offering that great opportunity for people to rEFInd car
loans and bring them You're hoping to try and to
lower their car loan rate by two percent when they
come in with a different loan. Do you also offer
any services on buying cars? If a member is ready
(14:43):
to buy a car, can you help them out in
that process of finding the car.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
And we definitely assist with the financing on purchasing new
and use autos. And if you come across a lender
or the dealership. If their rate is cheaper than hours
or less than hours, we match rates as well.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Now, if you just tuned in, we're talking with Leslie Brown.
She's the manager of Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union's branch
on Downtown or Boulevard South in Mobile. Hey, before we
go any further, we didn't mention your other branches. You've
got a branch here downtown and Boulevard South. You also
have one out in Theodore, right, Yes.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
We also have one out on Theodore is on Highway ninety.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
And where is your other branch. You have a third branch, our.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Main office that is located at one thousand one spring
Hill Avenue.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
One thousand one spring Hill Avenue. Now did you work
there before I did? How busy is that branch?
Speaker 2 (15:40):
That's the busiest branch.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
That is the busiest branch. Now do you like being
in the busy branch or would you rather be here
on downtown or boulevard? Should we make this the busiest
branch today?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Yes, make this the busiest branch.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Okay, I've got a few more questions here about Gulf
Coast Federal Credit Union, And I've never interviewed somebody really
in a in a credit union or anything like a
credit union. Now, I remember years ago, lots of people
would get Christmas clubs. They would join Christmas clubs to
save money for Christmas. Do you do any kind of
(16:14):
savings clubs at Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union?
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Yes, we offer Christmas clubs as well as vacation club accounts.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Okay, how do they work? How would something like that
work these days?
Speaker 3 (16:26):
It works similarly to a save as account you can
set up to where you deposit a certain amount every
pay period or every month. And the way that the
Christmas club works is every October it disperses into whatever
account you designate or if you will like us to
cut you a check so you could you make your
deposit throughout the year, and October first is when the
(16:47):
funds would disperse to your account so that you will
have that money available to you when Christmas time comes?
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Now do people still want to get involved in these clubs?
I know they used to be. They used to be
a thing.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Yes, it actually still is a thee.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Okay, so people still do want to save up for
Christmas and vacation.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
Wy to still yeah, they still want to say for
Christmas most definitely.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Now Another thing that people want to use a credit
union for is to get a credit card. Can if
I become a member of Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union,
can I use the credit union to get myself a
credit card?
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Yes, we offer credit cards. We have three different levels
to our credit cards. There is no balance transfer fee
on our cards, and our cards do have a relatively
low rate.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
And I guess these are really popular with your members.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Yes, they are.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Let me ask you about your ATMs. Big fees on
the ATM if I want to pull some cash out
of the ATM, not.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
If you use one of ours. If you use one
of our ATMs, there is no.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Fee, no fee. If I'm a member and I use
your ATM, there's no fee, right.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
And we have two branches that have the ATMs on site,
which is our branch on spring Hill and our Theodore branch.
But we also are part of a CU twenty of
the CU twenty four network, and this allows you to
use other ATMs that are now owned by Gulf Coast
Federal Credit Union. But you're not charged a fee to
(18:15):
use those credit unions. And you can find where those
locations are on our website just by putting in your
zoop called and it'll let you know where the ATMs
are located within that general area where you are.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
You've been listening to a conversation with Leslie Brown, a
branch manager with Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union in Mobile County.
Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union has three branches in Mobile County,
a branch on spring Hill Avenue, a branch on Downtown
or Boulevard, and their branch in Theodore on Highway ninety.
(18:48):
If you want to find out more at any time
about Golf Coast Federal Credit Union, you can go to
their website Golf Coast FCU dot org. That's Golf Coast
FCU dot org. Now, in our conversation, you heard about
two specific loans they are offering right now at Golf
Coast Federal Credit Union. They are helping people get into homes.
(19:11):
They've got a one plus home loan that lets you
buy a home with just one percent down. So if
you're a first time buyer, you may be able to
put down just one percent on a home in Golf
Coast Federal Credit Union will match it with an additional
two percent for a total of three percent down. That
creates immediate equity in the home, and you also enjoy
(19:33):
having a fixed rate loan for monthly payments you can
count on. Now, this does have specific requirements, so you
need to get in touch with Golf Coast Federal Credit
Union at two five to one four three eight seven
four sixty four or visit their website and they can
help you quickly determine if you qualify for that loan,
and they are federally insured by NCUA Equal Housing Opportunity
(19:58):
MLS number four four zero five seven one. Another loan
we talked about in this conversation was car loans, where
they have an opportunity for you to refine your car loan.
They say, if you don't like the loan you got
from another lender, the dealership or some other lender, you
can bring that loan to Golf Coast Federal Credit Union
(20:19):
and they will try to lower that loan by two percent.
I can save you a lot of money. You get
to keep the car you already have and keep more
cash in your wallet every month. Golf Coast Federal Credit
Union has the details. Again call them at two five
one four three eight seven four sixty four or visit
their website. They can run the numbers for you and
(20:39):
see how much they could save you. Again, these loans
are subject to approval and they are federally ensured by NCUA. Again,
their phone number two five to one four three eight
seven four sixty four. That's two five to one four
three eight seven four sixty four. Or just go to
their website. You'll find Golf Coast Federal Credit Union in
(21:00):
online at GOLFCOASTFCU dot org. Again, that's Golfcoast FCU dot
org
This is News Radio seven to ten WNTM. Uncle Henry
here with you once again on Ask the Expert. And
in this episode of Ask the Expert, we're gonna learn
about Golf Coast Federal Credit Union in Mobile County. We're
gonna learn about Golf Coast Federal Credit Union here in
(00:28):
Mobile County by talking with one of their branch managers,
Leslie Brown. Now, Golf Coast Federal Credit Union has three
locations in Mobile County. They're located on Downtown or Loop
in Mobile, on Highway ninety in Theodore, and on spring
Hill Avenue in Mobile. And at any time in our conversation,
(00:48):
you can find out more about Golf Coast Federal Credit
Union by visiting their website golf Coast FCU dot org.
That's golf COASTFCU dot org for Golf Coast Federal Credit Union.
Now let's begin our conversation with Leslie Brown, the manager
of the Downtowner branch of Golf Coast Federal Credit Union. Now,
(01:11):
our conversation was recorded this week in her office at
Golf Coast Federal Credit Union. So, Leslie Brown, how are
things at Golf Coast Federal Credit Union?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Awesome?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Thank you awesome. How long have you been with Golf
Coast Federal Credit.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Union fifteen years?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Fifteen years? And how long have you been the manager
of the Downtowner branch.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Oh for probably the last eight or.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Nine years, so you've been here for a while.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, yeah, I have.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Do you have a lot of people here that have
also been with Golf Coast Federal Credit Union for.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
A while, Yeah, I do.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Well, that's always a good sign when it's a good
place to work and people stay.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
For listeners that are unfamiliar with credit unions, how different
is it from a bank? Don't you offer just amount
of the same thing that a bank offers?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
We do.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
We offer all of the same programs and products that
you're big banks offer, but the difference between banks and
credit unions or credit unions are geared more to help
the community. That's our model, people helping people.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
When you join a credit union, you actually have a
say in the credit union, right right right.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
All of our members I'm sorry, are shareholders and we
have annual meetings where they're able to voice their opinions
and ask questions. So, yeah, they have a say in
what goes on with the credit union.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
It's one of the reasons I'm excited to do this
show with you and to tell people about Gulf Coast
Federal Credit Union because I've been I've been a customer
of credit unions now for over twenty years, and I
never realized for me, I'm only speaking for myself, but
I think the customer service is better justin well because
of the focus on the shareholders and not anyone else. Right, So,
(03:01):
Golf Coast Federal Credit Union, it used to be just
for who.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
It used to be just for the CD and County
of Mobile employees.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Okay, but now who can be a member? If somebody
is listening to this and they're wondering already things be
a member of Golf Coast Federal Credit Union. Who can
be a member?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
If you live, work, or worship or go to school
in Mobile County, you're eligible for membership with Golf Coast
Federal Credit Union.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Okay, So that's not much of a barrier at all
to end for a year. So as long as you've
got something going on in Mobile County, you can be
a member. Tell me what are some of the programs
you have basically for saving money?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
So we have just a regular share account that's a
save as account, we offer money markets, we offer ras,
we offer CDs as well.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
But for personal things, personal savings and also checking. Are
there any differences in doing a checking account through a
gold of course, federal credit union versus your average bank.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yes, we don't have a minimum balance for the checking account.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Our fees are minimum.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I think you've got a checking account that is a
no fee at all checking account, don't you.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Yeah, all of our checking accounts are no fee as
far as I mean. Of course, there are NSL fees
and things such as that, but there's no fee as
far as balance fee or anything like that. Just the
normal fees, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
See when I first joined a credit union, that was
one of the attractive things to me, because I'd gone
to a bank and they handed me a printed out
sheet of all the fees. It was like an entire
page of fees, right right, And not nearly as many
fees with a credit union.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Yeah, definitely not as many fees here.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Well, talk to me a little bit and to the
listener a little bit about the type of loans we
can get at a credit union.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Okay, we offer a full array of loans.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Vehicle loan, personal loans, vehicles, I'm sorry, motorcycle loans. We
also offer a wide variety of real estate loans, such
as Helock's first mortgages, second mortgages, and so forth.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Okay, I understand that right now you have opportunities for
people to refine their car loans. And I was telling
you before we started this conversation that years ago i'd
never heard of anybody doing that. But of course, now
cars are more than they've ever been. Yeah, I'm sure
is there a demand for this? A lot of people
want to refine car loans.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
During this economic time, everyone is looking for ways to
save money. So we're offering a promotion where we can
see about or look into lowering your current rate by
two percent.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Wow. Okay for a lot of it, that would say,
but a lot of money for.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Some folks, Yes for sure.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Okay, So you're saying that if you can, you'll try
to lower somebody's loan rate by two percent.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Okay. How does somebody take advantage of this?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Well, all they'll have to do is just come in
and apply. You can apply before you actually become a member.
But of course, if we are able to get you approved,
you will have to become a member, but just come
to any one of our three locations and apply, and
you can also apply online at Gulf COASTFCU dot org.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Okay, so there are online applications as well, Yes, there are.
I don't want to jump around too much in the conversation,
but speaking of online, can I do a lot of
my banking online? Can I manage everything online with Gulf
Coast Federal Credit Union?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yes, you can.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
We have an app that you can access a lot
of your account information and do different transactions. And then
also we have the online banking portion as well.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Okay, so this refine the car loan saving a lot
of money where you trying to lower it by two percent?
Have you a lot of people take advantage of then?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Yes, yes, we definitely have.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Do people also come in for boat they do?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
They do it.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Right now, we're offering a one and a half percent
discount on boats for so it'll be one and a
half percent off of the rate that you would normally
qualify for. Right now, we're offering a discount on boat loans.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Wow, okay, didn't know that. What other loan deals do
you have? Let let's go down the list of loan deals.
I know that you have a program to help people
get into homes with one percent down. Can you talk
about that?
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Yes, so that's our home, our one plus home mortgage
program that we're doing with our retail partner. You will
put down one percent and then we will put down
the other two percent.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Okay, so you put down the other two percent, right,
That kind of gives me immediate equity there in the house.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yes, it does.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Okay. Has this been popular?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
It has? It really has.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
So what kind of reaction are you getting from people
with this?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
They love it. It recently just started to pick up.
We started the program probably about two or three months ago,
and so now it's really becoming popular and the members
love it. It's a big help to a lot of
people who want to become homeowners but don't necessarily have
the savings to put down, you know, a big deposit
(08:21):
or a big down payment. So this is definitely helpful
to those people.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Do you do you like working with first time home buyers?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Of course, yeah, that's the American dream is to be
a homeowners.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
It is the American dream. But people don't know what
they don't know about buying a home. So I'm sure,
that's you've got to do a lot of teaching.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yes, sometimes yes.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
What are the most common things people misunderstand about a
home loan.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
A lot of people misunderstand the fact that they do
have to have some sort of fun saved. Even though
you are receiving assistance, you still have some out of
pocket expenses that you will have, you know, as far
as appraisals and inspections and then what you would have
to put down for earnest money. So some people don't
(09:08):
quite understand that, even though they are receiving downpayment assistance,
that they do still have to have, you know, some
money saved. You know, maybe not a lot of money,
but at least, you know, a couple of thousand dollars
saved just for those reasons alone.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
You know, it's been a wild these last few years.
Buying and selling homes has been wild, hasn't it. I
bet you have seen really some big ups and downs
just in the last ten years. Yes, and unfortunately in
radio we can't show you the smile that Leslie Round
has given me. But yes, a knowing smile about all that.
(09:43):
But it looks like things are going good. This program
sounds fantastic. One percent down and you provide an additional
two percent. That's got to bring a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
In it does it does well?
Speaker 1 (09:54):
If somebody has questions about this, what should they do?
If they're interested in this one plus home land, they can.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Call into any of the branches and ask for a
loan officer and they can give them all the information
that they need.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Okay, what other types of home loans do you offer?
Speaker 3 (10:12):
We offer heelocks, We offer first mortgages, second mortgages, and
we also offer loans on undeveloped property.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Oh okay, how popular are those?
Speaker 3 (10:25):
The land loans are not as popular as they once was.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
You mentioned motorcycles at the beginning of our conversation. Are
people buying those these days?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Yeah? They are?
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Yeah, a lot of the side I size. Yeah, a
lot of people are, especially during the summertime.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Oh really, Okay, I didn't you know what. I didn't
think of anything in terms of your credit union as
being seasonal, but I guess it can be with things
like boats and motorcycles.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Cycles.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yes, So, as we head into the final part of
the year, the final quarter of the year, what kind
of things do you have more of at Gulf Coast
Federal Credit Union towards the end of the year.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Well, we're always pushing helock loans, always pushing those to
help people consolidate dits and do home repairs and such.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Okay, so you do a lot of those at the
end of the year, Yes, we do. Leslie Brown, you
mentioned helock loans for people that have never heard of
that term, can you explain what a helock is.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Yes, a helock is an abbreviation for home equity line
of credit, and the way that it works is your
equity determines your line of credit, so an appraisal will
need to be done, and we lend eighty percent of
the appraised value minus any existing link that you may
(11:48):
have on your property. The helock has a ten year
draw period and a twenty year term, and so for
the first ten years you are able to draw against
your line of credit. In the last ten years or
just strictly repayment, there is also a fixed rate option
within the helock where you can have a portion of
(12:10):
your balance on a fixed rate even you know, during
the term of your long even if you still have
a draw period left, you still can just take a
portion of that balance and have that portion on a
fix rate, and then the remaining of it would be
just open for you to still borrow, but that portion
will still be on a variable rate.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Now the helocks have They been incredibly popular over the
last few years. I guess starting when people had to
stay home during COVID and we wanted to do home
improvement project. Did you see a lot of helocks for them?
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Yeah, definitely then, and then just people wanting to consolidate
their debts.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Okay, so people use helocks to consolidate debt with the
credit card.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Rates, right, Yes, you can use a helock for an
array of things. Mostly you know, they're used to consolidate
dick and to do homing provements.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Uh, let's go over some of the ways you've already
told us. You have different ways for people to save.
You mentioned money markets. I rays, you have all of
these things that banks offer. What are most popular?
Speaker 3 (13:19):
CITs are most popular Right now, money markets are starting
to pick up now that more people are becoming aware
of what a money market is and how it works.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
But still the old fashioned certificates of deposits still really popular.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
They're still really popular.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Great rates here.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah, we have awesome rates.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Actually, Oh, okay, awesome rates. We know for many years
they weren't. They weren't awesome in the industry. It's great
to have them awesome again.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Yeah, they're awesome again.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Now, what about just basic services available to Credit Union
members that a lot of people may not be aware of.
I know that you can offer credit counts.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
Yes, we offer credit constantly. You can get that at
any other branches. With the loan officer at that particular branch,
we can go over your creatit report and let you
know of the things that you would you know, need
to potentially fix or things that could be hindering your credit.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Now, when we talked about car loans a few minutes ago,
you're offering that great opportunity for people to rEFInd car
loans and bring them You're hoping to try and to
lower their car loan rate by two percent when they
come in with a different loan. Do you also offer
any services on buying cars? If a member is ready
(14:43):
to buy a car, can you help them out in
that process of finding the car.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
And we definitely assist with the financing on purchasing new
and use autos. And if you come across a lender
or the dealership. If their rate is cheaper than hours
or less than hours, we match rates as well.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Now, if you just tuned in, we're talking with Leslie Brown.
She's the manager of Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union's branch
on Downtown or Boulevard South in Mobile. Hey, before we
go any further, we didn't mention your other branches. You've
got a branch here downtown and Boulevard South. You also
have one out in Theodore, right, Yes.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
We also have one out on Theodore is on Highway ninety.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
And where is your other branch. You have a third branch, our.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Main office that is located at one thousand one spring
Hill Avenue.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
One thousand one spring Hill Avenue. Now did you work
there before I did? How busy is that branch?
Speaker 2 (15:40):
That's the busiest branch.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
That is the busiest branch. Now do you like being
in the busy branch or would you rather be here
on downtown or boulevard? Should we make this the busiest
branch today?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Yes, make this the busiest branch.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Okay, I've got a few more questions here about Gulf
Coast Federal Credit Union, And I've never interviewed somebody really
in a in a credit union or anything like a
credit union. Now, I remember years ago, lots of people
would get Christmas clubs. They would join Christmas clubs to
save money for Christmas. Do you do any kind of
(16:14):
savings clubs at Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union?
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Yes, we offer Christmas clubs as well as vacation club accounts.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Okay, how do they work? How would something like that
work these days?
Speaker 3 (16:26):
It works similarly to a save as account you can
set up to where you deposit a certain amount every
pay period or every month. And the way that the
Christmas club works is every October it disperses into whatever
account you designate or if you will like us to
cut you a check so you could you make your
deposit throughout the year, and October first is when the
(16:47):
funds would disperse to your account so that you will
have that money available to you when Christmas time comes?
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Now do people still want to get involved in these clubs?
I know they used to be. They used to be
a thing.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Yes, it actually still is a thee.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Okay, so people still do want to save up for
Christmas and vacation.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
Wy to still yeah, they still want to say for
Christmas most definitely.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Now Another thing that people want to use a credit
union for is to get a credit card. Can if
I become a member of Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union,
can I use the credit union to get myself a
credit card?
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Yes, we offer credit cards. We have three different levels
to our credit cards. There is no balance transfer fee
on our cards, and our cards do have a relatively
low rate.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
And I guess these are really popular with your members.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Yes, they are.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Let me ask you about your ATMs. Big fees on
the ATM if I want to pull some cash out
of the ATM, not.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
If you use one of ours. If you use one
of our ATMs, there is no.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Fee, no fee. If I'm a member and I use
your ATM, there's no fee, right.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
And we have two branches that have the ATMs on site,
which is our branch on spring Hill and our Theodore branch.
But we also are part of a CU twenty of
the CU twenty four network, and this allows you to
use other ATMs that are now owned by Gulf Coast
Federal Credit Union. But you're not charged a fee to
(18:15):
use those credit unions. And you can find where those
locations are on our website just by putting in your
zoop called and it'll let you know where the ATMs
are located within that general area where you are.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
You've been listening to a conversation with Leslie Brown, a
branch manager with Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union in Mobile County.
Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union has three branches in Mobile County,
a branch on spring Hill Avenue, a branch on Downtown
or Boulevard, and their branch in Theodore on Highway ninety.
(18:48):
If you want to find out more at any time
about Golf Coast Federal Credit Union, you can go to
their website Golf Coast FCU dot org. That's Golf Coast
FCU dot org. Now, in our conversation, you heard about
two specific loans they are offering right now at Golf
Coast Federal Credit Union. They are helping people get into homes.
(19:11):
They've got a one plus home loan that lets you
buy a home with just one percent down. So if
you're a first time buyer, you may be able to
put down just one percent on a home in Golf
Coast Federal Credit Union will match it with an additional
two percent for a total of three percent down. That
creates immediate equity in the home, and you also enjoy
(19:33):
having a fixed rate loan for monthly payments you can
count on. Now, this does have specific requirements, so you
need to get in touch with Golf Coast Federal Credit
Union at two five to one four three eight seven
four sixty four or visit their website and they can
help you quickly determine if you qualify for that loan,
and they are federally insured by NCUA Equal Housing Opportunity
(19:58):
MLS number four four zero five seven one. Another loan
we talked about in this conversation was car loans, where
they have an opportunity for you to refine your car loan.
They say, if you don't like the loan you got
from another lender, the dealership or some other lender, you
can bring that loan to Golf Coast Federal Credit Union
(20:19):
and they will try to lower that loan by two percent.
I can save you a lot of money. You get
to keep the car you already have and keep more
cash in your wallet every month. Golf Coast Federal Credit
Union has the details. Again call them at two five
one four three eight seven four sixty four or visit
their website. They can run the numbers for you and
(20:39):
see how much they could save you. Again, these loans
are subject to approval and they are federally ensured by NCUA. Again,
their phone number two five to one four three eight
seven four sixty four. That's two five to one four
three eight seven four sixty four. Or just go to
their website. You'll find Golf Coast Federal Credit Union in
(21:00):
online at GOLFCOASTFCU dot org. Again, that's Golfcoast FCU dot
org
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